parshah mikeitz v’chanukah
This week. Wow. What a week. I’m at the office at my normal time but not (aka I’m here at 7:30 but able to do my own things as I need to until appointments begin at 9:30) and will have to have huge notes to remind me it’s Friday and not my normal schedule. As it is I’m tempting things by expecting the impossible from the 4/5/6/F/B/Q trains this afternoon as I scramble to make it home before 4:11.
Anyway, this week we read Mikeitz, Bereshit 41:1-44:17.
What is this parshah reading about? In short, Pharoah dreams and Joseph correctly interprets these dreams and becomes governor, marries, and has two sons. Famine spreads, ten of Joseph’s brothers come down to Egypt and to buy from the “stores”. The brothers end up meeting Joseph though they do not recognize him. In the end the make a second trip with Benjamin (after Judah agrees to be responsible) and after a nice meal hosted by Joseph a silver goblet is planted with Benjamin and he is to be enslaved to Joseph and the others are to return to Jacob without him.
It’s chanukah. Chanukah is not about presents, though we do give some in our family (which these days seem to revolve around wool– I’m not complaining). Chanukah isn’t about how to spell it in English transliteration, though I’m not consistent. Chanukah is about a miracle. With the rush of this time of year and my own incredibly busy week it’s been difficult to remember that. I know that I will be gazing into the lights tonight. I wonder what I will see.
Four candles are lit tonight before sundown (and lighting of the shabbos candles). They should be long enough to make sure that they burn through full nightfall and last 30 minutes beyond. The blessings in ASL may be found at this image. It’s a bit confusing with R→L and L→R issues.
שׁבּת שׁלום