Zot Chanukah & Parashat Miketz: Every Descent is for the Sake of Ascent

As we reach the final glowing flames of Zot Chanukah, I want to wish each of you — wherever you may be, in Chile, America, El Cicero, or beyond — a heartfelt and joyous Chanukah. May these remaining moments of the chag bring ever more light into your world, your life, and your heart.

This week’s Parashat Miketz and the final days of Chanukah are deeply intertwined in their message. They both speak to the Jewish soul about how Hashem orchestrates life’s twists and turns — the descents and the darkness — only to lift us higher than we ever imagined. This is the deeper meaning of the phrase:

"Yerida le’shem aliyah" – Every descent is for the sake of a greater ascent.

From the Depths to the Palace

Parashat Miketz continues the dramatic story of Yosef HaTzaddik. Just last week in Parashat Vayeishev, he was languishing in an Egyptian prison. Now, in Miketz, everything begins to shift. The pasuk tells us:

"Vayiritzuhu min habor" – "They rushed him out of the pit" (Bereishit 41:14).

Yosef is suddenly elevated, brought before Pharaoh, and within hours, becomes the viceroy of Egypt.

But why did it have to happen this way? Why the pain? The isolation? The betrayal?

Because Hashem was preparing him — and all of Am Yisrael — for greatness. Just like a pail lowered into a well must go down in order to come up full, so too do our moments of descent serve as preparation for blessing. We see this clearly in Mizmor Shir Chanukat HaBayit, which we say during Chanukah:

"Aromimcha Hashem ki dilitani…" – "I will exalt You, Hashem, for You have drawn me up."

The Secret of Compassion

Later in the parasha, when the brothers must return to Egypt with Binyamin, Yaakov Avinu gives them a remarkable bracha:

"V’Keil Shakai yiten lachem rachamim lifnei ha’ish" – "May G-d Almighty grant you mercy before the man" (Bereishit 43:14).

The wording is unusual. Yaakov doesn’t ask Hashem to make “the man” (Yosef) merciful. Rather, he prays that Hashem give you mercy — meaning, the power to act with compassion.

Why?

Because he who shows mercy to others will receive mercy from Heaven. This is a Torah principle:

"Kol hamerachem al habriyot, merachamin alav min hashamayim."

Yaakov was subtly telling his sons: If you want rachamim from the viceroy, first show rachamim to one another. Heal the divisions between you. Act with unity and care. Then Heaven will mirror that mercy back to you.

A Modern-Day Story of Compassion

I heard a beautiful, true story this week that brings this message to life:

In an apartment building in Eretz Yisrael, a neighbor on the ground floor had illegally expanded his home, causing tension with the other residents. A poor family living on the top floor later tried to legally enclose their small balcony to create more space — but this same neighbor fought them viciously, causing them tremendous aggravation and delays.

Then, one day, the upstairs neighbor got a call from a yeshiva. They were considering hiring someone — and it turned out to be the very same difficult downstairs neighbor.

“What kind of person is he?” they asked.

The upstairs neighbor was stunned. He had every reason to lash out, to tell the yeshiva about the unfair treatment he endured. But instead, he asked for an hour to think it over. He struggled with his emotions, but in the end, he decided not to say one word of lashon hara. When they called back, he offered a positive recommendation.

The neighbor got the job — and never even knew who helped him.

But two days later, the upstairs neighbor’s wife, who had been out of work for over six months, got an unexpected job offer with a dream salary. The message was clear: he showed mercy — and Hashem showed him mercy in return.

The Deeper Light of Zot Chanukah

As we light the eighth candle, we reflect on the miracle not only of the oil that burned for eight days — but also of the fact that they found a sealed jar of pure oil at all. That little jar represents the hidden spark of purity within each Jew. No matter how far one may seem, there is always a part that remains untouched, holy, and full of potential.

Our job is to uncover that spark — within others, and within ourselves.

And while we marvel at the revealed miracles of the oil and the military victory, Zot Chanukah reminds us to appreciate the quiet, hidden miracles as well: the fact that oil burns, that flowers bloom, that we wake up each morning. As we say in davening:

"Hamchadesh b’tuvo b’chol yom tamid ma’aseh Bereishit" – Hashem renews the miracles of creation every single day.

Keep Spinning

Why do we spin the dreidel? And why do we spin it from above?

Because everything in life is guided from above. Every turn, every twist, every “random” spin of events — Hashem is holding it all. But just as the dreidel only starts to move when we give it a push, so too in life, we must make the first move. When we do, Hashem takes over, and keeps it spinning — sometimes longer and smoother than we ever expected.

The Olive and the Light

We light our Chanukah candles with olive oil — bitter olives pressed under intense pressure produce beautiful, pure oil. This is the symbol of our lives:

Even bitter challenges and crushing pressures are Hashem’s way of extracting our deepest light.

As the pasuk says:

"Yehudah l’shem aliyah" – Even pain is for the sake of growth.

And Finally, the Cheese…

There’s a classic story of a philosophical debate between the sages of Greece and the sages of Israel. The Greeks sent two cheeses to the Jewish sages and asked: “Tell us which came from a white cow and which from a brown cow?”

The Jews replied with two eggs: “You tell us which came from a white chicken and which from a brown one — and we’ll answer you.”

This was not just clever rhetoric. It was a deep answer to a deep question. The Greeks wanted to know: Why do you say Hashem “chose you” — how can you tell who is chosen?

The Jewish sages answered: You can’t tell from the outside. But what’s inside — the purity, the essence — that’s what matters.

May the light of Zot Chanukah inspire us to:

• See the miracles in the natural,

• Uplift others with mercy,

• Reveal the spark in ourselves and in every Jew,

• And always remember: every descent is for the sake of an even greater ascent.

Wishing you a Chanukah Sameach, a meaningful Zot Chanukah, and a Chodesh Tov.