Ra’anana Community Kollel
Fanning the Flame
Aliza Pavlov
The parshios discussing the story of Yosef are read every year around Chanukah time. After examining the sources, perhaps, we can glean a reason as for why this occurs.
In Parashat Vayeshev, 37-2, the passuk says:
“Vayeshev Yaakov be’eretz megurei Aviv… Aileh toldos Yaakov Yosef…”
“And Yaakov sat in the land of his father … these are the descendants of Yaakov, Yosef…”
Rashi brings a mashal, a parable, clarifying the words above:
“A flax merchant’s camels entered loaded with flax. A blacksmith stood there and wondered where he’d find room to put it all. Till a wise man spoke:” One spark from your bellows will get rid of it all.”
So it was with Yaakov when he saw Esav’s warriors;
He stood wondering who in the world would be able to conquer them all. The verse goes on to say:
“Aileh toldos Yaakov Yosef …”
And Rashi goes on to say: “Bais Yaakov aish ubais Yosef lehavah uvais Eisav lekash venitzotz yotze meYosef shmechaleh vesoref es hakol.”
“The house of Yaakov is fire, and the house of Yosef -flame and the house of Esav to straw. And a spark comes forth from Yosef that eradicates and destroys everyone”
What is “aish”?
It is brought down in Masechet Nezikin that a hot coal is considered “aish”.
The Ramban explains that there is a general approach to viewing the world: The “koach” (potential) and the “poal” (realization).
A hot coal is aish (fire) “bekoach”. If stirred up it will be able to burn “befoal”.
Yaakov is compared to the power while Yosef is compared to the power brought into action.
The only place in the Mishnah where Rabbi Yehudah mentions Chanukah is in Mishnah Baba Kamah 6-6,
where he brings down the following situation:
A camel that is loaded with flax and passes through a Reshus HaRabim and its flax entered a store and caught fire from the store owner’s candle and burned down the building- the camel’s owner has to pay.
But, if a shopkeeper lit his candle outside, the shopkeeper’s responsible.
Rabbi Yehudah states:” If it’s a Chanukah candle the shopkeeper is off the hook.”
The S’fas Emes draws a parallel between the comparison of Yaakov, Yosef and Eisav to fire, flame and flax & the story of the camel owner:
He says that you can always know how to end the present exile based on how you defeated the last. Therefore, the way to conquer Edom is by using Yosef-the flame, or in our case, the Chanukah flame, against Edom, the flax. This is taking the inner fire and bringing it out into action.
So how do women fit into all this?
There’s a parallel made between two pesukim in Mishlai: 6-20 & 6-23 “Ki ner mitzvah ve’Torah or” And “Netzor b’ni mitzvat Avichah v’al titosh Torat Imechah”
“For a candle is a mitzvah and Torah light” And “Keep close to you the mitzvah of your father and do not leave the Torah of your mother”.
A father’s mitzvah is compared to a candle while a mother’s Torah is compared to light.
Why?
A man brings the “hot coal”, the commandment, into his house and the woman “fans the flame”.
If the woman does not show by example the warmth, spirit, and love that is so fundamental to Judaism in her home, the father’s command will only last as long as he’s around and then die out.
It is our job to bring the flame of Chanukah into our lives, so that, we may merit to conquer Edom and insure the continuation of the Jewish people.
And may we be zocheh to see the geulah shleimah bimheirah b’yameinu!
