Dear Friends and Family,
This D’var Torah was written by my hubby Daniel!!!
If you flip through the Chumash, at the end of each Parshah is listed the total number of pesukim ( verses) of the Parshah. At the end of Parshas Miketz not only listed the number of verses, but also that there are 2025 words. This aludes to Chanukah, which falls out on Parshas Miketz each year. On Chanuka, we light a new Ner (candle), for each of the eight nights. The numerical value of Ner is 250 and if you times it by eight night it equals 2000. Chanukah begins on the 25th night of Kislev.
There is a famous question that has been asked by many Torah Scholars. If there was enough oil to last for the first night, the miracle of Chanukah is really that the oil lasted 7 more days. Why do we celebrate it for 8 days and light 8 candles?
Greek culture has taught is that what’s important is the results and not the effort. Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Fathers) teaches us that “According to the effort is the reward.” (5:22-23) This is the essential battle between the Greek and Jewish Philosophy.
Perhaps, this can be an answer to our question, when we do our part and put in the necessary effort then miracles can occur. Once we have done so, the effort we put in is included as part of the miracle as well. Perhaps, the extra candle and day is to commemorate the fact that we won can can continue to win the battle of results versus efforts, Greek versus Jewish Philosophy. We have to remember that all we can control is our efforts and that the results, are up to Hashem. Once we do that, we turn our efforts into miracles.
May Hashem instill within us, the ability to put in the necessary efforts, see them produce miracles and turn our efforts into miracles.
Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom,
The Behars
Rebbetzen: Work In Progress 