Sadly, Chanukah has ended and every year it seems to fly more quickly than ever before. I certainly hope everyone had a meaningful and enjoyable Chag. Now that colleges and many schools are off for the secular holidays, many of you will be away on vacation and we wish you all safe travels and a pleasant hiatus.

There is no hiatus from Torah. Our story of Joseph and his brothers comes to a crescendo in Parshat Vayigash when Joseph reveals his true identity to his long lost siblings in a most dramatic fashion. The Torah tells us that the brothers could not even speak when they realized they had been dealing with Joseph all this time because they were in shock! One can only imagine what was running through their minds. And even though Joseph reassured them that he meant no ill will towards them, they still remained unconvinced as is clearly evident in next week's Parsha after Yaakov Avinu dies.

Perhaps it is once in a lifetime that we may have such a Joseph moment. One may have only a single shot at capitalizing on such a key changing moment in life that will affect generations. Think of the miraculous survivors of the Shoah who have mind boggling stories of miraculous escapes and turns of events. While our generation may not be faced with those challenges - and hopefully we will never be challenged like that ever again - we do have our moments.

 The question is: Will we be ready? Joseph was ready and he shined as bright as his erstwhile Ketonet Passim. Let us hope we too will be able to shine so brightly when it is our turn.

 

Shabbat Shalom