“The three Torah sections (Vayeishev, Mikeitz and Vayigash) that relate the story of Joseph and his brothers . . . are always read before, during or immediately after the festival of Chanukah.
Since “to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), certainly the arrangement of the festivals of the year, which are the “appointed times of G‑d” (Leviticus 23:4), as well as the festivals and fasts instituted by the sages, all have a special connection to the Torah readings in whose weeks they fall, since everything is masterminded by G‑d. Thus the story of Joseph was destined to be repeated with the royal Chashmonai family in the Greek era . . .”
“In many cultures, eating together is a sign of fraternity, friendship and covenant. In Genesis 14:17, after Abraham was victorious in war, King Melchizedek of Shalem brings out bread and wine and blesses Abraham. When Abraham is visited by God’s messengers/angels, he brings them into his tent and offers them food. In my favourite television show, Game of Thrones, when one Westeros lord provides bread and salt for a visitor, it is a sign of peace (albeit a rule mostly observed in its breach).”
Forgiveness and Reconciliation with the Past
“Many years ago, I taught an adult education class on biblical heroes. Among those we studied was Joseph. We focused on Parashat Mikeitz and discussed Joseph’s contentious relationship with his older brothers and their later reconciliation. We also talked about Joseph’s learning to use his ability to interpret dreams for others and recognizing that his talent was a gift from God. Although intellectually I believed that Joseph had indeed matured, emotionally I felt otherwise, and sensed that somehow, we hadn’t grasped the full story.”
“Joseph, the dreamer and interpreter of dreams, is the son of a dreamer. It is no surprise that he is Jacob’s favorite son. Young Jacob dreamed of a stairway reaching to heaven, traveled by angels. In a dream-like state, Jacob wrestled.
Yet Joseph’s dreams of a heavenly connection are far more earth-bound in their implications. His dreams place him at the center of a universe in which every one in his sphere paid him homage, a scenario that was actualized, apparently, through his dream-interpretation skills for the Egyptian Pharaoh. As poet Ruth Brin, in her collection A Rag of Love, speaks the connections: “Joseph stood before the King of Egypt / as his father, Jacob had stood before the Wrestler.””
“This special haftarah for Hanukkah contains among its prophecies an idyllically universal vision of acceptance of God: “In that day many nations shall attach themselves to the Lord and become His people, and He will dwell in their midst.” (2:15) This messianic prophecy seems somewhat ironic as a scriptural reading for a festival commemorating the victory of a particular people over the forces of an international movement which sought for it to conform to the forces of the universal culture sweeping the world at the time.”