In a Mother's embrace
As we stand today on the final day of Chanukah we prepare for the Shabbos on which we read the Parsha of Vayigosh. Vayigosh is the portion of the Torah in which our father Yaakov travels with his family to Egypt to begin the fulfillment of the HaShem's prophecy to Yaakov's grandfather, Avrohom. In this prophecy HaShem informed Avrohom that his descendants would endure an exile of intense slavery over the course of 400 years and after that exile they would inherit the Land of Israel. In Vayigosh the time arrived to begin that fateful exile.
The Torah tells us that Yaakov was frightened to go down to Egypt; he feared that his family would be lost in the hundreds of years to come. How could they possibly survive and maintain their unique traditions in a position of slavery for that extended duration of time? If the first generation would survive could their children survive? And if their children survived could their grandchildren survive? And even if their grandchildren survived is it conceivable that their grandchildren could maintain the strength and dedication to the Jewish traditions enough to give it over to their children? That is impossible! Hence, Yaakov was dreadfully frightened.
HaShem reassured Yaakov "Have no fear of descending to Egypt, for I shall sure establish you as a great nation there. I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also bring you and Myself up from there..." Behold! HaShem promises Yaakov that He Himself will go down to Egypt with Yaakov and after the family becomes a nation HaShem will bring them up from Egypt along with Himself! The implication is that HaShem, too, will go with His children into exile and remain in that state of exile until He brings them up from there.
After Yaakov received this promise from HaShem he lifted his feet and headed down to Egypt with a lighter heart. He recognized that although his family will endure an extended exile they will nevertheless survive because HaShem is there with them.
This has always been the secret of our survival; HaShem Himself is with us in the exile. Insomuch as HaShem will survive and maintain His identity, so too, will His people as well survive and maintain their identity. While this thought does not mitigate the pain of our exile it does assure us that we will make it and survive. It also gives us the strength to endure it as well. The child's pain of receiving the vaccination from the doctor is not mitigated by the mother holding the child. However, the fear and dread that the child has from the shot is very much diminished.
And so when HaShem told Yaakov that He will be with him through the darkest periods of exile, his heart lightened and was able to take his family to Egypt.
The period preceding Chanukah was the darkest period of our history. It was a period where the religious leaders of our people were reforming the Jewish people to adopt the ways of the Hellenistic culture. The high priests themselves were involved in undercutting the study and practice of Torah! They even undid their own circumcision.(Josephus, Antiquities book 12, ch 5,1) It was a disease from within our own people.
Nevertheless, the small minority who did not succumb to the Greeks and their culture; small in number, small in arms and small in experience stood up to the mighty Greeks; strong in numbers, strong in arms and certainly strong in experience, and prevailed. This was an impossible mission. It was sheer absurdity to even consider their victory, and yet they prevailed! It was evident that HaShem entered the fight as well and He was their cause for victory.
How compelling the connection between our coming Parsha of Vayigosh and the final day of Chanukah!
Before we plunge into Vayigosh and brace ourselves for the coming Egyptian exile we are given a peek to the future that no matter how dark it will get HaShem is right there with us.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind
