By Rabbi Bernie Fox
Yaakov’s hope of
acheiving happiness in this world
These are the chronicles of Yaakov. Yosef was seventeen years old. As a lad, he would tend the flocks with his
brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Yosef brought to his father bad reports
about them. (Beresheit 37:2)
The
pasuk introduces the beginnings of
the conflict between Yosef and his brothers.
Eventually, this strife ends with the bothers selling Yosef into
servitude in Egypt. In his commentary
on our passage, Rashi quotes the comments of our Sages. The Sages explains that Yaakov wished to
live in peace. However, he was
confronted with the troubles surrounding Yosef. The righteous seek peace in this world. Hashem responds, “Is it not enough that the righteous receive the
reward that awaits them in the World-to-Come!
They should not expect peace in this world!”[1]
Basically,
the Sages are explaining that Yaakov expected to secure a peaceful life in this
world. He did not succeed. He returned to the land of his forefathers
and there he encountered the greatest tragedy of his life. He lost his beloved son, Yosef. However, Yaakov had no right to expect a
peaceful life. The reward for the
righteous is not received in this world.
The reward is enjoyed in the World-to-Come.
These
comments, quoted by Rashi, are very difficult to understand. Let us consider a few of the problems. First, Yaakov did not live a peaceful life
to this point. He was born into a
conflict with his older brother Esav.
He fled to Lavan’s home. There,
he was treated unfairly. He returned
home. Again, he was threatened by
Esav. After surviving this
confrontation, his daughter Dinah, was taken by Shechem and abused. These events should have taught Yaakov that
our lives in this world are precarious!
Why did he now expect to find peace?
There
is an additional problem. Hashem
responds to Yaakov. He asserts that the
righteous cannot expect peace in this world.
Why is this the case? Why must
the righteous wait for the World-to-Come in order to receive their reward? Why do they not receive their reward also in
this world?
Let
us begin with this second question. Why
could Yaakov not find peace and happiness in this world? Yosef's delivery into bondage served a
purpose. Yosef himself recognized this
objective. He realized that this
tragedy was the first step in his ascension to power in Egypt. His authority enabled him to save Bnai
Yisrael from famine.[2]
Our
Sages explain that Yosef's bondage in Egypt served another purpose. Hashem had told Avraham that his descendants
would be strangers in an alien land.[3] Yosef’s banishment was the beginning of the
exile of Bnai Yisrael. In short, the
selling of Yosef into bondage was a part of a larger plan. This overall plan was essential to Bnai
Yisrael's future. Hashem's love for His
nation dictated that this plan be executed.
Yaakov's suffering was an unfortunate outcome of this plan.
We
can now answer our second question. Why
is the reward for the righteous reserved for the World-to-Come? The events of this world are guided by a
Divine plan. This plan is designed to
produce the greatest good. However, at
times a byproduct of the plan is the suffering of the righteous. Yaakov's experience is a perfect example of
this scenario. In order to preserve the
Jewish nation and fulfill Avraham's prophecy, Yosef was exiled to Egypt. These were important elements of Hashem's
design. An unfortunate byproduct of
Yosef's exile was Yaakov's suffering.
As a result of this consideration, the righteous cannot be certain of
receiving their reward in this world.
However, they are assured of recompense in the World-to-Come.
We
can now answer our first question. Why
did Yaakov believe that his suffering would now end? It seems that Yaakov had some understanding of his previous
suffering. His conflict with Esav
served an important purpose. He secured
Esav's birthright and the blessing of his father, Yitzchak. Our Sages explain that the abduction of
Dinah was a punishment for Yaakov. He
had refused to consider her marriage to Esav.
As a result, she was taken by Shechem.[4] It is possible that Yaakov also saw his
experiences with Lavan as a personal challenge and impetus for growth. However, Yaakov now sought a life of
peace. He did not see any reason for
continued suffering. He had resolved
his conflict with Esav. He had achieved
a remarkable level of personal perfection. He felt his struggles and tests were over. Hashem responded that the righteous cannot
be assured of peace in this life. Only
the reward of the World-to-Come is certain.
Therefore, the Sages of that generation
decreed that the eight days that begin with the twenty-fifth of Kislev should
be days of rejoicing and that the Hallel should be recited. And on these days, on each of the eight
nights, we light candles at the doors of the houses in order to demonstrate and
reveal the miracle ... (Maimonides, Mishne
Torah, Hilchot Chanukah 3:2)
Maimonides
explains that the Sages established the celebration of Chanukah and the obligation
to light the Chanukah menorah. He explains the reason for the lighting of
the menorah. The Chanukah menorah demonstrates and reveals the miracle of Chanukah.
What
is the miracle represented by the Chanukah menorah? The Chanukah lights commemorate the miracle
of the oil. A small cruse of oil
sufficed to fuel the Menorah of the Bait
HaMikdash for eight days.
Maimonides
writes that we light the Chanukah menorah
in order to demonstrate and reveal this miracle. A careful analysis of this statement reveals that Maimonides
outlines two objectives to be fulfilled through the Chanukah lights. First, the Chanukah lights demonstrate the
miracle that took place in the Temple.
Second, the Chanukah lights reveal this miracle.
We
can understand the first objective. The
Chanukah menorah is a reasonable
representation of the Menorah of the
Temple. Lighting the Chanukah menorah provides a depiction of the
miracle of the Temple Menorah. However, the second objective is not very
easily understood. What are we
attempting to reveal? Furthermore, how
does revealing the miracle differ from demonstrating the wonder?
Rav
Yosef Dov Soloveitchik Zt”l offers a simple but insightful explanation
of Maimonides’ comments. He explains
that the institution of the Chanukah lights serves two purposes. It demonstrates the miracle of the
Temple. This objective assumes that the
observer is aware of the miracle.
Seeing the Chanukah lights reminds the knowledgeable observer of the
miracle.
However,
the miracle of the Temple Menorah was
not widely observed. The Bait
HaMikdash is sacred. Access to the
Temple is limited. Only a small portion
of Bnai Yisrael was permitted to enter the Temple and observe the wonder. The majority of the nation could not observe
the miracle. When the Sages established
the institution of the Chanukah lights, they wished to reveal the miracle to
the entire nation. One of their
objectives was to publicize the wonder that took place in the Temple to those
who were not permitted to observe the miracle.
Now
we can understand Maimonides' comments.
The Sages established the obligation to light the Chanukah lights with
two objectives. Each objective was
directed to a specific group. Some
people knew of the miracles. For these
individuals, the Chanukah menorah
served as a reminder. Others did not
know of the miracle. For these people,
the Chanukah lights revealed that a miracle had occurred in the Bait
HaMikdash.[5]