Parshat Vayeishev – Shabbat Mevorchim
Parshat Vayeishev is the Shabbat before Chanukah 71.43% of the time (including this year). Of the remaining 28.57% of the time, it is only Shabbat Chanukah 10.13% of the time (that’s when Chanukah is Friday to Friday), and it shares the honor with Mikeitz 18.44% of the time (when Chanukah is Shabbat to Shabbat).
We bentch Rosh Chodesh Tevet – which is always on the sixth day of Chanukah and sometimes, like this year, also on the seventh day – on Shabbat Parshat Vayeishev when that sedra is read either before Chanukah (almost 40% of the time – specifically, when the first candle is Motza’ei Shabbat or Sunday evening), or on Shabbat Chanukah (about 28.5% of the time – when the first candle is Thursday night or Friday). About 32% of years, we bentch Rosh Chodesh Tevet on Shabbat Parshat Mikeitz coinciding with Shabbat Chanukah.
Looking at it differently, Shabbat Mevorchim is before Chanukah about 40% of the time and on Shabbat Chanukah (with one sedra or the other), 60% of the time.
This Shabbat, when we announce when Rosh Chodesh is, we should say “…b’Yom Shabbat Kodesh ulmochrato b’Yom Rishon” – that is, “…on the coming Shabbat and the day following it, Sunday.” The announcement gets “ulmochrato” (and on the following day) because there is an earlier Sunday – the day after we bentch Rosh Chodesh – which is not the intended Sunday in the announcement.
Furthermore, Rosh Chodesh Tevet is usually two days, because Kislev has 30 days in almost 75% of years (Shaleim and K’seder years), and it will have only one day Rosh Chodesh in about 25% of years (Chaseir years).
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Vayeishev’s 112 pesukim written on 190 lines in a Sefer Torah make it an average-sized sedra. In pesukim, it is tied with Matot, but has more words and letters than Matot, on the same number of lines. In words, it is tied with Vayakhel, but has fewer pesukim and letters than Vayakhel and is “out-lined” by Vayakhel by 20 lines. In letters, it is tied with Devarim, with more pesukim and words but fewer lines than Devarim.
What all of this shows is that neither number of lines nor pesukim nor words nor letters alone can indicate the relative length of a sedra.
Bottom line: Vayeishev is about average size.
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The sedra tells us up front that Yosef was 17 years old when his story begins. He was born in 2199 from Creation, so the beginning of Vayeishev begins in 2216. Yaakov was born in 2108, so he was 108 at our sedra’s start. And Yitzchak was 168.
This is significant, since Yitzchak was alive when Yosef was sold into slavery and he lived an additional 12 years. We have sources that say that Yitzchak knew via Ru’ach HaKodesh about the sale of Yosef, but did not – or was not allowed – to tell Yaakov what had happened to Yosef.
We can add the following observation. The Torah tells us towards the end of Vayishlach that Yitzchak died at the ripe old age of 180 and was buried by his sons, Eisav and Yaakov. In essence, Yitzchak is out of the picture before the events of Vayeishev, even though he was still alive. Out of the picture – or, we can say, had no impact on the events.
Now go back two generations. At the end of Parshat No’ach, the Torah tells us of Terach’s death at the age of 205. Avraham was 165 years old when Terach died. But the next sedra, Lech Lecha, tells us that Avraham – then still Avram – was 75 years old when Hashem told him to leave his home and journey to the land which G-d will show him – Eretz K’naan, the future Eretz Yisrael. Terach had begun that journey years earlier. And he had lived 90 more years from the beginning of Lech Lecha. But he did not interact or impact on anything that happened. So, his death is recorded before the saga of Avraham and Sara begins.
Likewise, at the end of Chayei Sara, we are told of Avraham’s death at the age of 175, and of his being buried by Yitzchak and Yishmael. In fact, Avraham lived the last 35 years of his life into Parshat To–l’dot – the years from the marriage of Yitzchak and Rivka, the period of childlessness, and the first 15 years of the lives of the twins. Why tell us of his death back at the end of Chayei Sara? We can again suggest that he was no longer involved with, nor did he impact on the lives of, Yitzchak and Rivka, except for working on the shidduch, so to speak.
In fact, it is with Yaakov that we will see involvement with his grandchildren, Efrayim and Menashe.
And Yosef’s contact will continue a couple of generations beyond his sons.
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Yosef was sold at age 17. It was 13 years later, at age 30, that he was brought before Paraoh and interpreted Paraoh’s dreams. Add seven years of plenty and the first two years of famine, and Yosef was 39 when he was reunited with his father and brothers.
That 22-year separation from his father is significant, because Yaakov had spent 22 years away from Yitzchak, seven years and another seven years working off his commitment for Leah and Rachel, another six years working for Lavan and for himself, to build up his own flocks. Then, when he returned to the land where his father (Yitzchak) lived, he was in Sukkot for a year and a half and in Beit El for half a year before reuniting with his father. Twenty-two years apart from his father matched by 22 years of separation from his son Yosef.
But we just went beyond Vayeishev. Our sedra this week ends with the dreams of the Wine Steward and the Royal Baker, which happened after ten years of Yosef’s imprisonment following his non-affair with Mrs. Potifar.
We can say that from Yosef’s dreams at the beginning of the sedra until the dreams he interpreted for the wine and bread chiefs, about 20 years had passed.
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Since this column is mainly focused on numbers and since Chanukah is coming very soon, let me present a most famous number question about Chanukah: The “Why Eight” Question.
Known as the Beit Yosef’s Question (although it seems to have predated him by many years), it is this: If a one-day supply of oil miraculously lasted for eight days, then there were seven days of miracle – so why is Chanukah an eight-day holiday?
There have been well over one hundred suggested answers to this question from many individuals over the last 400-500 years. Here are just a few of them.
Knowing that eight days were needed for a new supply of oil, they only put 1/8 of their supply in the Menorah each night, expecting a few hours of light. Miraculously, each night’s oil lasted through the night. Thus, eight days of miracle.
After they filled the oil cups on the first night, they expected the flask to be empty. Miraculously, the flask remained full.
Seven days of the holiday were for the miracle of the oil, and an eighth day for the victory over the Yevanim.
There is an opinion that the correct description of the Chanukah story is: “They didn’t even find a full night’s supply of oil.” In other words, that which they found was insufficient even for one night – hence, eight days of miracle.
They used thinner wicks to go along with their meager supply of oil, and the miracle was that the lamps burned with the full brightness of the regular wicks.
The natural fact that olive oil burns with a nice, clean flame is also a miracle, just of a different kind. Nature is miraculous too.
Eight represents mei’al lateva, above nature – appropriate for the celebration of a miracle that also was outside the parameters of nature.
An eight-day holiday was declared because of the mitzva of brit milah which was denied our people under the Greeks. The Greeks attempted to separate the Jew from his Torah, to assimilate us into their culture. Many decrees served this goal. They banned Torah learning, the keeping of Shabbat, setting up of our own calendar… But among all the targets of Greek oppression, there was one that had an additional element besides “just” separating us from Torah: brit milah. This specific mitzva was a special target of the Greeks because they were ideologically and philosophically opposed to it, considering it to be an abomination and mutilation of the body, which they idealized and “worshiped.” B’nei vina, men of deep understanding, fixed Chanukah at eight days (with Hashem’s stamp of approval – seen in the miracle of the oil) to make our victory on this principle (and all the others) clear to the whole world.
The original mitzvah of Chanukah lighting was one candle per night for each night. This would not call our attention to the special number eight. However, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai both felt that there should be a counting towards eight – a focus on the number eight. Beit Shammai posited that we light eight candles the first night and then count down until a single candle burns on the final night. We know that we do not follow his opinion, even though he had reasons to show for it. Rather, we all follow Beit Hillel by lighting one candle the first night, two the second… until we light eight candles on the eighth night.
Counting has a goal. In the case of the days of Chanukah, the goal focuses us on eight. That is part of the reason that the eighth day of Chanukah is called Zot Chanukah – This is Chanukah. Obviously, you cannot have an eighth day without preceding it with seven days. But the message of Shabbat is also eight – beyond the natural world. Above nature. Sukkot culminating with Simchat Torah says it. Chanukah says it. Brit milah says it. And Pesach, with the counting of seven weeks seven times, culminating with Shavuot, the time of the giving of the Torah, says it.
All peoples of the world are considered to be bound by the Seven Mitzvot of Bnei No’ach. They are all natural rules, in a way. But the Jew is repeatedly commanded to go beyond nature. That is what we fought to defend against the Greeks and against many other enemies and cultures that have tried to either wipe us out or make us just like everyone else.
There is a link on philotorah.co to a 32-page Chanukah Review, with loads of information, Divrei Torah, explanations, riddles, game suggestions, even a coloring page for kids (or anyone). Check it out (if you want).
Shabbat Shalom and a little early Chanukah Samei’ach to all.
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