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Leah’s Blog Parashat Miketz 2020

Miketz   2020

Socialism: You have two cows. You keep one and you give one to your neighbor.

Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

Communism: You have two cows. The government takes them both and provides you with milk.

Fascism: You have two cows. The government takes them both and sells you the milk.

Nazism: You have two cows. The government takes them both and shoots you.

Surrealism: You have a donkey and an ox. The government kicks you out of your country, and you walk like a hobo with a stick and a bindle for two thousand years. Meanwhile the land becomes desolate because no other government can succeed there. Miraculously you find your way back, settling down – everything blossoms.

Genesis 50/20- “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but Hashem meant it for good, to bring to pass as it is on this day, to preserve many people- alive.” Yosef- alive? This can be no less than a miracle! Yosef sees things for the good no matter what the circumstances are. He knows that everything Hashem does is for the best. Yosef teaches that miracles happen when you reach a more advanced level above cognitive thought, you can literally make your life into a blessing. But this is not without hard work. Miracles are happening all the time but what turns reality into miracles is the way we see things, even seven emaciated cows, even deep down in the pit, even in the dungeons of jail, even knowing his brothers hate him. They weren’t blessed with his vision. This takes us to another scene that comes later after the exodus when the spies came to view the Land. The NATIONAL IDENTITY TEST failed for ten out of twelve princes of the tribes said they could not go up to take it. Israel, where reality is surreal and the place of prophecy you need an ayin tova, a good eye, to behold it. The Land was not comprehended in its surreal identity but as a peculiar, fantastically bizarre place with grapes as large as bowling balls and fictional looking giants. They thought they were hallucinating! Our holy Torah teaches us about the miracles performed for Am Yisrael throughout the exodus story yet the heart of Hashem’s will was for His people to return HOME- to the supernatural Land. What you see is not always what you get: The hidden in the concealed, the enlightenment in the illumination, the hallowed in the sacred, and we WILL see revealed- as Yosef revealed himself – what was first disguised, then the light, and then the holy. Joshua proclaimed the Land was not only good, but VERY GOOD. As the representative of the tribe of Efrayim/Yosef, he was able to SEE the supernatural GOODNESS of the Land of milk and honey. Israel can appear to be like any country with bars and beaches and problems. Look deeper.

Chanukah is spelled with the letter chet whose numerical value is eight. Six represents the six directions of the physical world, and the six regular days of the week, while seven unifies and perfects the physical world – Shabbat. Eight represents the spiritual realm that transcends the physical. This year we complete the lighting of the menorah on Thursday night, yet Hashem grants us to add new lights at our Shabbat licht bentschen. This is a time of overcoming great darkness. Hashem is enabling us, wherever we may be to enter the zone of above nature seeing and knowing. We have the responsibility to see and preserve life. Our national identity takes on a new form as governments fall and rise. Israel is KAM VENITZAV- Up and standing as Yosef dreamt, literally transcending the confined and imprisoned reality. This is no less than miraculous. Take a stand. You are not restricted in thinking and believing. Make it blossom. It’s up to you.

Shabbat shalom, Chanukah Sameyach- Leah