by Rabbi Dov Lior, former Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Arba/Hevron, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.
Chanukah occurs every year at the time of year when we read aloud the stories of Joseph and his brothers - including especially how Joseph remained loyal to his faith and family even when he was alone in Egypt. It is clear that the messages of Chanukah are related to these national beginnings of our people, as related in the Book of Genesis.
Joseph's descent into the darkness of Egypt was for the purpose of laying the groundwork for the construction of the Nation of Israel. The Israelites had undergone quite a process from the time they were a group of individuals in the Land of Canaan, until their recognition as a "people" by none other than King Pharaoh of Egypt. Until then they were known as the "sons of Yaakov," but the king referred to them as "the nation of the sons of Israel" (Sh'mot 1,9).
The survival of the House of Jacob in the darkness of the exile and impurity of Egypt for over 200 years was made possible by the righteousness of Joseph, Yosef HaTzaddik, who maintained the lifestyle and faith in the G-d of his forefathers just as he was taught in his father's home. Yosef remained a faithful Jew even though he was nearly as powerful as a king, and taught his sons Ephraim and Menashe his traditions as well, so that they would not be swallowed up in the cheap and misguided culture of the Egyptians.
These days of Chanukah have served, ever since the days of the Hasmoneans and up to today, as days of great inspiration for the Nation of Israel. The mighty and heroic victory over the Syrian Greeks was not limited to its time alone. It rather instilled national pride in our people for generations on end, up until this very day.
Greek culture - that of superficiality and the pursuit of luxury - sought to overcome the powerful spirit of the Torah of Israel and human striving for sanctity of life and eternal values in every situation. Torah’s victory over the Greek culture of yore is that which gives us the spiritual armor to stand, even now, against the dark winds blowing around the world, seeking to prevent the historic return of the Nation of Israel to its Land and the establishment of its kingdom - the Kingdom of G-d - that has forever been the destiny of Israel.
The problem in our time is not one of territory, in that our enemies want our land. It is rather that they object to our very existence. We stand for too much spirit, to their taste, and they cannot take that we reflect it to the world. They are against the State of Israel as the country of the Jewish People, and the ethics and goodness that we grant the world are a constant reminder of all that they hate. As we see clearly, their objections are not becoming lighter or easier - but we are confident that “the eternity of Israel will not lie,” and that our national return to our holy and ancestral land that began over a century ago will become stronger and stronger, to the point that the light of our Redemption will become a great torch leading the camp. We pray that we will all merit to experience the redemption of our nation and entire Land very soon.
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