Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum talks about the Torah portion of Vayigash in which Joseph and his brothers reconcile. This relates to the Jewish holiday of Chanukah in which we can see our brothers with clearer eyes.
Shalom my friends, this is Simcha Hochbaum of Hebron. We’re coming to the very end of Chanukah and this Shabbat is the unbelievable unity between Yosef and his brothers. The final revelation of when Yosef reveals himself to his brothers. The drama and the saga of these last few weeks finally comes to an end.
Rav Shlomo Carlebach would teach that the downfall of everything began with the way the brothers looked at Yosef. The brothers when they saw Yosef coming from Hebron to Shchem the passuk describes וַיִּרְא֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ מֵֽרָחֹ֑ק they saw from a distance. They saw him from afar.
They didn't see him as a karov, as a relative, as a brother. They saw him as some foreign person that has ideas that are different than his and has dreams and visions that are not the same visions that they have. And therefore they saw Yosef with those eyes.
Chanukah is the fixing of the eyes. And over Chanukah we learn how to look at each other. We learn to see each other with eyes of Chanukah.
This Shabbat we're going to read about וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלָ֜יו יְהוּדָ֗ה when Yehuda once again draws close to Yosef. and he sees him to longer as a threat but he realizes he’s a brother.
And we read וַיַּ֥רְא יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־אֶחָ֖יו When Yosef first met his brothers when they came down to Egypt for food Yosef recognized the brothers. וְהֵ֖ם לֹ֥א הִכִּרֻֽהוּ they didn’t recognize him.
It's not only about physically recognizing, but they didn't recognize his attributes, they didn’t recognize his specialness. They didn't see his qualities. They didn't see how, through Yosef so much greatness will come out and so much light for the Jewish people.
There are two different attributes. There's the attribute of Yosef and the attribute of Yehuda. Moshiach Ben Yosef is bringing redemption in the physical body of the land of Israel building the land, fighting for the land. And Yehuda is that spiritual revelation that spiritual redemption of the great, great soul of Torah and tefillah.
Only when Yosef will see the attributes of Yehuda, and Yehuda will see the attributes of Yosef then we’ll have the ultimate geula and the unity of the two meshichim.
Let the lights of Chanukah shine and be that great, great oneness to Yosef and his brothers. Amen.
Shabbat shalom.
