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Why is Chanukah (חנוכה) absent from the Mishna, and what does the menorah's connection to Kesser Shem Tov reveal? The shiur develops a yesod that malchus—sovereignty—represents man's unique power to create reality through free will, something God Himself cannot do. Parshas Vayeishev's focus on Yehuda's story becomes the Torah (תורה)'s teaching on what drives a true melech: the commitment to give reality to others, tested through the nisayon of arayos.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a fundamental question raised by the Acharonim: why is Chanukah (חנוכה) almost entirely absent from the Mishna? The shiur opens with several difficulties: the Midrash connects the menorah to the Kesser Shem Tov (crown of a good name), yet the Mishna lists three crowns—Torah (תורה), Kehuna, and Malchus—then adds that Kesser Shem Tov is greater than all three. This appears to enumerate four crowns, not three. Additionally, the concept of hodaya (thanksgiving) needs clarification, especially since the Gemara (גמרא) states that until Leah, no one truly thanked God. The shiur then turns to Parshas Vayeishev, questioning why the Torah devotes extensive narrative to Yehuda's life—his marriage, the deaths of Er and Onan, the episode with Tamar—when other shevatim receive almost no mention. Furthermore, throughout Tanach, the genealogy of Malchus Beis Dovid emerges from complicated relationships: Lot and his daughters, Yehuda and Tamar, Boaz and Rus. Every king seems tested in matters of arayos. Why?
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Parshas Vayeishev
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