B"H
Tuesday, Kislev 19, 5776 / December 1, 2015 – HAKHEL YEAR
Chanukah, the holiday of lights, begins Sunday night, December 6th. In the Hebrew calendar, Chanukah is celebrated every year on the same day, on the 25th day of Kislev. It varies from year to year only on the secular calendar.
Chanukah has been celebrated by Jews for over 2,150 years.
Q.Why is the holiday called, Chanukah?
A."Chanukah" means "dedication." On the 25th of Kislev, the Chashmonaim re-dedicatedthe Holy Temple after it was desecrated by the Syrian/Greek pagan worshippers.
Another reason for the name is that Chanukah is a combination of two words; "Chanu” (they rested) and “kah" (twenty five, as the numerical value of these letters represent 25).
According to the above the name Chanukahis an expression of the miracle that the small Jewish army was victoriousagainst the great and mighty Syrian/Greek armies and that they restedfrom battle on the twenty fifth dayof the month.
The following is a quote from the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 21b): “When the Chashmonaim were victorious over the Syrians and retook the Temple, they repaired the Temple. They found only one flask of oil bearing the seal of the High Priest. It contained oil for only one day, but a miracle happened and the oil burned for eight days. The next year an eight day festival was declared by the rabbis, to celebrate with songs of praise and thanksgivings for all times.”
In Scriptures we read that the soul is compared to a candle; "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Mitzvot and Torah are also compared to a candle and light.
The sages established to celebrate Chanukah with the kindling of lights. The lights celebrate not only the miracle of the oil in the Holy Temple, but also the victory of the war which was waged against the Jewish soul (candle). It also commemorates the victory of Torah (light) and mitzvot (candle).
The Chanukah lights, which represent the Torah and mitzvot, are lit near a window at nightfall, in order to bring this spiritual light to the outside world and thus illuminate the darkness of the outside world.
Today is the 19th of Kislev. In the year 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalmen, founder and first Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, was liberated from prison. He was imprisoned by the Czarist government for spreading the teachings of the Kaballah and Chassidus. Rabbi Schneur Zalmen's life was in grave danger. After 53 days of imprisonment, he was released on the 19th of Kislev.
Like the Chanukah candles which illuminate the darkness, so too, Rabbi Schneur Zalmen's teachings have illuminated Jewish souls through the darkness of this exile, for over 200 years.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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