“Forget about it!” is a common phrase that I hear when people tell others or themselves not to think about their past. While in Judaism we do not believe that one should bring up someone else’s past if they were less observant, we should not completely forget about our mistakes and who we were before. That past is part of our future.
In Parshat Miketz, the cupbearer remembers his sin which allowed him to remember Yosef. Yosef names his son Menashe because Hashem made him forget his suffering of the past, yet names him this seemingly as a reminder. Yosef also remembered his past dreams which is what made his brothers hate him even more. Lastly, Yehuda, after seeing what happened to Yaakov, remembers the bad the brothers did to Yosef and refuses to let that happen to Binyamin.
In all these cases, reflecting on mistakes of the past caused good to come out of it. The cupbearer ended up getting Yosef out of jail. Yosef was able to remember his dreams and how he was treated which allowed him to recognize that everything comes from Hashem. Yehuda was able to use his past and do teshuva for what he did; he was able to become his better self. When we remember the past and use it to bring ourselves down, that is a problem. It is when we use it to bring ourselves up, to learn, help others, do teshuva and get close to Hashem that our mistakes of the past can shape us into becoming the best versions of ourselves.
As Chanukah is here, we need to remember the assimilation that went on with the Greeks. We need to remember that there were very few of us fighting and being proud of who we were. We must use that past mistake of our people and all become like the Maccabees who fought and stood up for Hashem and what they believe in. May we all stand up for Hashem and our beliefs and use our past to build us and Am Yisrael an even better future. Chanukah Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!
Shira Sedek is a passionate educator currently working toward a master’s degree at Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.
