Yaakov, Chanukah and the Myth of Smoothness
Each and every year, we read the story of Yosef during the time of Chanukkah. And while lessons of Chanukkah and Yosef can complement one another, this year, I cannot stop thinking about Yaakov and Chanukkah. Of course, Chanukkah celebrates the rededication our permanent home the חנוכת המזבח. But, as we know, there are other ways that over the centuries we have explained the meaning of the name of this chag. One way is that the name is broken up into two words, חנו כה -- they rested on the 25th. After a long struggle with the Syrian Greeks, who challenged their religious and political identity, , the Macabees rested on the 25th of Kislev. They rested in order to take time to celebrate their victory and their momentum -- the beginnings of a new chapter of their political life, of the world order they envisioned was about to begin.. And just like the Macabees, Yaakov, also sits וישב יעקב . After long personal struggles,with Esav, with his wives, with his father in-law and