This week’s Torah commentary, originally published by Hebrew Seminary Professor of Rabbinic Literature Rabbi Dr. Allan Kensky, has been sponsored by Elliot Eisenberg.
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This Shabbat, we celebrate three special occasions: Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Chanukkah. In many congregations, these three events will be marked by reading from three sifrey torah (ספרי תורה, “Torah scrolls”)—one for the regular weekly portion, one marking the new month, and one for Chanukkah. It is indeed a special Shabbat.
Our weekly portion, Mikketz, centers on the story of Joseph in Egypt. Last week’s portion saw Joseph brought down to Egypt, pressed into servitude and eventually imprisoned. This week’s story tracks the rise of Joseph, brought about by Pharaoh’s enigmatic dreams and Joseph’s ability to interpret them. Pharaoh recognizes Joseph’s abilities and makes him second to the king. Joseph’s prediction of seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine comes true, and—soon enough—Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to purchase food for their family’s survival.
A number of years ago, when reading the story of Joseph, I was struck by uncanny parallels in language and syntax between the Joseph story and the Purim story found in the Book of Esther. (Yes, it’s Chanukkah, and here I am talking about Purim!) It seemed to me that whole lines in the Book of Esther had been reworked from verses in the Joseph story. I’ll share a few examples.
In today’s parashah, when Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and suggests to Pharaoh how he might prepare for the famine that will come, Joseph says:
יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה פַרְעֹ֔ה וְיַפְקֵ֥ד פְּקִדִ֖ים עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וְחִמֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּשֶׁ֖בַע שְׁנֵ֥י הַשָּׂבָֽע׃ וְיִקְבְּצ֗וּ אֶת־כׇּל־אֹ֙כֶל֙ הַשָּׁנִ֣ים הַטֹּב֔וֹת הַבָּאֹ֖ת הָאֵ֑לֶּה
And let Pharaoh take steps to appoint officers over the land, and organize the land of Egypt in the seven years of plenty. Let all the food of these good years that are coming be gathered. (Genesis 41:34–35; translation from The JPS Contemporary Torah.)
In the Book of Esther, we find parallel language used when the king is urged to conduct a beauty contest to find a new queen:
וְיַפְקֵ֨ד הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ פְּקִידִים֮ בְּכׇל־מְדִינ֣וֹת מַלְכוּתוֹ֒ וְיִקְבְּצ֣וּ אֶת־כׇּל־נַעֲרָֽה־בְ֠תוּלָ֠ה טוֹבַ֨ת מַרְאֶ֜ה
Let the king appoint officers in every province of your realm to gather all the beautiful young virgins…. (Esther 2:3.)
In both stories, a recommendation is made that officers should be appointed and something is to be gathered—though, of course, in Genesis, food is gathered; and, in Esther, young women are gathered.
The above is only one of many instances where the language of the Esther story seems to be almost lifted from the Joseph story. Another instance features the striking use of an unusual verb in both stories. When Joseph, upon reuniting with his brothers, is overwhelmed by emotion, we read of him seeking to control his emotions. The Hebrew word used to express this self-control is וַיִּ֨תְאַפַּ֔ק (vayyit’appak, “he controlled himself”) (Genesis 43:31). This verb is found again in Genesis 45:1, where we read, in the climactic scene before Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, that he could no longer control himself. This unusual Hebrew verb is found only a few times in the Bible, with one of the other striking instances being (you guessed it) in the Book of Esther, where we read that Haman, angered that Mordecai will not bow down before him, וַיִּתְאַפַּ֣ק (vayyit’appak, “controlled himself”) (Esther 5:10). To me it is clear that the author of the Book of Esther, by framing key parts of the story of Esther in language reminiscent of the Joseph story, is linking the story of the Jews of the Persian empire with the story of Joseph in Egypt.
What is the connection of the story of the Jews of Shushan with the story of Joseph in Egypt? And, with the story of Joseph being invariably read on the Shabbat of Chanukkah, is there a connection between Chanukkah and the Joseph story? I do believe there are common themes in each story.
The story of Joseph is a story of a Hebrew in the Egyptian court; the story of Mordecai and Esther unfolds in the court of Ahasuerus. Both are stories of survival in a hostile, alien environment. Chanukkah too is a story of survival in a hostile environment in the land of Israel, as the Jews are oppressed under Seleucid Greek rule. Each situation called for a different response, appropriate for its time. Joseph learns to succeed in the hostile environment he has been thrust into. At the same time, as he rises from rags to riches, through it all he retains his faith in God—time and time again he attributes the turns in his life to Divine providence. In the story of Esther, God is hidden, nowhere mentioned explicitly, but to the believer God is active behind the scenes. Indeed, the struggle of the Jews in Shushan was a struggle for the survival both of our people and our faith. In both the Purim and Chanukkah stories, the Jews take action to defend themselves from their foes. As the Maccabees take up arms, the very survival of Judaism is at stake.
Yes, the three stories of Joseph, Chanukkah, and Purim are very different, but they are each about the survival of our people and the passing the torch to the next generation. May we on this Shabbat Chanukkah rededicate ourselves to passing the flame to future generations, and to bringing light to the world in which we live.
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