Mikaitz-Chanukah

The passuk says, “vayihi mikaitz shnasayim yamim,” on which the Midrash says “kaitz sum lachoshech” Hashem set an end to the darkness of Yosef being in jail, and when this time came Pharaoh had a dream.  The Beis HaLevi explains that everything in the world has a cause and effect.  For example, one buys merchandise and sells it and makes a big profit.  The first impression is that the cause was buying the merchandise and the effect is making the profit.  This however is a mistake.  The true cause for the profit is a decree from Hashem to have a profit and therefore there is the effect that he buys the merchandise to bring out the desired outome.

Similarly, one would think that Pharaoh’s dream was the cause that brought to the effect of Yosef coming out of jail.  Really, however it is the opposite.  The time came for Yosef to come out of jail, the cause, and therefore Pharaoh had the dream, the effect.  After two years of choshech, the zman of darkness of Yosef in jail ended and Pharaoh had the dream.  The true causes and effects are hard to see in this world.  Olem Hazeh is called night because it is hard to recognize hashgachas Hashem in the world’s events and in nature.

There is a famous question from the Beis Yosef: Why is Chanukah 8 days and not 7, since they had enough oil to last for one day?  I heard an answer from Avi Mori shlita that we are not only being makir tova for the open miracles, but also for the nissim nistarim, the hidden miracles of nature.  This that oil lights is a nes and we’re bringing out our hakaras hatov to Hashem for the natural things; that which is really nissim but that we call nature.  This is done specifically on Chanukah because the Yevanim wanted to ruin our awareness of everything being from Hashem, by making everything into naturalism and externalism, and not seeing the truth.  Chazal were therefore mesakain on Chanukah for us to have chizuk in our hakaras hatov to Hashem for the seemingly natural events and for hashgachas Hashem.

May Hashem help us pay attention and recognize the yad Hashem leading our lives and the entire world!