פרשת מקץ
In this week’s parsha, Yosef deciphers Pharaoh’s cryptic dreams. After giving a proper explanation of each event and nuance in Pharaoh’s visions, Yosef warns Pharaoh that unless sufficient action is taken, the country faces starvation. The government would have to be competent and mobilize the entire nation, rationing food and preserving an adequate amount of produce before the years of famine would arrive. Pharaoh, impressed by Yosef’s advice, decides that there is no better man to oversee this process and assume the mantle of national leadership than Yosef himself. Miraculously, after being a lowly prisoner just moments earlier, Yosef becomes one of the most influential figures in the entire world! The complete shift of power, so instantaneous and haphazard, was certainly atypical in Egyptian society, where social mobility was extremely limited. It was unheard of for a slave or a prisoner to rise to such an exalted status. It almost begs the question: What was Pharaoh thinking? Pharaoh’s decision is even more peculiar because Yosef was seemingly just a dream interpreter. What made Pharaoh believe that Yosef could be an effective legislator? What does dream interpreting have to do with successfully saving a populace numbering in the millions from a hunger crisis? Furthermore, Yosef had already presented his opinion on how Pharaoh should go about solving the problem. Why does Pharaoh believe that only Yosef himself is capable of carrying out this plan? Anybody can store food! Who needs Yosef?
Rav Yisrael Lishinshiski cites the axiom in Tamid 32a: “Who is wise? One who sees the future.” Pharaoh saw that Yosef wasn’t just a mere dream interpreter. He knew how to act based on the information at his disposal. Yosef didn’t only see the problem. He also saw the solution. A person who can sense what needs to be done in times of need and also is aware of the inevitable outcomes of any given choice is the kind of person Pharaoh wanted to implement his governmental policies. Pharaoh saw that Yosef embodied true wisdom and knew that the only way the nation could survive was with his vision. Besides this, Pharaoh realized that not just anybody could do this job. Pharaoh wanted someone who was truly aware of the problem and really appreciated the gravity of the situation. Only one who feels the tremendous necessity of taking action can actually do something. Due to the fact that Yosef truly understood the problem at hand, Pharaoh trusted that Yosef would capitalize on the opportunity that the seven years of abundance offered. This decision ended up saving Egypt.
Anticipation of the future and the necessary preparation for the impending reality is a central element of a Jew’s existence. According to our tradition, this world is itself just a preparatory stage for our final destination, the World to Come. To be conscious of this truth is obligatory for every Jew and Chazal constantly urge us to remember that we’re not going to be around forever. Whatever accomplishments we hope to achieve can only be attained in this world. As the famous gemara in Avoda Zara 3a declares: “One who prepares on erev Shabbos will eat on Shabbos.” Additionally, Rav Yehuda Zev Segal of Manchester Yeshiva says that even in this world we should prepare for this world. When someone is young he should take advantage of the years he is learning in yeshiva. Who knows how much time he’ll get to learn when he grows older, gets married, and has a family that he needs to support? Alternatively, a person who is planning to enter the world of finance should learn about the halachos of proper business practice. A person who is thinking of running a kosher kitchen should learn the laws of kashrus. It’s even a halacha to learn Hilchos Pesach thirty days before Pesach in order to be able to properly conduct one’s self during the holiday. In any case, the idea of seeing what’s coming and preparing for it is very important in all aspects of life, especially when it comes to avodas Hashem.
The Maharsha says that the name “Chanuka” is from “Chanukas HaMizbayach”—the inauguration of the altar. The Greeks had invalidated the Temple’s previous altar by designating it for idolatrous practices, and the Maccabees were forced to build a new one. This process took them 8 days and this is how Chanuka got its name. However, the Maharsha’s explanation begs the question: What does Chanukas HaMizbayach have to do with the essence of Chanuka? What about the miracles of emerging victorious over the mighty Greek empire and the supernatural endurance of the oil? Rav Chaim Goldvicht answers that it’s true that the miracles of the war and the candles were important. However, even these miracles were just a means of reigniting the fire of the Jewish soul. The real celebration and the real essence of Chanuka is that we re-readied ourselves for Divine Service. When we rededicated the Temple we were also rededicating ourselves to the very ideals that the Temple stood for. The fact that Jews cared enough to undertake the proper preparations to renew the Temple and enable it to again become a place fitting for the most intimate relationship with G-d is what the Rabbis saw as the true beauty of Chanuka. The Temple and the Jewish people were now ready for G-d’s service.
When I was young, my father always told me to be prepared for everything. “The more prepared you are, the better you are,” he used to say. My father himself always knew what his next move was going to be. Not only did he project what he would do over the course of the day. He had a vision of what he was going to do tomorrow as well, obviously adjusting himself if new issues arose. My father would even plan out which midos he would be working on and for how long and at what times. After my father passed away, I discovered in his journal that he would even set aside months where he knew he would focus himself on one area or another. All of his preparations in this world prepared him very well, I’m sure, for what he was really preparing for. His Olam Haba.
May we all be zoche to see and prepare ourselves for what lies ahead of us!!!