Shabbos Chanukah 5783
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in the beginning of this week’s parsha that the שר המשקים remembers Yosef two years after his release from prison. He tells Pharaoh after hearing his dreams (Chapter 41, Pasuk 9), את חטאי אני מזכיר היום; I am reminded and mentioning my sins (plural) today. The commentators teach that the sins he is referencing, are not only his sin against Pharaoh which landed him in jail, but also his sin towards Yosef in forgetting him and not advocating for his release.
This latter sin is mentioned in the chilling conclusion of last week’s parsha with the words, ולא זכר שר המשקים את יוסף וישכחהו. There is a repetition of the butler not only not remembering Yosef, but he also forgot him. Most of the commentators explain the repetition as teaching that not only didn’t he mention Yosef to Pharaoh in the beginning, but he forgot him entirely. Yosef was totally removed from his heart and from his consciousness; וישכחהו.
This forgetting of Yosef is all the more startling given the trait of Yosef as being associated with memory. We mentioned this point a few weeks ago in parshat Vayeitzei that Chazal teach that the אבני שהם on theחושן represent Yosef. And the Torah in parshat Pekudei (Chapter 39, Pasuk 7) refers to them as אבני זכרון. It is precisely the memory and focus of Yosef which is necessary to obliterate Eisav and leave him without a memorable trace, like straw consumed by fire.
Chazal teach that Yosef was placed in this temporary state of darkness and forgetting because he forgot his focus when asking the שר המשקים to remember him, as the pasuk states (Chapter 40, Pasuk 14), כי אם זכרתני אתך...והזכרתני אל פרעה. Yosef should have put his faith fully in Hashem and not ask the butler to intervene with Pharaoh on his behalf. By asking the butler to remember him, he caused himself to be forgotten.
The Chidushei HaRim teaches that the same מדה כנגד מדה happened on Chanukah, but in reverse. We mention in על הנסים that one of the goals of the Greeks was להשכיחם תורתך; to cause Bnei Yisrael to forget the Torah. The result is that not only did they not succeed, but the opposite is true; Chanukah is a special time of remembering Torah.
The Gemara in Shabbos 22A teaches that the Ner Chanukah should be placed outside by the doorway on the left side in order that one should have the Mezuzah on the right side and the light of Chanukah on the left. There is a version of this teaching brought in various sources (the Ba’al Ha’Itur, the She’iltot) which teaches, Mezuzah on the right, Ner Chanukah on the left, and the Ba’al Ha’Bayit wearing Tzitzis in the middle.
The Sfas Emes teaches that the significance of these mitzvos and their common denominator is memory. We are meant to encounter the Mezuzah every time we enter our house to remind us of our purpose in life and commitment to Hashem. As the Rambam states in Hilchos Mezuzah (Chapter 6, Halacha 13), וכל עת שיכנס ויצא יפגע בייחוד שמו של הקב"ה ויזכור אהבתו וייעור משנתו ושגייתו בהבלי הזמן. Every time a person walks in and out of his house, he encounters the Mezuzah which contains within it the Oneness of Gd, and he is reminded of his love for Hashem and is awoken from the stupor of mundane life. The Rambam is teaching in the last Halacha of Hilchos Mezuzah that the Mezuzah is a reminder of the meaning of life.
The Ba’al Ha’Bayit is in the middle with his Tzitzis. We read in parshat Shelach (Chapter 15, Pasuk 40) and recite twice a day in Keriyas Shema, למען תזכרו; the point of Tzitzis is to remember the mitzvos and perform them. And how are we to remember? By looking at the Tzitzis we are reminded of their significance, as the pasuk says (Pasuk 39), וראיתם אותו וזכרתם את כל מצוות ד'.
This brings us to the lights of Chanukah. The word to forget, לשכוח, has the same root as the word חושך, darkness. When we light up the darkness, we can see, which allows us to remember. Just as we see our Tzitzis and we remember the mitzvos, when we see light, we remember Gd and His Torah.
The light of Chanukah, as the Chidushei Harim taught, gives us a special power of remembering since the Greeks wanted us to forget the Torah. The sefer Rokeach explains that the thirty six lights over the course of Chanukah correspond to the thirty six hours of the Ohr Haganuz during creation before it was hidden. We are effectively bringing the Ohr Haganuz into the world by lighting Chanukah candles, and this explains the remembering achieved by looking at the lights of Chanukah.
The upshot is that seeing is remembering. And we learn this most from Yosef, who when tempted by the wife of Potiphar, saw the image of his father and remembered who he was and what his purpose was. Yosef is memory and we see this in our parsha as well when he sees his brothers, the Torah states (Chapter 42, Pasuk 9), ויזכור יוסף את החלומות אשר חלם להם. Upon seeing his brothers he remembered his dreams about him and his brothers. This is all the more reason why it’s startling that our parsha begins with Yosef forgetting and being forgotten. But ultimately he prevails and remembers, just as Bnei Yisrael overcame the attempt to force us to forget the Torah, and instead are constantly remembering Hashem through the mitzvos of Mezuzah, Tzitzis, and the lights of Chanukah.
Good Shabbos, Good Chodesh, and Good Chanukah
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