Rabbi Simon A. Dolgin



"And Joseph knew his brethren, but they did not know him".  -Bereshith 42:8

Rabbi Levi said: When they fell into his hands, "And Joseph knew his brethren." When he fell into their hands, "... but they did not know him." -Bereshith Rabbah 91:7

When we light the Chanukah candles, we follow the custom of Beit Hillel in that each day we add one candle to the menorah. Rabbi Nachman of Breslav comments that we also see to it that even as we add a new candle each day, we rekindle the candles of the preceding days. In this way, we distinguish ourselves from those who seek to innovate and create newness, but only at the expense of wiping away traces of their origins.

This was the greatness of Joseph, the tsadik, as explained by the Midrash in the portion we read this Shabbat Chanukah.: "When they fell into his hands, 'And Joseph knew his brethren.' When he fell into their hands, '... but they did not know him.'" Joseph did not repress his past. As the brothers approached the Great Prince of Egypt, Joseph immediately recognized them. He took the past into account, as he relates to them, "...for I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews."

He also remembered that they were his brothers, and conducted himself with them in kindness. This is what made Joseph a tsadik. In contrast, the brothers had disregarded their past, their brotherhood, the fact that they were all born of one father. In the words of the Midrash, "When he fell into their hands, ... 'but they did not know him.'" Only later, when they were punished and could no longer escape their past and what they had done, they confess," ...but we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul when he besought us but we would not hear" (42.21).

We are instructed to light new candles, so as to bring light to the future. However, we must always do so on the foundation of past candles, past experiences, past generations. We must not disregard the past, but rather incorporate it into the here and now, learning from it and expanding upon it. Then we will merit seeing a full menorah, and a new light over Zion.