Yosef vs. Judah Maccabee

This week’s parsha – Miketz – most often falls during Chanukah.  And in each story – that of Yosef and that of the Jews fighting the Greeks and the Hellenists – things looked very bad for quite some time.  Redemption came in both cases, but in very different ways.

Yosef, Dark and Bright

Yosef found himself an innocent man in captivity.  First as a slave to Potifar, then imprisoned in a dungeon, Yosef spent 13 years locked up.  The conditions of the dungeon could only have been as horrible as we would imagine. And he had little reason to hope that he would be freed anytime soon.

Yet with no notice Yosef was pulled from the dungeon, cleaned up and presented to the King.  In a matter of minutes, following his successful interpretation of Paroh’s dream, Yosef finds himself promoted to Viceroy of the world’s superpower.  Yosef went from darkness and despair to the light of freedom in the blink of an eye.

The Maccabees’ Fight

In contrast, the Chanukah story is one of slow and even incomplete success.  The loyalist Jews had been fighting a civil war against the Hellenist Jews as well as a vicious war against the massive Greek army.  The Maccabees were vastly outnumbered militarily and overmatched politically.  Time, it must have seemed, was not on their side.

Yet after years of battles and untold thousands of deaths, the Maccabees finally retook the Temple.  The miracle of the oil signaled that the military victory also came from God.  But the battles were far from over.  Jerusalem itself was still partially occupied by Greek forces, as were many other regions throughout Israel.  It would be three more years of fighting before the Greek military was fully evicted from our land.

Miracles Overt vs. Quiet

These are two very different ways that God helps out.  The Yosef model is sudden and unexpected.  The seeds may have been planted earlier, but the rescue came almost spontaneously – at least as far as the human eye can perceive.

The Maccabee model is one of slow struggles, putting out enormous efforts even when a successful end is not at all guaranteed.  Despite enjoying few resources, perhaps pressured by negative and discouraging voices around us, victory is eventually had – even as the challenges continue.

Either Way, Trust in God

In our own struggles, most people probably hope and pray for the Yosef model.  We’ll buy our lottery tickets – literally and figuratively – hoping that in the blink of an eye we will be pulled out of the pit of our problems.

And, in fact, that can and does happen.  There are plenty of stories of people who unexpectedly met the person of their dreams, or who got a call out of the blue with a great job offer.  When things seem to be at their most hopeless, it’s crucial to remember that God can pull us into daylight at any moment.

And when the battles to succeed are protracted, God is working behind the scenes giving us the courage to continue, perhaps just a few more resources to use and invest, maybe bringing a new friend into our circles to energize and inspire us.

In this Maccabee model we may build our success slowly and still face challenges.  Yet we can light the menorah, so to speak, that announces our confidence that our success came from God, and that without His help we could never have emerged victorious.

As we light our actual Menorahs to remind ourselves and our neighbors of the ancient victory over the Greeks, and as we read the story of Yosef in shul on Shabbat, we can put our trust in God that, one way or another, He is in our corner helping us fight our battles.