Yosef asked the cupbearer to help him get out of jail by mentioning him to Pharoh. But the cupbearer forgot. The Midrash says that it was an angel that caused him to forget. And we know that everything that comes from Shamayim is for the good. This helps us to remind you that when your friend forgets something, don’t get upset. Assume it’s for your benefit that he forgot.
Angel caused him to forget, There is nothing to _______ .
Parsha Pearls
וַיַחֲלֹם עוֹד חֲלוֹם אַחֵר וַיְסַפֵר אֹתוֹ לְאֶּחָיו וַיֹאמֶּר הִּנֵה חָלַמְתִּי חֲלוֹם עוֹד וְהִּנֵה הַשֶּׁמֶּׁשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְאַחַד עָשָר כוֹכָבִּים מִּשְתַחֲוִּים לִּי.
And Yosef dreamt another dream, and he told it over to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I dreamt another dream. And behold, [in the dream] the sun and the moon and eleven stars are bowing down to me. [Bereishis 37:9]
As the next verse reveals, the sun and the moon that Yosef saw in the dream represented his father and mother. Hence, the Torah teaches us that in a Jewish home, the husband is symbolized by the sun, while the wife is symbolized by the moon. The lesson that we learn from here is that just like the moon receives its light from the sun, so too in a home, a wife receives her ‘light’ - namely, her joy and peace of mind - from her husband. In Torah, a husband is called “איש” or “בעל” which means “a master”. What is he a master of? He is the master of his wife’s content.
כִּי נֵר מִּצְוָּה וְתוֹרָּה אוֹר - For a commandment is a candle, and the Torah is light (Mishlei 6:23) Chazal teach us that through the “Ner” of Chanuka we bring the “Ohr” of Torah from Shamayim to our children (See Gemora Shabbos 23b, with peirush Rashi). The Rif in his commentary to Gemora Shabbos explains that this is Midda K’Neged Midda. The Greeks wanted to stop the transmission of Torah to our children. HaShem did not allow that to happen. By performing the Mitzva of Ner Chanuka with enthusiasm and joy, a person shows his love for Torah and his appreciation for the fact that the Torah will continue to be transmitted to his children. And in return, as the above-mentioned words of the Gemorah tell us, the light of Torah shines upon his children. Hence, the more simcha we’ll have when we’ll light our Chanukah menorahs, the more light of Torah our children will receive.
The Rambam writes,היא עד מאוד חביבה
Regarding which mitzva did the Rambam say this?
GUESS
In this week’s parsha there is a verse that tells us that “the pit was empty” — וְהַבּוֹר רֵק (Bereishis 37:24). Interestingly, the word רֵק (empty) is found only in two places in the Torah: in our parsha and in one more place. Can you find it?
Chumash Trivia
