Parshas Miketz:

Vayh mikeitz shenasayim yamim u'Pharoah cholem.




How did Yosef feel while in Prison?

The Chazon Ish explains Yosef's request of the Sar Hamashkim to remember him as 'an act of desperation'. If Yosef was resorting to 'desperate acts' & still stayed in prison for many many months afterwards is it possible that he can become depressed?

Let us imagine that Yosef did, in fact, get depressed. He is sitting in the pit. He has been sitting there for years already. He sees no way out of the darkness that he finds himself in.

SUDDENLY, the two years are over. The time-span that he was scheduled - in Hashem's infinite wisdom - to be imprisoned is over. At that moment.... Pharoah is dreaming!



The Torah is not just retelling an historical sequence of events. The Torah is enlightening us for eternity!

Chanukah:

U'le'amcha Yisroel assisa teshu'ah gedola upirkan kehayom hazeh. _{(Al Hanissim)}


The Chashmonaim were writing an Hodaoh to Hashem for the great nissim that Hashem did.

How do they describe it? They're searching for the perfect metaphor.

Hashem judged, struggled, and took revenge for us. He rescued us from many powerful impure wicked heathens.

Hashem's name became greater & holier in the world; and to Your nation Yisroel You made a great salvation & redemption...... like..... like......

(looking for an appropriate simile)
Like.... < drum-roll > like: Today!!!!

The Miracle of Today is the greatest miracle of all!




Zeh hayom assa Hashem!!!!

He made it! Without Him there is nothing!

Halel:


V'tzivanu likro ess haHalel = He commanded us to sing his praises.

Doesn't that sound a bit weird? It isn't much of an honor when the 3rd grade Rebbi instructs his students to rise in respect when he enters the classroom.

Asher kideshanu b'mitzvosas = Ratza hakodosh Boruch Hu lezakos ess Yisroel, Hashem doesn't need our praise; WE need it!!


He wants it for our benefit. Not much unlike the educator who is teaching his students!

Parshas Vayigash:

Vayigash eilav Yehuda vayomer bi adoni.

K'shem shemivorach al hatov kach mevorach al hara'ah. - Thank Hashem. But also daven for it to get better!

If someone see that by him there is Midas haDin he should give toda'ah to Hashem & then pray.

Vayigash - bring close
Eilav - Keil-av - his Midas haDin    (Keil zoam b'chol yom)
Yehuda - to praise      (Hapa'am odeh ess Hashem)

but also:
Vayomer bi - daven

Chanukah:


Yetzer Horah maniach umos haolam umisgareh b'son'eihem shel yisroel. Omar Abayeh ubetalmudei chachamim yoser mekulam. _{(Gemara Sukkah)}

Torah scholars are misalta umishamna of Klal Yisroel. the Yetzer Horah aims for the top. He tries to get the best of the best. (Didn't he try to get us?  ;D )

V'tim'u kol hashmanim = The Best.

Chanukah:


Mitzvas ner chanukah hu ner ish u'beiso; v'hamehadrin ner l'chol echod v'echod; v'hamehadrin min hamehadrin mosef v'holech.


In the 1st night there is no noticeable difference between the Mehadrin & the Mehadrin min hamedhadrin, they both light one per household member.


Seforim explain the Rashi L'hagid shevacho shel Aharon shelo shina, that he didn't slacken off in his enthusiasm. He lit the Menorah every day as if it was his first time ever.

The Mehadrin light a candle every night, but there is no 'freshness' in their lighting. To the Mehadrin min hamehadrin every night is a new beginning, greater than ever before!!!

Zos Chanukah:

Every Yom Tov's kriyas HaTorah is connected with that day.
Can the greatness of Zos Chanukah be somehow connected with the fact that on today we read about the individual karbanos of many Nesiim?

The Power of Unity is what makes it into a continuation of the Gmar Chasima of Yom Kippur!
(Yom Kippur is a 'Day of leaving our Jealousy & Quarrels' _{(The piyut after the Avodas Kohen Godol)} (As my Mashgiach pointed out)


The 12th day in Nissan isn't called "Zos", even though we read 'Zos Chanukas Hamizbeiach' on that day.

Chanukah:

U'le'amcha Yisroel assisa teshu'ah gedola upirkan kehayom hazeh. _{(Al Hanissim)}

In the Sefer Shemen Rosh _{(Vol. 9, Shemos, Pgs. 17-18)}
The Yevanim understandably sought to abolish Shabbos & Milah as these are from the mitzvos that distinguish Jews from the rest of the nations. What needs an explanation is, why did they hate Chodesh so much too?
Chodesh symbolizes Renewal. Even in the darkest of times the option of starting over exists. That is an idea that the Greeks wanted to uproot from our psyche.

Aveira goreres aveira, aside from its simple meaning, can also be understood that the feeling of dejection one experiences after stumbling into a sin. The feeling of inferiority, of worthlessness, can be so demoralizing that the person beging to think that there is no value to his mitzvos anyhow and he may as well continue to sin.

Hayom hazeh hashem Elokecha metzvecha.... - B'chol yom yiyeh b'einecha k'illu hayom nitna. Do not dwell on the past. What was, was; what happened yesterday, happened yesterday. Today is today. Today we can grow. Today is the day that Hashem is commanding us to do his will.



Maybe we can add to his words:

The vast majority of Jews weren't with the Chashmonoim. Many became Misyavnim. When hashem helped them anyhow, they all saw his greatness and removed the shackles of the Yetzer Horah.

U'le'amcha Yisroel assisa teshu'ah gedola - Hashem wrought a great salvation for his Jewish Nation.
upirkan - & redeamed them from the 'bondage' that they found themselves in...
kehayom hazeh - like the lesson we learn from hayom hazeh!

Parshas Vayigash:

V'Yosef yashis yado al einecha. - Yosef will rest his hands on your eyes.


Our taavos only work based on what we saw. Ayin roeh v'halev chomed etc.

The work on the Midah of Yosef, Midas Hayesod, can rest its hands from work. It can rely on the eyes. If our eyes are properly guarded we will have an easier time in keeping ourselves holy.

Parshas Vayigash:

Eineichem ro'os..... ki pi hamedaber aleichem
- b'loshon hakodesh _(Rashi)

guardureyes wrote on 21 Jun 2009 13:32:

What the eyes see & what they don't see etc. is because the mouth speaks in a holy style!



(I might have seen this somewhere else. Anybody ever saw this vort in a sefer? Please respond via PM)

I was reading tehillim yesterday and saw a remez to this idea too... It says "im menu'afim chelkcha... picha medaber mirma"... something like that.

Parshas Vayechi:

V'asisa imadi chesed v'emes.
Chesed she'osim im hameisim nikra chesed shel emes, lfi she'eino metzapeh l'tashlum g'mul _(Rashi)

The Mashgiach, Harav Matisyahu Salamon Shlita]
In the first bracha of Shemona Esrei we praise Hashem that he is [i]Gomel chasadim tovim[/i]. Isn't that an oxymoron? [i]Gomel[/i], by definition, means repaying, returning, or reimbursing, while [i]chasadim[/i] are gifts/favors which are done free of charge etc.?

The ultimate chesed is to do it in a matter that makes the recipient feel as if [u]he[/u] is the one who is doing the favor! [Boaz made Rus feel that way. After benefiting from his generousity she told Naomi, wrote:


Steve, Duvid Chaim, Daniel, Shlomo, & the rest of the guys who give constant help & encouragement continuously say that they are only doing it for the purpose of their own recovery. It is part of their own 12th Step work, they claim. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude, but they make it seem as if it were otherwise!



When we do chesed with the dead we don't have to worry about this. Therefore Yaakov did use the term "V'asisa imadi chesed v'emes". Chasadim done for meisim don't need to be cloaked as a tashlum g'mul, as a repayment.




P.S. And Yaakov told Yosef that it is NOT repayment. He is asking to be buried in Eretz Yisroel even though he did not do so for Yosef's mother Rachel.

Parshas Vayechi:

Vayir'hu achei Yosef ki meis avihem _(50:15)
Because until then he would eat with them, now he ate by himself. (Rashi)

They saw Yosef Hatzadik go into 'isolation mode' so they sent his friends to reach out to him.

Parshas Vayechi:

Ish asher k'birchaso beirach ossam. _(50:28)

Like the bracha that is destined to come to him.

Back in Yeshiva, I asked my Rebbi: If the bracha is destined to come to them anyhow, why bless them with that?

He replied: Yaakov Avinu was informing them of their potential!

bardichev wrote on 15 Dec 2010 07:08:

Helping someone discover the latent energies that are within him, his (possibly still hidden) talents, is the greatest blessing possible!!


Maybe we can add:
The words prior to the above are: V'zos asher diber lahem avihem vayvarech ossam.

When giving the chizuk/encouragement/compliments described above, we should try to avoid giving the impression that we are just trying to flatter him. (Or as they say, "Butter him up".) It works much better if it is inserted as part of an otherwise benign conversation.

V'zos asher diber lahem avihem, their father was shmoozing with them; vayvarech ossam, & in the shmoozing he inserted his 'blessings'.




(Zemiros Shabbos & World: This post is in your honor!)

Parshas Vayishlach - Vayechi:

Vayigash Yosef v'Rachel.
Bein poras allei ayin banos tzo'adoa allei shur.

Why was Yosef Hatzadik zoche to the Siyata Dishmaya to keep his eyes lowered when all those maidens of Mitzraim were trying to catch his attention?

When Yosef went with his mother toward Eisav Harasha, he extended his posture in front of his mother, thereby sheilding her from Eisav's view. Why? In order to save Eisav from gazing at her (Rashi). Yosef Hatzadik wanted to save a rasha & addict like Eisav from even one more instance of gazing at a woman!

Every single instance of shemiras einayim stands on its own. Having been lax yesterday has no bearing on what I should be doing today!

Yosef tried to help others with Guarding their Eyes & merited to Guard his own Eyes!!!





P.S. The 12th Step is to help others. Thereby meriting help for ourselves!

P.P.S. we get helped by this holy GYE Forum - through helping others!