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Dear Mogen David Family,

I write this week with a heavy heart. This upcoming Chanukah, which was supposed to be infused with Hallel V'Hoda'ah to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, will be stricken with da'agot, worries and fears. The unprecedented manner in which the global scene has abandoned Israel is jarring and unwarranted. We feel, once again, that we are fighting the 'few against the many,'  the 'pure amongst the defiled' enemies of Am Yisrael. We know Israelis yearn for peace; it is part of our daily prayers and hopes.

What can we do? 

At the end of this week's parasha we are told the Sar HaMashkim didn't remember Yosef, and he forgot him, "V'lo zacha Sar HaMashkim et Yosef Vayishkacheyhu." In his last perush on Parashat Vayeshev, Rashi explains that Yosef was decreed to spend an extra two years in jail (before the Sar HaMashkim recommended Yosef to interpret Paroh's dreams), because Yosef placed his faith and circumstances in the hands of the Sar HaMashkim, and not squarely with the Ribbono Shel Olam. 

Ultimately, Yosef needed to use his own skill and talent to gain Pharaoh's trust and service, but he never failed to acknowledge Hashem's provenance and guidance in his life. 

This also happens to be one of the primary themes of Chanukah. Despite outside influences and cultural fads, we must never waver in our commitment to the Mesorah, to our minhagim and halachot, our faith and our heritage. The is the ultimate light defeating the darkness.

We must do what we can during these trying times to support Eretz Yisrael, and we must never forget that, ultimately, HaKadosh Baruch Hu has the final word. 

Let us never forget!

Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yehuda Moses Rav HaKehillah/Senior Rabbi