Even though we know how Yosef’s story ends, it still feels heavy. Even adults who’ve read Yosef’s story countless times, we still feel its weight. Last week we began the journey from darkness, and here we are this week a little closer to the light but not quite there yet.
The perasha itself signals this darkness. The Rokeach points out (Vayesheb) that there are 112 total pesukim in Vayesheb, and 104 begin with the letter vav, which we can say signify an almost unbroken chain of sorrowful events. Only 8 pesukim stand apart; moments of light within the darkness. As we culminate the days of Hanukkah, these 8 pesukim can allude to the 8 candles of Hanukkah and testify that even in our darkest moments, light is embedded within.
In our perasha, Miqess, Yosef goes from prisoner to viceroy of Egypt in a single day. How does this happen? After languishing in prison for years, forgotten by those he helped, suddenly Pharaoh has a dream no one can interpret. At that moment, everything shifts. What seemed like a bleak and dreary situation, now we see G-d’s master plan begin to unfold. Our Rabbis teach that salvation can occur “like the blink of an eye.”
The Midrash Tanhuma (Miqess, 3) teaches: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi states that “out of adversity comes tranquility; out of darkness, light; and out of the degradation of the righteous, their exaltation.” The text continues to highlight examples that illustrate this idea, ultimately concluding that Yosef personifies this pattern completely.
Here’s what makes Yosef remarkable: he doesn’t just receive salvation, he recognizes its source. When Pharaoh summons him to interpret dreams, Yosef could have seized the moment for personal glory. Instead, he declares: “It is not me; G-d will respond with Pharaoh’s welfare” (Beresheet 41:16). He understands that his gifts, his opportunities, even his suffering, all come from the same Source.
This is the lesson for us. When we’re in darkness, when we are feeling stuck, uncertain, overwhelmed and more, we must trust that light is coming. Midrash Rabbah (Esther 10:1) records that G-d creates both the distress and its resolution. When salvation arrives, we don’t forget its source. We strengthen our emunah before the miracle and after it.
Yosef teaches us that faith isn’t just sitting and hoping. It’s seeing where everything comes from. In dark times, we say: ‘G-d knows what’s best for me.’ When things turn around, when we feel the light, we say: ‘G-d brought me here.’ Both build the same trust: we’re never alone, even when we can’t see the path forward.