Preparing for Moshiach2 min read

Commenting on Pharaoh’s words, “Is there anyone found like this, a man filled with Godly spirit”, the Midrash praises the Avos and Yosef in a manner that, according to the Sefas Emes, implies a fundamental distinction.

While the Avos are praised with terms that relate to their bond with the transcendent realms of spirituality, Yosef is praised with the words, “If we go from one of the world to the other, we won’t find another like him”, implying a connection to our physical reality. The tzaddik explains that Yosef shared this quality with his brothers who served as the foundation for the Jewish perspective which sees physicality as aiding our closeness with Hashem and revealing, instead of concealing, His life-giving presence. The four Degalim-camps of the Shevatim in the midbar correspond to the four wicked kingdoms and the faithless arrogance with which they deny the unified sovereignty of Hashem over all of creation. The very existence of the Jewish nation encapsulated within these four camps permeated with faith and subservience to the divine will stands testament to an opposing perspective. They see the world not as a Malchus D’Sitra Achara, a faithless kingdom devoid of spirituality, but rather as a Malchus D’Kedusha, a vessel tbursting with Hashem’s presence and opportunity to connect with Him.

Throughout our tumultuous history, mighty empires embodying the very antitheses of our holy faith have faded away on their own, without the direct involvement of the Jewish people. However, in their victory against the Greeks, the Jewish nation miraculously merited to forcibly reclaim sovereignty, transforming the “Malchus HaRisha’ah” of Yavan into a “Malchus D’Kedusha” bursting with holiness and the miraculous energy of a transcendent realm. This, explains the Sefas Emes, is why the Torah reading for Chanukah is the parsha of the Nesi’im, the heads of the Shevatim who represent the counterpoint in holiness to the Greeks.

The coming of Moshiach (let it be soon!) will follow this pattern as well, transforming the nations’ perception of reality and enabling them to see the world from our perspective of faith. Indeed, the word “Chanukah” is related to the word “chinuch”, preparation for and initiation into a new phase of being. This is because the Jews’ miraculous victory against the Greeks in the Chanukah story serves as “chinuch”, preparation and initiation, for the times of Moshiach – the true and total victory of spiritual light over physical darkness, humility over arrogance, faith over doubt.