Why was yakov scared to leave Israel he had left before? He believed that the Jewish nation would flourish only in Israel. He wasn't concerned about him leaving he was concerned about the future of the Jewish people. Therefore Hashem told him don't worry when you get to Egypt I will make you into a great nation.

Why did Yosef specifically send his father old wine? He knew that his father had not drunk wine for the whole period of time that he was not in his father's household. He also was a strong belief that one day he would be reunited with him so he put away wine which matured over time that he would one day present to his father

Why did yehuda confront Joseph and and as the midrash says was willing to go to war. How could he possibly imagine that he could defeat the mighty Egyptian army? Yehuda new that based on reason and logic he would not be successful. However desperate situations call for desperate actions and he would do whatever it took to save his brother. And this is a message for every parent as well

Why is the last day of chanuka called zois chanukah?

Why did the miracle occur with the menora and not with any of the other activities that took place in the beis hamikdosh? The purpose of the Menora was to demonstrate Hashem's love for the Jewish people therefore the miracle took place with the menorah to further demonstrate Hashem's love for the Jewish people.

In the al hanisim what does it mean when it says that they lit the menorah 'in your holy courtyards'? The Rebbe explains it is not referring to the menorah rather to the Yidden who marked the miracle by lighting candles

When we light the menorah we are also celebrating the miracle of the victory of battle

Why do we celebrate Hanukkah for 8 days when the miracle was only for 7 days since the jug of oil had enough oil to burn for 1 day? The miracle was that after filling the manure with oil it burnt nothing was consumed from the oil and no additional oil miraculously appeared. Similarly to the burning bush that was burning but the bush was not consumed

What right did the Maccabees have to go to war they were placing their lives in danger and only if one is forced to transgress one of the three cardinal sins is one permitted to place one's life in danger? The law is that if one is from the leaders of the generation and they see that the people need the leaders to take a stand then they can risk their lives even for a minor transgression. Therefore the text of Al hanism and the Rambam both emphasize that the kohanim were kadoshim and people of great stature

In the al hanisim it makes sense to say that the mighty fell to the hands of the week and the many into the hands of the few That's miraculous. But to say the wicked felt in the hands of the righteous and the impure into the hands of the pure that stands to reason? Many Jews at that time were not observant so when it says the wicked and the impure that is referring to the Yidden who had joined the side of the Greeks. Even though the Maccabees were few in number in terms of spiritual commitment they were still victorious