Let me get this out of the way from the outset, seven years is a really long time. Joseph’s willingness to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams about the emaciated cows and dying corn stalks as a prophecy of seven good years, followed by seven bad ones, was extremely risky, and no doubt the reason why no one else was willing to speak up before him. But, amazingly, instead of ending up in Pharaoh’s dog house, he ends up as his viceroy. Why? Because not only did Joseph explain the challenge that lay ahead, but offered a pathway forward – storing food in the good years, in preparation for the bad.
However, the real gift Joseph gave Pharaoh was a time frame for how long the famine would last. Yes, seven years is a really long time, but it is not forever. Not knowing how long we will have to endure hard times is the hardest thing of all.
Here, in the middle of a global pandemic, we know this all too well. Last week’s second night Hanukkah miracle of Pfizer’s vaccine receiving emergency approval by the FDA, is the first sign that an end is in sight. Over the course of the next few months a more specific timeline will come into focus. We will not be out of the woods for quite some time, but knowing an approximate date when normal life can resume will be a Godsend. Answers to questions like, “will in person High Holy Day services be possible?” Or, “can kids return to school safely in the Fall?” will help immeasurably in our planning process, not to mention our collective peace of mind. For all of our sakes, we hope that the answers come sooner than later. That would truly be a Hanukkah miracle we would always remember.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex