Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. We all heard about that rule, but do we truly appreciate it?
Chanukah celebrates the miracle of the oil. Over 2,000 years ago in the Land of Israel, the heroic Maccabees revolted against the much larger Greek occupying force and won. Upon retaking the Holy Temple they sought to rededicate it by restoring the service of lighting the seven branched menorah. Alas, no ritually pure olive oil could be found. Miraculously they found a small jug of oil with the High Priest’s seal intact, hidden in the earth - a clear indication that it was still ritually pure. There was only enough for one night and procuring new oil would take eight days. With profound trust in G-d they lit up the holy lamps, and by a wondrous miracle the one-day supply burned for eight days and nights. That’s how Chanukah came to be and each year we light candles for eight nights, play dreidel, eat latkes and retell the miracle of the oil. We often dwell on the second part of the miracle - the fact that a one-day supply lasted eight days. But the first half of the miracle - the discovery of the oil - holds a tremendous lesson for us here and now. The “miracle oil'' was not discovered in a golden flask hidden in a secure chest in the Temple’s vault. It was a clay jug buried in the ground, discovered by a sheer miracle. An objective observer would have concluded that this ugly, dirty clay jug containing barely a day’s worth of oil was hardly something to write home about. It turns out that the unremarkable jug became the catalyst for the most epic miracle in our history. In this week’s parsha we learn about Yosef’s rise to power. He was a teenager when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers and then ended up in prison for ten years for a crime he never did. To the objective observer he was a lost case; a pathetic, dejected kid who would never accomplish anything. In an amazing turn of events Yosef rose from prisoner-slave to viceroy of the world’s undisputed superpower and saved civilization from starvation. Yosef did not change overnight; his circumstances changed. Once given the opportunity to express his true colors he was able to change the world forever. He became a beacon of moral and ethical light for all people in his time. Similar to the small amount of olive oil in the ugly clay jug of Chanukah. Once it was discovered and used for its intended purpose, it changed the world forever. Illustrating the superiority of light over darkness and good over evil. We all have a tiny jug of pure olive oil inside of us. The organic drive to do what is right. The eternal flame of love for G-d and Judaism. It may be trapped under layers of negativity, apathy and assimilation, but it’s always there. Waiting to be discovered and enabled to unleash unlimited goodness and light to the world.