| Mikeitz 5760 -
December 10, 1999 |
| FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS |
The Cosmic Fantasy
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains that galut was born out of a succession of dreams because galut is the ultimate dream. A dream is perception without the discipline of reason. Here are all the stimuli and experiences we know from real life—sights and sounds, thoughts and action, exhilaration and dread. Indeed, everything in a dream is borrowed from our waking lives. But everything is topsy-turvy, defying all norms of logic and credulity.
The Lamplighter
As every child knows, if you want to know which night of Chanukah it is, just count the lights in the menorah.
"But there are four flames in your menorah, Daddy," says my child, "not three."
"Four flames? Oh, the one up on top is the shamash. He doesn't count."
"Why doesn't he count?"
Why, indeed, doesn't the shamash count? It is he, after all, who kindled the other flames. It is he who stands watch over them, should one of them falter and require a fresh boost of light.
The Rebbe's Chanukah Light
It was nearly midnight when the harsh sound of carriage wheels grating on the snow and ice exploded the
tranquility. The door burst open and in came a Chassid who hailed from a distant village. His appearance was shocking. His clothes were ripped and filthy, and his face was puffy and bleeding. And yet, in stark contrast to his physical state, his eyes were sparkling and his features shone with joy.
Where the Roads Meet
My parents used to tell me not to wave my hands while speaking and not to talk in a singsong. When I asked why, they said that it made me look like a Jew. Jewishness is a question that can be neither answered nor avoided.
The Longer Shorter Way
The Torah and its commandments (mitzvot) are the Creator's blueprint for creation, detailing the exact manner in which He meant life to be lived and His purpose in creation to be fulfilled. But is a life that is ordered by Torah indeed feasible? Can the ordinary "everyman" be realistically expected to conduct his every act, word and thought in accordance with the Torah's most demanding directives?
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Mikeitz
Genesis 41:1–44:17
Week of December 5-11, 1999
The Parshah in a Nutshell
Full Parshah Summary with Commentary
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