Parshas Miketz: The Brothers' Bowing and Chanukah

Parshas Miketz relates the fulfillment of Yosef’s dream with all the brothers bowing down to him. As we think back about the whole series of events though, why the focus around bowing? Why was bowing such an essential part of the whole “Yosef and the Shevatim” story? 

The Bas Ayin points out that there are three areas a person needs to constantly strive to perfect with kedusha and tahara: machshava, dibbur, and ma’aseh (thoughts, speech, and actions). These three areas correlate to three different names of Hashem, and together have 13 letters which correspond to the 13 places the Mishna (Shekalim 6:1-3) states where one was to bow in the Beis Hamikdash. These 13 places, as the mishna (Middos 2:3) explains, were chosen as they were the 13 places that the yevanim breached the walls of the Beis Hamikdash – as we reference in Ma’oz Tzur: “u’fartzu chomos migdalai”. (Also interesting to note, there are 13 words in each of the two berachos we say on the nerios chanukah, at least according to the nusach to omit the word “shel” in the first beracha). The bowing that was instituted in these places was to keep the focus on our own humility and acknowledgment that everything comes from Hashem. This is the message of Chanukah – humility. The Basy Ayin further suggests that this is why Chazal instituted that the menorah be lit within 10 tefachim from the ground near the entrance to our homes. We not only want to be surrounded by mitzvos and have the specific reminder during this time of our separation from the outside world, but also want to so in a way that will require us to bow down a little to perform the mitzvah, as a reminder of the humility required to appropriately be makir tov and offer hodaah to Hashem. 

The Bas Ayin further points out that while mitzvos typically have a designated time allotment specific to either the day (tzitzis tefillin) or night (mitzvah of matzah, kriyas shema of night, etc), the mitzvah of Chanukah menorah is unique in that it is concentrated on the time that day transforms into night. We are tasked to bring the light of day into the dark of night. When things are difficult or we are being tasked to shine in the darkest of times, we must maintain the light of our mesorah and double down in our acknowledgment that Hashem runs the world b’zman hazeh just as we experienced bayamim haheim. It is of course no coincidence that the Hebrew words yom and laylah (day and night) together have the same gematriyah (numerical value) as anavah (humility).  

Throughout our history, we have always been faced generation after generation with enemies who proclaimed that they were the greatest and who declared “who is Hashem that I should listen to His command?” The way we conquer this gaivah and tumah is with anivus. We conquer it with the recognition that everything is in Hashem’s control. We recite full Hallel for eight consecutive days giving thanks and, by extension, declaring that Hashem runs the world even when it may feel to be the coldest and darkest of times.  

Perhaps this is the reason for the focus around Yosef’s brothers and the bowing. Before heading into galus mitzrayim, B’nei yisroel needed to first be equipped with a sense of unity and humility.  

I heard from Rav Asher Weiss that the Chovas Yair in sefer Mekor Chaim (766) brings from the Rama an additional stanza to maoz tzur: 

מעולם היית ישעי, כבודי ומרים ראשי. 

 שמע נא קול שוועי 

 מלכי אלקי קדושי. 

 העבר חטאי ופשעי, גם בגלות הרביעי. 

 חזק ישראל, ותכניע ישמעאל, ומאדום תפדה נפשי. 

 

May k’lal yisroel’s unity and humility continue and may we merit immediately to fully experience a reality of  חזק ישראל, ותכניע ישמעאל, ומאדום תפדה נפשי with Hashem turning the current darkness into light and turning our nightly tears into a morning of praise and joy – as we repeated every day in chanukah after davening בָעֶרב, יָלִין בֶכִי; וְלַבֹקר רנָה.