MAZEL TOV!

DECEMBER 2 • 2021 | 41

Noam David Kantor will be called to the Torah 
as a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at 
Congregation B’nai Moshe in West 
Bloomfield. He is the beloved son of Shana 
and Rabbi Shalom Kantor and an amazing 
brother to Rena and Ari. Noam will be joined 
in his celebration by his grandparents and their spouses 
Beth and Michael Alderman, Margie and Joel Teig, and 
Laura and Bob Kantor, in addition to extended family.
Noam is a student at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan 
Detroit in Farmington Hills. He is working with the Jewish 
Family Service Adopt a Family program to help collect 
toys and other gifts, helping to ensure that other children 
can have a happy holiday season.

Raminick 90th
C

laire Raminick 
celebrated her 90th 
birthday on Nov. 
24, 2021. Her children, 
grandchildren and great-
grandchildren wish her good 
health and happiness for many 
years to come. 

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SPIRIT

Joseph And His 
Brothers
T

his Torah portion con-
tinues the story that 
began with the sale of 
Joseph by his brothers. At one 
point, the brothers discuss the 
possibility of murdering 
Joseph.
A superficial reading 
seems to indicate that the 
brothers were overcome 
with jealousy due to the 
special garment that their 
father Jacob had given to 
Joseph. The problem with 
that simplistic approach 
is that Rashi, the fore-
most commentator on 
Torah, quotes the Talmud 
that when the brothers 
returned to the (future) 
land of Israel from Lavan’s 
house they were all righteous. 
(Shabbos 55B) Suggesting that 
a group of righteous brothers 
were scheming to kill or sell 
their brother due to jealousy 
over a coat cannot be taken at 
face value. 
One answer put forth is based 
on our belief that together with 
the freedom that everyone has 
to make proper (or improper) 
moral and ethical decisions, we 
are also guided by a compo-
nent of Divine Providence that 
steers us in a certain direction. 
Concerning the sale of Joseph 
by his brothers, the Talmud 
states that this was all part of 
the Divine plan to bring Jacob’s 
family to Egypt (Sota 11A ). 
The brothers certainly made 
some miscalculations and a 
price was paid for their conduct; 
but considering that a Divine 
plan was being played out, they 
remain tzadikim in the eyes of 
Torah.
This Torah portion generally 
is read on Chanukah. The battle 

waged between the Greeks and 
the Jews was an outgrowth of 
a battle between two cultures. 
The Greeks believed that every-
thing in life should be subser-
vient to the egocentric 
needs of man. They even 
believed that all heavenly 
spirits were secondary to 
them. Jews, on the other 
hand, serve Hashem 
by insuring that in all 
areas of life the spiritual 
dominates the material. 
Judaism is based on 
the belief that there is 
Divine Providence that 
guides our every step. 
Unfortunately, many of 
the Jews at the time of 
Chanukah embraced a 
Hellenistic lifestyle.
Today’s secular society is 
really built on the culture of 
Hellenism of old: Belief that 
Hashem is a factor or player in 
one’s life is, for the most part, 
non-existent.
The story of Chanukah is that 
a small group of believers was 
able to maintain its dedication 
to the ideals of Torah against all 
odds. It is the story of the light 
of Divine Providence overcom-
ing the emptiness of a Godless 
culture.
Chanukah is the time to 
reveal the light of our souls that 
has the power to reignite our 
lives and to enjoy a meaningful 
relationship with the Almighty, 
which, in turn, will enable us to 
have proper relationships with 
all we encounter.
May we all be blessed 
with a luminous and joyous 
Chanukah. 

Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg is a rabbi 

at Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center 

in West Bloomfield.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Elimelech 
Silverberg 

Parshat 

Miketz: 

Genesis 41:1-

44:17; I Kings 

3:15-4:1. (Rosh 

Chodesh & 

Chanukah 7)