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What does the root word "chen" reveal about Chanukah (חנוכה)'s message? The shiur explores how chen means not clemency but the ability to validate another's perspective, as Yosef begged his brothers to understand his motives. When they finally grasped this lesson standing before Pharaoh, they understood the essence of Jewish unity that Chanukah celebrates.
Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the linguistic root of Chanukah (חנוכה), which comes from the word "chen." He addresses a fundamental question: if King Shlomo declares "sheker ha'chen" (charm is false), how can we speak of people having chen, such as Esther who found favor in everyone's eyes? The resolution lies in understanding what chen truly means. The shiur analyzes a cryptic Midrash connecting the jasmine brought by Reuven (who saved Yosef from the pit) to the lights of Chanukah. This seemingly far-fetched connection becomes clear through a deeper reading of Parshas Mikeitz. When the brothers stand accused before Pharaoh, they suddenly recall how Yosef begged them for mercy years earlier—a detail conspicuously absent from last week's parsha when the sale actually occurred. The Ramban (רמב"ן) struggles with this: why does the Torah (תורה) place this crucial information here rather than in its chronological location?
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Why doesn't Chanukah appear in the Mishna? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Chanukah represents the victory of Gemara—the human ability to use godly intellect (ner Hashem nishmas adam) to develop Torah SheBaal Peh. The Menorah symbolizes the soul's illumination through this koach, while the Mizbeach represents the body's recreation—together forming the complete tikkun of man.
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.
Bereishis 42:21-22 (Parshas Mikeitz)
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