Parashat HaShavua - Miketz
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר פַּרְעֹה֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף אַחֲרֵ֨י הוֹדִ֧יעַ אֱלֹהִ֛ים אוֹתְךָ֖ אֶת־כּל־זֹ֑את אֵין־נָב֥וֹן וְחָכָ֖ם כָּמֽוֹךָ׃ אַתָּה֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה עַל־בֵּיתִ֔י וְעַל־פִּ֖יךָ יִשַּׁ֣ק כּל־עַמִּ֑י רַ֥ק הַכִּסֵּ֖א אֶגְדַּ֥ל מִמֶּֽךָּ׃ (בראשית מ:ל״ט)
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is none so discerning and wise as you.You shall be in charge of my court and only with respect to the throne shall I be superior to you.”(Genesis 40:39)
There is an important Hasidic teaching called ירידה לצורך עלייה, which means “descending for the sake of ascending.” Both the story of Joseph, which continues this week in parashat Miketz, and the holiday of Hanukkah are excellent examples of how this spiritual value-concept works.
A midrash (Avoda Zara 8a) that connects Hanukkah to the creation of the first human beings sheds light (pun intended) on this spiritual perspective. It teaches when Adam and Eve were created and the days began to shorten as winter approached they began to worry that this diminution of light would continue until the world was only darkness, returned to the tohu-va-vohu that preceded creation. They prayed, they fasted and when they finally they noticed the days lengthening again, they understood: מנהגו של עולם הוא—this is the way of the world. They created an 8 day holiday of gratitude for light again beginning to increase in the world, a kind of proto-Hanukkah.
As they went through the first winter solstice, the first human beings had a key spiritual insight – this is the way of the world. Sometimes the only way to arrive at the moment of light is to go through the time of darkness. Although Hillel’s view on the lighting of the Hanukkiah — that we only increase in holiness, we never decrease — prevails in the Gemara, the experience of Hanukkah is more complex and encompasses the Hasidic teaching of descent for the sake of ascent. The candles may increase their light every night, but we can’t ignore the fact that the world around us at Hanukkah is one of darkness and cold, and we kindle our slender flames as symbols of our intent to ascend out of this dark time of year, to the moment when trajectory finally changes and we begin to move toward the light in our seasonal calendar.
Descent for the sake of ascent is also an essential teaching of Joseph’s life, a series of ups and downs. He begins as his father’s favorite son, only to end up thrown into a pit by his angry brothers. When he is sold into slavery, he rises to be Potiphar’s chief vizier, only to be brought low by Potiphar’s wife false claim of rape. This week, in Miketz, he will finally conclude his mountainous journey when he climbs from his very lowest point, spending years in prison, to his greatest height as Pharaoh’s trusted second-in-command. The story of Joseph teaches us over and over that sometimes, descents are only the prelude to a greater ascent that is just beyond the horizon.
This week, I was subbing in the meditation minyan in the high school. I brought some readings from a Jewish Buddhist teacher that I love named Sylvia Boorstein. The way she expresses the first noble truth of Buddhism is: pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. I actually think that this teaching is closely linked to the Hasidic idea of descent for the sake of ascent. One way of understanding the key to Joseph’s success is how he handles the ups and downs in his life. It is probably an understatement to say that it must have been painful to be kidnapped and sold into slavery by his own brothers, not to mention being falsely accused of rape by his employer’s wife. But we never hear Joseph complain about his suffering at any point in the narrative. Like a skilled surfer, he keeps his eyes peeled for the next wave to ride to safety, finally finding himself in a position to save his family’s lives.
As we light the Hanukkah candles, we are usually taught to appreciate their light. Maybe there is even a way of appreciating the darkness that surrounds them and opening ourselves to the possibility that it is just such a darkness that can lead us to ascend to greater enlightenment.
Rabbi Anne Ebersman