One of the most difficult stories to understand in Tanach is the selling of Yosef by his brothers. We are all perplexed as to how such a thing could happen; these are, after all, the children of Yaakov Avinu, people we would certainly regard as Tzaddikim. Yet, the brothers are not only guilty of torturing Yosef, but they even go to great lengths to deceive their father to cover it up. What were they thinking?
We know that the Pesukim clearly attest to the original murderous intent of the brothers, and that when they saw Yosef approaching, they decided then and there that they were going to kill him: “Ve’Ata Lechu VeNahargeihu VeNashlicheihu Be’Achad HaBorot Ve’Amarnu Chayah Ra’ah Achalatehu VeNireh Mah Yihyu Chalomotav,” “And now, let us go and kill him, throw him into one of the pits, and we will say that a wild animal ate him, and we will see what will become of his dreams” (BeReishit 37:20). As we know, the brothers plan never comes to fruition as Reuven steps in and famously saves Yosef. After hearing the plot of his brothers, Reuven provides an alternative to disposing of Yosef by killing him: “Al Tishpechu Dam; Hashlichu Oto El HaBor HaZeh Asher BaMidbar VeYad Al Tishlechu Vo,” “Do not spill blood; throw him into this pit in the desert and do not lay a hand on him.” Why did Reuven suggest this change of plan? The Pasuk (ibid.) itself explains Reuven’s intentions, “LeMa’an Haztil Oto MiYadam LeHashivo El Aviv” -- Reuven intended to return later and return Yosef to his father, saving his life from the brothers. On the surface, Reuven’s plan seems reasonable, but upon further analysis, it doesn’t make sense. Chazal tell us the pit Yosef was thrown in was filled with snakes and scorpions. Can one survive in a pit with such company? The Gemara (Yevamot 121a) tells us, in the context of confirming the death of a husband to allow the wife to remarry, that if there is testimony that a man was thrown in a pit of snakes or scorpions, even if the witnesses didn’t actually see the dead body, the woman can remarry because someone can't survive such an ordeal. If Reuven is trying to “save” Yosef, how is throwing him in the pit helpful if Yosef would have died anyway? Additionally, from the perspective of the brothers, who were initially intent on killing Yosef and simply burying him in a pit, how is Reuven’s plan any different?
The various Mepharshim make some remarkable suggestions to explain Reuven and the brothers’ conversation and actions. Ramban (37:22 s.v. Al Tishpechu Dam), for example, explains that Reuven was simply trying to limit the brothers' sin by creating a situation where Yosef would die on his own rather than the brothers actively killing him themselves. Ramban also suggests that Reuven must not have realized that the pit was full of snakes and scorpions. Rav Avigdor Nebentzahl makes a beautiful insight in his shiurim on the Parashah, assuming, like the Ramban, that Reuven didn’t see the snakes or scorpions. The Gemara (Shabbat 22a) quotes R’ Tanchum as saying that a Menorah that is more than twenty Amot high is unfit for Chanukah because people don’t look higher than twenty Amot up, and the lack of Pirsumei Nisa ( publicizing the miracle of Chanukah) disqualifies such a menorah. Immediately after that statement of R’ Tanchum, the Gemara quotes yet another statement in his name, seemingly unrelated to the first, wherein he famously derives that Yosef’s pit was full of snakes and scorpions. What is the Gemara getting at by connecting these two unrelated statements? Rav Nebentzahl suggests that in quoting the second statement, the Gemara is actually proving the point of the first. Just as people do not look twenty Amot up, they also do not look twenty Amot down, and the pit must have been more than twenty Amot deep, and so too, Reuven didn’t see that there was a real danger to Yosef’s life by putting him down into the pit.
I would like to add an insight, suggested by many, which speaks to a much greater connection between Reuven’s attempt to save Yosef and Chanukah in general. What is most glaring about Reuven’s actions is that they ultimately fail, as Yosef ends up getting sold as a slave. Yet, the Pasuk seems to give Reuven a little more credit than he deserves as it states, “VaYatzileihu MiYadam,” “He saved Yosef from their hands” (BeReishit 37:21). Reuven indeed tried to save Yosef from his brothers, and he may have spared his life by throwing him into the pit, but didn’t he really fail Yosef in not protecting him from the fate of slavery?
There is one Halachah about the lighting of the menorah that seems a bit puzzling, but it will help us understand and appreciate why Reuven can be construed as the savior of Yosef by the Pesukim. Although the purpose of the Menorah is to publicize the miracle of Chanukah, which is why it is to be lit by the window when most people are around and outside, the Halachah is that if your candles blow out, even just a few seconds after lighting them, as long as they had the potential to last for a half an hour or so you have fulfilled your obligation and do not need to re-light your menorah. Why is this so? There seems to be no actual Pirsumei Nisa if the candles immediately blow out after lighting them! Perhaps, Chanukah is a time when we must appreciate that our efforts may not always come to fruition, yet we do our best anyway. The Chashmonaim, in an attempt to perform the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah in the Beit HaMikdash, filled the Menorah with oil that they knew wouldn’t last. They thought that it would last a day at best, and they would have to wait until more oil reached Yerushalayim. How did they proceed? They simply did what they could, and low and behold, an unbelievable miracle occurred that would inspire the world for centuries. Hashem rewards us when we do our best, even when we know we won’t be able to finish the job or do it as well as someone else. Reuven may have known that there was nothing he could say to convince his brothers to let Yosef go, but he did what he could to save him. Even though what Reuven did was far from a success in our eyes, the Torah says that he saved Yosef. We know that Chanukah is all about going above and beyond to preserve the religious identity of the Jewish people. However, there are times when we must remember the Mishnah in Pirkei Avot (2:16): “Lo Alecha HaMelachah Ligmor VeLo Atah Ben Chorin LeHibatel Mimenah,” “It is not on you to finish the task, but neither are you free that you might desist from it.” You don’t always have to complete the task as long as you try your best. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!