The Ninth Day Of Chanuka

Parshas Vayigash Rav Podolsky z"l  It is with great reverence and caution that we approach the subject of the relationship between Yosef and his brothers, the Shivtei-Kah. Who are we to dare attempt to scrutinize these giants of our past? We are like amoebae trying to psychoanalyze human beings. Nevertheless, from what our Sages have revealed we have a responsibility to strive to understand and learn and apply the lessons to ourselves. May Hashem guide us on the path of Truth. "Yosef said to his brothers, I am Yosef, is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer him, for they were shocked at his presence (Breishis 45:3)." This verse presents us with a considerable complication. Firstly, Yehuda's entire bid to convince Yosef to let Binyamin go free was founded on the dreadful torment that their father Yaakov would undergo: "For how can I go up to my father if the youth is not with me (ibid. 44:34)?" Furthermore, immediately upon the brothers' return to Egypt Yosef had asked them, "How is your elderly father... is he still alive (ibid. 43:27)?" They answered that indeed he was still living, and since that encounter, they had not left Egypt! Consequently, what was to be gained by repeating to them the identical question? And even if we begin to understand Yosef's question, we still need to explain why the brothers could not answer? "Abba Cohen Bardela said, Woe unto us from the day of judgment, woe unto us from the day of reproof... Yosef was the youngest of the brothers, and [yet] his brothers were unable to withstand his reproof. This is what is written, 'And his brothers could not answer him, for they were shocked at his presence.' When HaKadosh Boruch Hu comes and reproves each and every one according to who he is... how much more so?!" (Breishis Rabba 93:10) This Medrash is quite inexplicable. Where do we find reproof in Yosef's words? All he said was, "I am Yosef, is my father still alive?" Moreover, what is meant by the words, "according to who he is?" Of course Hashem will judge each individual based on his merits and demerits! Is this phrase not superfluous? The Bais HaLevi (The Brisker Rav, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik) explains: Yosef did not initially identify himself to his brothers as a form of reconciliation. This may be inferred from the fact that only in the following verse did Yosef say, "I am Yosef your brother," emphasizing their family bond. In the first verse, however, he said merely, "I am Yosef," -- no brotherhood, no love. Indeed, we behold the brothers' categorical shock upon his disclosure, not the typical reaction one would expect at a family reunion. This Egyptian who had caused them so much distress was none other than Yosef, the same Yosef whom they had sold into slavery, and they have now fallen easy prey into his very hands. The second part of his statement, "Is my father still alive," was not really a question at all. Rather it was a rhetorical declaration of astonishment: Can it be that my father is still alive? How could my father have endured all these years while grieving incessantly over my faked death? In these few words Yosef alluded to his brothers a powerful indictment against their behavior, and an ultimate contradiction to all of Yehuda's pleadings. For Yehuda had based his appeal for Binyamin on the untold anguish they expected their father to suffer should his youngest son not return. Their souls were intertwined! Yaakov could surely not survive such a severe blow! How could the Egyptian viceroy be so cruel, so insensitive, to allow such a tragedy? To this Yosef insinuated, "Why didn't you think about all these things before you sold me into slavery? If you are indeed so concerned about our father's welfare, if you are in fact so sincere, what were you thinking back then?" This was the source of their great shock following Yosef's bombshell. They were genuinely unable to respond. Yosef had ingeniously duped them into acknowledging their very own inconsistencies and the fact that they had deluded themselves into qualifying their intentions as absolutely pure; and they were shaken to their very essence. (Of course, the brothers' intentions were much more virtuous than our greatest kavannos during Ne'ila on Yom Kippur, but for the spiritual level they were on, for what was expected of them, they were found lacking.) This was Yosef's reproof. And this is what the Medrash means, "When HaKadosh Boruch Hu come and reproves each and every one according to who he is..." Hashem will not compare me with other people. He does not expect me to aspire to reach someone else's potential. But He does expect me to behave in consonance with my own actions. And if there are incongruities, if I apply a "double standard," what explanation will I have? This is what will happen on the Day of Judgment. Not only will He divulge the extent of a person's inappropriate behavior -- "Woe unto us from the Day of Judgment" -- He will also castigate the individual based on his own personal track record -- "Woe unto us from the Day of Reproof." Hashem will reveal how a person's very own actions contradicted one another for his own personal convenience, and how his entire life was one delicately woven tapestry of lies. This constitutes the ultimate reproof to which there can be no response. The effect is unremitting shame, eternal remorse. Chanukah taught us the need to look very carefully, to light up the darkness, and most importantly, to distinguish between that which is Truth, and that which is not. This is admittedly one of the foremost challenges facing the Jew. But the trick is in not relegating such paramount principles to a once-a-year latka-fest, but to use Chanukah as a starting point, a springboard from which to launch a year-round, life-long project of self-perfection. The ninth day of Chanukah is by far the most difficult. To light the Menorah with regular, "natural" oil, yet to remember constantly that there is no nature. All is guided by the Hand of Hashem. Ki Ner Mitzva, V'Torah Ohr! For a Mitzvah is a candle; and Torah is light! (Mishlei 6:23)