SEDRA : VAYESHEV Shabbat Channucah: Hertz Chumash p. 141 Genesis Chap. 37, verse 1

This week's Sedra is generously sponsored by Lionel Farber.

SYNOPSIS:

Jacob's favourite son was Joseph, the "son of his old age", and he made him a coat of many colours (worn in those days only by men of distinction). His brothers' jealousy was aroused and increased when Joseph recounted two dreams. In the first dream his brothers' sheaves bowed down to his sheaf standing upright in their midst in the field. In the second dream the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. The implications were that all the members of his family would become subordinate to him and although his father rebuked him, he noted the significance of the dreams.

Whilst the brothers were tending the flock in Dothan near Schechem, Jacob sent Joseph to see how they were faring. The brothers, seeing him in the distance, conspired to kill him, throw his body into a pit and then state that he had been eaten by a wild beast. Reuben persuaded the others to cast Joseph into the pit alive with the intention of saving him later. A caravan of Midianites and Ishmaelites passed by and the brothers made use of the opportunity to sell Joseph to them for twenty pieces of silver. Reuben was not present at this time. When he returned he was devastated that there was no trace of Joseph. The brothers then dipped Joseph's coat in the blood of a he-goat and brought it to their father who concluded that Joseph had been devoured by a wild beast. He deeply mourned the loss of his son and could not be comforted. Meanwhile the Midianites arrived in Egypt and sold Joseph to Potiphar, a captain of the guard.

The narrative then focuses on Judah who had married a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, who bore him three sons. The eldest son, Er, married a woman named Tamar but he died soon after because of his wickedness. The second son, Onan, then married Tamar, as it was the duty of a surviving brother-in-law to marry the childless widow, but he too died as he refused to contemplate that a child born of the union would be named as his brother's. Her father-in-law, Judah, asked Tamar to wait until the third son, Shelah, was older fearing that he might too die like his brothers. Tamar was returned to her family. Realising that the marriage would never take place, Tamar disguised herself as a harlot and deceived Judah so that she would bear his child. When her condition was discovered, Judah as head of the family, condemned her to be burnt. However, she was able to produce pledges Judah had given her proving he was the father of the child. Judah acknowledged his sin in not allowing Tamar to marry his remaining son Shelah and she was saved from death. Potiphar, highly satisfied with Joseph's service, appointed him overseer of his household. Potiphar's wife was very attracted to Joseph and tried repeatedly to lure him into an affair. Joseph rejected the advances of Potiphar's wife who then, after tricking him into a compromising situation, accused him of an outrage. He was then thrown into prison but soon won favour with the governor and was put in charge of the other prisoners. Two royal officers, the chief butler and baker, having offended the king were then in prison pending their trial. Both had disturbing dreams which Joseph interpreted as forewarnings of the fate which awaited them. The butler's dream that he pressed grapes into Pharaoh's cup was interpreted to mean that he would be restored to his office in three days. The baker's dream of birds pecking bread from three baskets on his head meant, said Joseph, that he would hang within three days. Joseph requested the butler to intercede for him before Pharaoh and secure his release. Both interpretations were realised as Joseph had foretold, but the butler forgot about Joseph.

SHABBAT CHANUKAH HERTZ CHUMASH P. 987 Zechariah Ch. 2, 14-17; Ch. 3, 1-10; Ch. 4, 1-7.

The Haphtorah describes a prophetic vision of a menorah flanked by an olive tree on either side. This vision forms the basis of the emblem of modern Israel. This haphtorah is read on Channukah because of the reference to the Menorah which celebrates the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greeks and the miracle which occurred with the cruse of pure oil. The credo at the end of the haphtorah sets the tone for the rebuilding of the Temple and rehabilitation of the nation : "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of Hosts".

TELL ME RABBI......THE MENORAH

The seven branched Menorah was a prominent ritual object and sacred symbol of the Sanctuary and the Temple. Light was the first element to be created by G-d (Genesis 1:3), is itself a divine element - "Light dwelleth with Him" (Daniel 2:22) and is a symbol of divinity: "The Lord is my light" (Psalm 27:1).

Light is the kernel of the Kabbalistic conception of Creation. In mysticism the Menorah symbolises divine creativity, and the Menorah's components are explained in that context. The Menorah's oil signifies the dynamic stream or inner creative spirit which nourishes and infuses all existence. The oil was replenished each day, to ensure "an everlasting light" (ner tamid, Exodus 27:20) symbol of G-d's uninterrupted supervision of the world.

The Menorah also symbolizes the Torah: "For the command is a lamp and Torah is the light" (Proverbs 6:23). By radiating its light to Israel, it facilitates the mystic unity of G-d, the Torah, and Israel. The original Menorah, exquisitely wrought in solid gold by the divinely inspired artist and craftsman, Bezalel, was placed in front of the curtain (Parokhet) partitioning off the Holy of Holies. Hence a Menorah is often positioned near the Ark in Synagogues. We assume, that Bezalel's Menorah was destroyed or lost during the siege of Jerusalem for had it reached Babylon, Ezekiel would have described it and anticipated its restoration to its rightful place.

A rabbinic tradition contends that Bezalel's Menorah was hidden away and later retrieved by the returning exiles prompting the belief that it survived until the destruction of the second Temple by Titus in the year 70 C.E., and is depicted on the Arch of Titus of Rome. Thus it may have survived and is possibly in some vault of the Vatican. However, the Book of Maccabees states that Antiochus "..... seized .....the candelabra and all its vessels... and, .... returned (them) to his land." Furthermore the book states "the Maccabees made new sacred objects... the Menorah." A talmudic tradition explains that, due to lack of funds, the first replacement was of iron, then ... silver and during greater prosperity a Menorah of gold. It was probably this Menorah which is depicted on Titus' Arch. The Menorah as depicted on the Arch, has an octagonal pedestal as displayed on the emblem of the State of Israel, which was patterned on that of Titus's Arch conflicting with Jewish sources describing a Menorah with a tripodal base.