When you were little did you have a dream?
Maybe you dreamed about what you would be when you grew up?
Maybe you had dreams of changing the world?
Are your dreams alive and well?
These Torah portions speak a lot about dreams.
In fact Joseph is called the Master of Dreams, somewhat derisively by his brothers.
Joseph’s story starts with a dream he had about his family including his father, bowing to him.
He reports this to his brothers some of whom respond negatively and decide Joseph should be killed.
“Let’s see what happens to the dreams now?”
The amazing coat which Joseph received from his father (not sure it was technicolor but it was of many colors) was ripped off and Joseph was placed in a pit.
They ultimately sell him to tradespeople who are traveling to Egypt and Joseph becomes the head slave in the house of a man named Potiphar.
Unfortunately Potiphar’s wife has designs on the handsome Joseph and attempts to seduce him. Joseph almost capitulates but runs away, leaving his coat in her hands. Potiphar’s wife uses the garment to frame Joseph and once again he is thrown in a dungeon, which is called a pit.
This repeating scenario must have felt like a recurring dream to Joseph, or more like a bad nightmare he cannot escape.
But Joseph is different this time.
The first time he was a victim. He had no control over his destiny.
This time Joseph made a decision. He was not going to succumb to temptation.
Here the coat is not torn from him. rather he slips out of it leaving it behind in the hands of his temptress.
Here he keeps his integrity and goes back to the pit on his own terms.
The scene may be a repitition, but Joseph is different.
He realizes his culpability in the first scenario where he lorded over his family.
Now he will fix his mistake by leading with integrity and not ego.
Last weeks portion continues with Joseph interpreting more dreams which leads to this week when Joseph is brought out of the pit in order to interpret the dreams of Pharoah and in the blink of any eye, Joseph is made the viceroy of Egypt. He is the mightiest person in the country, second only to the ruler Pharoah.
His dreams are coming true.

This portion is always read on Chanukah. It was a very dark time for Jacob and his family.
They did not know if they would survive the famine and the subsequent challenges they were beset by.
When the brothers of Joseph go down to Egypt to buy food as the Land of Israel has been struck with famine they must go and bow to the leader of the land.
They do not recognize that the leader is in fact their own brother Joseph.
He has actually been renamed by the Pharoah “Tzofnat Paneach”, which means, the hidden will be revealed.
Stay tuned for next week as the cliffhanger will be resolved.
This month, is the month of Kislev the month of Chanuka. Our Sages teach us that every month has a certain energy and they teach us this month has the characteristic of sleep. There is a pull to turn inward and retreat.
Kislev is long, dark nights.
But in those nights that are long we are also given the opportunity to dream.
We have the chance to transcend.
Chanukah is celebrated for 8 nights.
We celebrate the victory of the few Jews over the massive Greek army, and we celebrate the cruze of oil which was meant to last one night and instead burned for eight.
Our Sages ask, why celebrate 8 days? The first day was not a miracle? There was enough oil for one night?
One of the answers given is the first miracle is that they looked for the oil at all.
The Jews had just been through decades of suffering and war. Yes they had overcome but there were high casualties.
Nonetheless, they continued to dream. They did not allow themselves to be limited by the darkness they had just experienced. Another chance was being presented, and they transcended and took the chance to look for the light.
It is also so powerful to note that Chanuka is the celebration of two miracles. The winning of the war and the miracle of the oil.
But when we celebrate Chanuka now we don’t have parades or flyovers to commemorate our military victory.
Instead, we light a Menora.
We cerebrate light.
A dream is a vision of what can be.
Like the dreams of Joseph Chanuka calls upon us to dream.
We are a nation of dreamers, when we return to Zion we will be like dreamers.
When we light the candles on Chanuka there is an ancient custom to gaze at the lights for a half hour.
These introspective moments allow us to connect to our own inner light, to our deepest dreams.
“The candle of Gd is the soul of a person” Proverbs
So take a few moments to stare at the candles. Allow that small point of light to reignite your dreams.
Rachel Goldberg Polin was reflecting on how we see the power of the teeny, tiny light. That tiny light can have such a powerful impact and effect. effect. She says so beautifully
“We have seen it, we know it, and now we have to be it”!
Joseph taught us to dream, and dream with integrity.
Dream Big!
Happy Chanukah and
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!!