A truly dramatic moment in Jewish history was Menachem Begin's 'mahapach' (electoral upheaval of May, 1977). Begin entered office as prime minister shortly after that. However, let's not forget that for 29 long years before this, Begin sat in the opposition!. In his victory speech after the election, at 1:00am, Begin turned towards his wife Aliza, and thanked her by saying "I remember how you followed me throughout the desert in my years of the wilderness".
Couldn't Begin have come up with some excuse to enter the coalition during those 29 years? Couldn't he have made some "changes" to his ideology and join a Laborl-ed government? How did he have such patience? The answer is principles. He had a vision and a dream and he realized that with enough patience it would be fulfilled. Here we can relate that to Joseph in this week's Parsha.
Joseph
Joseph had all the reasons to break. His brothers sold him out, literally . He was far away from home in Egypt and he experienced such bitter times. But he did not give up nor did he even blink. He managed to withstand the tough temptation of the wife of Potiphar. While in the dark chambers of Egyptian jail, he remained loyal to his principles and he remained noble in his personality. Hashem was always mentioned on his lips.
Joseph did not forget who he was or where he came from and he had amazing patience that came with a plan that he stuck to. And while reuniting with his brothers, the Torah says, "And Joseph remembered his dreams that he dreamt...". He was willing to overcome his emotions in order to fulfill his dreams, which he accomplished.
The Maccabees of Today
These days we can see many Maccabees. People,who similar to the Maccabees, fought when it was difficult and when we were the minority. We witnessed many battles of the few facing the many. We also noticed hostages remaining noble even at the darkest times. We viewed an entire nation who knew how to look forward and see beyond the nadir, and to hold onto a vision. Just as the Maccabees witnessed many miracles, so too, do we today.
Finally, we learn another important lesson from Hanukkah-- even after the Tanakh was codified or fixed, events that occur at a Biblical level of open miracles can still happen. Even after the finalization of the Tanakh, we can still encounter people like the Maccabees. People who remember and hold the dreams. People who can change history.