Perashat Mikess 5777

Perashat Mikess 5777

Throughout our lives, we often witness incidents that are contrary to reason and logic. We sometimes wonder how could something actually be happening, is it real or is it a dream? Is it magical or mystical? Of course, quite often the problem lies not in the reality of the phenomenon, but in our own perception and understanding of what is going on around us. However, there are times when events occur against all logic and reason.

Perashat Mikess recounts the famous dreams of Pharaoh that awoke him with both amazement and astonishment. In his first dream, he saw seven fat cows of robust flesh being eaten by seven emaciated cows of gaunt flesh. It was not immediately apparent to him that the fat cows were swallowed, since their appearance remained thin and emaciated. He woke up disturbed and then fell asleep again, only to have yet another disturbing dream. This time, there were seven full and good ears of grain, being swallowed by seven other withered and thin ears of grain.  Pharaoh’s spirit was greatly agitated.

The incongruity of the dreams leaves us faced with the illogical and contrary result that neither the gaunt cows nor the thin ears of grain fattened up after eating the fat cows and full ears of grain. Although it was only a dream, Pharaoh too wondered how skinny cows - after eating the fat cows - did not fatten up? Of course, the same illogical thinking holds true for Pharaoh’s dream of the ears of grain.

This week, we have been celebrating the Holiday of Hanukkah; a holiday that indeed relates to us yet another seemingly unreasonable situation. On each day of Hanukkah, we recite a special paragraph in the Amida - the silent meditation - describing how the mighty Greeks were delivered into the hands of the weak Jews; the many into the hands of the few, the wicked into the hands of the righteous. Again, how could the mighty have fallen into the hands of the weak and the many into the hands of the few? It seems unreasonable! Additionally, the weak remained weak and the few remained few! 

Were these examples of a problem of our perception or understanding of reality? Of course not. We can say that the dreams were just dreams, but the war of the Jewish Hashmonaim against the Greeks was very real and has become a vital part of our history.

Human perception is limited to the physical world.  The spectrum of our eyesight is quite limited, and our understanding of what we perceive is even more limited. The normal and natural result of someone “swallowing up” his opponent or adversary would be to acquire his “fattened” nature, his excessiveness. We have seen it in the empires of the past; the Persians inherited their kingdom from the Babylonians, the Greeks learned from the Persians and the Romans adopted the Greek life style. Similarly, many subsequent cultures nursed their growing futures from the previous one.   
 
The idea that one need not become “fattened” by the excessiveness of his enemies is only seen by the Jewish People. In fact, it is condemned! Many exhortations were given to the Israelites not to adopt or adapt to their vanquished enemies’ cultures; lest they forget their G-d, their values and traditions. 

It was the case of Yosef, where he never adopted the Egyptian lifestyle, despite the fact that he was the leader. It was the case of the Hashmonaim, where they never adopted the Greek lifestyle, despite the harsh war they fought on Hanukkah.  And it is our case today; for even after vanquishing our enemies, we have never adopted their immorality, cruelty or unethical methods of trying to destroy us.    

On our personal and communal level, part of not absorbing the values and methods of our enemies that we vanquish, is not acting like them, and adopting their repulsive tactics and ploys. We ought to maintain the high ground, our morals and ethics and the righteousness of our purpose. The truth is on our side and therefore G-d is on our side.