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Why does one who sees a Chanukah (חנוכה) menorah make a berachah, unlike every other mitzvah (מצוה)? The shiur explores Rashi (רש"י)'s commentary on Pharaoh's dream (the cows' "good appearance" means people viewing each other kindly) to develop a fundamental distinction: Greeks see competitively—looking to take—while Jews see to give, celebrating others' success. The berachah on seeing Chanukah lights expresses this uniquely Jewish ayin tovah.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a question from Tosafos (תוספות): why does one who sees a Chanukah (חנוכה) menorah make a berachah, when for all other mitzvos only the performer recites a blessing? This anomaly, he suggests, reveals something fundamental about the Jewish approach to seeing itself. The shiur turns to Parshas Vayigash and the interpretation of Pharaoh's dream. When the Torah (תורה) describes the seven fat cows as "yefos mar'eh u'vri'os basar," Rashi (רש"י) explains that "yefos mar'eh" means the people had a "good look"—they viewed each other kindly, without begrudging one another. This is not merely descriptive; it is central to Yosef's interpretation. Yosef repeatedly calls the good years "sh'nei sova," years of satisfaction. But plenty and satisfaction are not synonyms—people can have abundance yet remain dissatisfied. How did Yosef know there would be satisfaction, not just plenty?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 41 (Pharaoh's dream), Bereishis 45-46 (Vayigash)
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