From Darkness to Eight Lights
讘专讗砖讬转 诪:讻讙-诪讗:讗
讜职诇止讗-讝指讻址专 砖址讉专-讛址诪址旨砖职讈拽执讬诐 讗侄转-讬讜止住值祝, 讜址讬执旨砖职讈讻指旨讞值讛讜旨. 讜址讬职讛执讬, 诪执拽值旨抓 砖职讈谞指转址讬执诐 讬指诪执讬诐; 讜旨驻址专职注止讛 讞止诇值诐, 讜职讛执谞值旨讛 注止诪值讚 注址诇-讛址讬职讗止专.
讘专讗砖讬转 专讘讛 驻讟:讗
讜讬讛讬 诪拽抓 砖谞转讬诐 讬诪讬诐 (讗讬讜讘 讻讞) 拽抓 砖诐 诇讞砖讱 讝诪谉 谞转谉 诇注讜诇诐 讻诪讛 砖谞讬诐 讬注砖讛 讘讗驻讬诇讛 讜诪讗讬 讟注诐 拽抓 砖诐 诇讞讜砖讱 砖讻诇 讝诪谉 砖讬爪专 讛专注 讘注讜诇诐 讗讜驻诇 讜爪诇诪讜转 讘注讜诇诐 讚讻转讬讘 (砖诐 ) 讗讘谉 讗讜驻诇 讜爪诇诪讜转 谞注拽专 讬爪专 讛专注 诪谉 讛注讜诇诐 讗讬谉 讗讜驻诇 讜爪诇诪讜转 讘注讜诇诐 讚讘专 讗讞专 拽抓 砖诐 诇讞砖讱 讝诪谉 谞转谉 诇讬讜住祝 讻诪讛 砖谞讬诐 讬注砖讛 讘讗驻讬诇讛 讘讘讬转 讛讗住讜专讬诐 讻讬讜谉 砖讛讙讬注 讛拽抓 讞诇诐 驻专注讛 讞诇讜诐
Genesis 40:23鈥�41:1
The chief cupbearer did not think of Joseph; he forgot him. / At the end of two years’ time, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile . . .
Genesis Rabbah 89:1
At the end of two years’ time . . . (Gen. 41:1). [It is written:] He sets bounds for darkness . . . (Job 28:3)鈥擺God] set a definite period of time for the world to spend in darkness. What is the proof? He sets bounds for darkness [to every limit that a person may probe, to the stones of thick darkness and the shadow of death] (ibid.). For as long as the Evil Inclination exists in the world, thick darkness and the shadow of death persist in the world; once the Evil Inclination is uprooted from the world, thick darkness and the shadow of death will no longer be in the world.
Another interpretation: He sets bounds for darkness . . .(Job 28:3) 鈥� [God] fixed a definite period of time for Joseph to spend in the darkness of prison. When the appointed time came, Pharaoh dreamed a dream that led to Joseph’s release.
During the outreach classes I lead for 91快活林, I have recently fielded questions about evil and suffering with what seems to be greater frequency each week. Is there a connection between the decreased hours of daylight and my students’ concern about why bad things happen to good people?
Ten years ago, when the winter solstice immediately preceded the first night of Hanukkah, I learned that this week’s Torah portion, Miketz, always coincides with this “festival of lights.” Not until this year, however, did I discover the midrash above, which provides a link between the increased physical darkness experienced by most of world Jewry (and by our ancient Sages) at this time of the year and the spiritual darkness of Joseph’s unjust imprisonment in Egypt. Perhaps our primal fear of nighttime and its dangers triggers other feelings of dread about mortality and suffering.
It is striking, then, to consider the parallels between Joseph and Job suggested in this midrash. Both men innocently suffer due to the jealousy of an adversarial force and afterward must explain the meaning of this fall from grace. Joseph declares to his brothers that “it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you . . . God has sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival on earth, and to save your lives in an extraordinary deliverance” (Gen. 45:5, 7). No less extraordinary are God’s deliverance of Job from affliction and the protagonist’s response after chapters of protest speeches: “I know that You can do everything, that nothing proposed is impossible for You . . . Indeed, I spoke without understanding of things beyond me, which I did not know” (Job 42:2鈥�3).
Both of these biblical men survived tremendous anguish and somehow regained faith in life, family, and God by finding light after a period of profound darkness. They overcame their respective adversities by uncovering meaning in their suffering and in their perseverance. Let us similarly illuminate the darkness around us during this holiday of rededication to tradition. May we draw from these examples of personal transformation to lift our bodies and spirits from gloom to wholeness.
