I Can't Hear You: Could It Be the Banana In My Ear (Miketz 5778 and Chanukah)

Banana in Ernie's Ear Shows He Isn't Listening to Bert

How often do we see others in pain, but ignore it? How often do we hear the cries of others, but don't listen?At this season of short days, our vision often is obscured by darkness. Our hearing often is dulled by long nights in our own homes. 

This week's Torah portion and the festival of Chanukah come together this week as a kind of warning and an inspiration. 

The warning comes when Joseph's brothers believe that they caused their own current distress two decades earlier when they first tried to kill Joseph then sold him into slavery. They are not yet even aware that the Egyptian viceroy who is toying with them is, in fact, Joseph. They say to each other, "We saw [Joseph's] pain and ignored it. We heard his cries, but paid no attention to them." (Genesis 42:21.) It is a startling revelation.
Their conduct towards Joseph seemed cruel enough in its original telling through Torah a couple of weeks ago. But now they reveal how blind they made themselves to his distress and how deaf they made themselves to his pleas. 

Sometimes we do that in our own lives. When our eyes encounter the pain of others we look away. When we hear others begging we close our ears. Sometimes we tease those who are most vulnerable because it makes us feel stronger. Sometimes we ignore the cries of others because they distract us from our own priorities or preferences. But each time we do that, we not only add to the pain of others, we also diminish or injure ourselves. 

Joseph and his brothers reconcile only after the brothers understand the painful consequences of their behavior. In fact, the brother's authentic remorse prompts Joseph to cry again. A kind of relief at finally being seen and understood. 

The inspiration comes from the story of Chanukah with its reminder that we hold the power to transform dark into light. Those who light Chanukah candles confront the encroaching darkness of long winter nights with mere sparks of light. But it doesn't take much light to transform darkness. In fact, a single match can fill an otherwise dark room.

More than inspiring listening and light, though, the Chanukah story teaches the miraculous power of hope. We learn this, according to my teacher Rabbi David Hartman of blessed memory, from counting the number of nights we celebrate Chanukah. When the ancient temple was rededicated (lit. "chanukah") nearly 2,200 years ago, there was only enough purified oil to last a single day. And it would take another week to purify oil suitable for use in the temple. The legend is that instead of lasting one day, this tiny amount of oil lasted a full eight days. That is until more purified oil had been made for use in the temple. 

But this aspect of the story suggests the miracle of the oil lasted only seven days, not eight. After all, there was enough oil for one night. According to Hartman, there was a miracle that came ahead of the oil lasting so long, that was the miracle of hope. A hope that the oil would last longer than predicted. That additional miracle is added to the seven-day miracle, which brings us to eight nights for Chanukah. 

At this season, may each of us heed the warnings to see the pain of others and to really hear their cries and may we be inspired to bring our light to combat darkness and our hope to help heal the world.