The story of Chanukah is that the Jews refused to be "modern". They obeyed God's commandments. They view all people as being in the image of God. The Greeks loved beauty and hated disabled people. This is the reason that Jews were against Greek culture.

The Torah informs us that Joseph's goal was to see if his brothers would behave toward Benjamin the way they behaved toward him. When he saw that they would not he revealed himself to them.

In this week's Torah portion Joseph is raised from the prison to be the viceroy of Egypt. At no time does he deny is Judaism. That is the lesson that we should be proud of our heritage.

Joseph asks the cup bearer to remember him to Pharaoh. The cup bearer forgets about him. This teaches us that, while we have to make all preparations to succeed, we have to remember that it is God who will redeem us in the end.

Just as Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of the crime she wanted to commit, so too, with our enemies, they accuse us of the crimes they want to commit against us.

The Torah states that the pit that Joseph was thrown into had no water. The Midrash states that it had snakes & Scorpions. This teaches us that without Torah (symbolized here by water) you will end up with snakes & scorpions

Yehuda had to learn humility before he could become the leader of the family. This happens when he is confronted by Tamar & admits that he is the father of her unborn twins.

It is interesting to note that throughout Jewish history, our leaders were not the first born. They were individuals who earned their roles as leaders. That is the secret of success.

Jacob's favoritism towards Joseph sets off a chain of events. The other brothers are jealous of Joseph and plot against him. This is a strong lesson to parents to show all their children their love equally.

According to the Ari (Rabbi Yitzhak Luria) Rachel is not buried in Rachel's Tomb. But because so many people have prayed there over the centuries her spirit hovers over it. It is a case when holiness is created by people.