Parsha Inspired Menus - Miketz

My understanding of biblical Hebrew is meh...some words that repeat and repeat I've got down, others, not so much. So, I usually read the Torah in translation and then sometimes look over at the Hebrew to see if there's anything that catches my attetion. Because, of course, every translation is a commentary and makes choices that obscure other potential translations. One of those is in this week's parsha with the translation of this pasuk:

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח פַּרְעֹה֙ וַיִּקְרָ֣א אֶת־יוֹסֵ֔ף וַיְרִיצֻ֖הוּ מִן־הַבּ֑וֹר וַיְגַלַּח֙ וַיְחַלֵּ֣ף שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו וַיָּבֹ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹֽה׃

Thereupon Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was rushed from the dungeon. He had his hair cut and changed his clothes, and he appeared before Pharaoh.

What caught my eye was "dungeon." "What is the Hebrew word for dungeon?" I wondered. Turns out it's actually translating the word בּ֑וֹר, which usually means a pit. A pit, as in the same word used in last week's parsha when Joseph's brothers conspire to get rid of him and throw him in one of the בֹּר֔וֹת pits.

וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ לְכ֣וּ וְנַֽהַרְגֵ֗הוּ וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת וְאָמַ֕רְנוּ חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֖ה אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּהְי֖וּ חֲלֹמֹתָֽיו׃

Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we can say, ‘A savage beast devoured him.’ We shall see what comes of his dreams!”

Rashi explains that that the dungeon was a kind of pit, but I think the use of the same word is really more interesting than that. In both cases, he is betrayed by someone he trusts and thrust down into darkness and a hopeless situation.

To highlight this language overlap, I was thinking about what to suggest where you kept the pits in

the cooking and realzied that an easy, delicious, and totally on message dish would be to have a selection of pitted olives to nosh on with the meal. The challenge of making your way around the pit just adds to the meaning!

Another layer of meaning with this dish is that this year we are reading Miketz during Chanukah so the olives also are meaningful for the miracle of the olive oil. In fact, it's not just a coincidence of timing this year. In many years, Miketz is read during Chanukah. The rabbis find a connection between Chanukah and the parsha from exactly this point in the Joseph story. They see Joseph emerging from darkness, finding hope in despair, and the miracle of divine intervention. As Rabbeinu Bachya puts it : וירצהו מן הבור, “and they rushed him from the dungeon.” Tanchuma Miketz 3 applies to this the words of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi “out of a narrowly confined space into a spacious area; from darkness into bright light; from the disgrace suffered by the righteous to princedom.”

This year there is extra meaning in finding the message of emerging from darkness and finding hope in despair from both Chanukah and the parsha. It's been a rough start to the week, with the shooting at Brown and the terrorist attack on the Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach. May we find ways this Chanukah to emerge from darkness, increase the light in the world, and find hope to strengthen us and our world.

And since it's Chanukah - my favorite latke recipe:

2 cups potato, cubed

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & shredded

1 onion, shredded

2 eggs

3 tablespoons matzo meal

1 teaspoon kosher salt

oil for frying

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and mash.

2 In a medium bowl, mix shredded Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed potatoes and onion. Add in eggs, matzo meal and salt; mix well.

3 Feel consistency of the dough; mixture should hold together without being sticky. If it sticks to your hands, add more matzo meal until dough is no longer sticky.

4 In a large skillet over medium heat, warm enough oil to cover 1/4 inch of the skillet.

5 When hot, drop mixture by heaping tablespoon to oil; flatten with a spatula and cook on both sides until golden brown.