This week’s parsha, Miketz, reminds us what happens when someone refuses to let cynicism get the final word.

Yosef was mocked for his dreams. Dismissed. Punished for taking them seriously. People told him his visions were unrealistic, naïve, and dangerous. And yet Yosef chose to trust his dreams anyway. He listened to them, protected them, and acted on them. Because he did, lives were saved and a future was made possible.

Miketz teaches us that dreams are not distractions from reality. Sometimes they are the very thing that allows us to survive it.

We see that same truth in the story of Chanukah. The oil was not supposed to last. Logic said it would fail. Cynicism said the effort wasn’t worth it. But it was lit anyway. They took a leap. They believed something more was possible. And because of that choice, the light lasted longer than anyone imagined.

This week, these stories land in a world that feels heavy and frightening. From the shooting at Bondi Beach to federal proposals to restrict access to gender-affirming care nationwide, we’re reminded that there are still forces that seek to erase Jews and queer people. And still, we keep dreaming. We keep shining.

There have always been voices like that. History is full of them. And history is also full of Jews and queer people who kept going anyway.

Miketz and Chanukah tell us the same thing: we do not let people who are cynical, hateful, or violent determine our future. We do not abandon our dreams because someone else is uncomfortable with them. We keep imagining, building, and shining — not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary.

Yosef’s faith in his dreams saved people. A small flame lit with hope changed history. And we, too, will continue to live, to dream, and to create light — even when others wish we wouldn’t.