B"H
Monday, Kislev 16, 5778 / December 4, 2017
Chanukah, the holiday of lights, begins next week, Tuesday night, December 12th.
The Chanukah holiday is celebrated for a period of eight days. Each night of Chanukah we add an additional candle, thus, the number of lights represent the number of that day of Chanukah.
There is one opinion in the Talmud which says that on the first night we light eight candles and the second night seven etc. and on the last night, according to this opinion, we light only one.
According to this opinion in the Talmud, the lit candles represent the days which are left of Chanukah rather than the days that were already celebrated.
However, according to the Talmudic sage Hillel the Elder, we light the first night one candle and add one light each night. On the last night of Chanukah we kindle eight candles. Thus, the lights represent the Chanukah days already celebrated, rather than the days to come.
The Halachic (Jewish law) ruling is to light one candle the first night and continue adding a light each night. The reason for this is, ”In matters of holiness, we always go up,” say our sages. Our goal is to add light rather than diminish light. As Jews, we strive to bring additional physical and spiritual light into our homes and to the world at large.
This is why the mitzvah is to light the Chanukah light near a window or door, so that the lights of Chanukah will illuminate not only our home, but also the darkness of the outside.
I write this in connection with the UN resolution of Thursday, in which 151 countries voted that Jerusalem has no connection to Israel and the Jewish people.
As we prepare for the holiday of lights, to bring additional light to the world, the world at large (represented by 151 countries) is sinking deeper and deeper into darkness. There is no other country in the world that can claim their rights to any of their cities, as the rights which Jews have to the Holy city of Jerusalem, which G-d gave us over 3,000 years ago.
It is said, if you keep on repeating a lie enough times, people will eventually believe it. This is especially true when they come from the House of lies and darkness - the UN (Uneducated Nations).
The holiday of Chanukah celebrates the victory of light over darkness; truth over lies; few over many; good over evil; justice over corruption and holiness over impurity. Our sages say that the holiday of Chanukah will never cease. With the darkness, injustice, lies, corruption and impurity coming from the UN, the message and lessons of Chanukah are essential today as they were over two thousand years ago.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Tuesday, Kislev 17, 5778 / December 5, 2017
This week’s Parsha is Vayeishev Yaakov (Genesis chapters 37 - 40). Most of the Parsha deals with the story of how the brothers sold Yosef (Joseph) as a slave and he ends up in Egypt.
The name of the Parsha, Vayeishev Yaakov, implies that Yaakov, who finally returned to his father, Yitzchak, wanted to settle down and enjoy the later years of his life. Yaakov was now one hundred years old. All his twelve sons and his daughter Dina were with him. The twenty difficult years he lived and labored for his father-in-law, Lavan, and the difficult encounter with his brother, Esau, were now behind him. He was now a wealthy man and all he wanted was to live in peace in his homeland.
But G-d said, “Is the reward which awaits the righteous people in the World-to-Come not enough that they want to have peace in this world too?” As a result, his life became difficult again when his son, Yosef, was sold into slavery.
Yosef, whose mother, Rachel, passed away when he was only eight, was Yaakov’s favorite son. This caused jealousy from the brothers against Yosef. His two dreams which were interpreted that his eleven brothers will bow down to him, didn’t help either.
The brothers sold him into slavery and Yosef ended up in Egypt. Yaakov mourned for his son all the years he was away. In next week’s Parsha we will read how Yosef became viceroy of Egypt. His dreams were fulfilled and his brothers bowed to him. Eventually he brought his entire family to Egypt.
Q. How many years was it before Yaakov and Yosef were reunited again?
A. Twenty two years. Reason:Yaakov spent twenty years in the house of Lavan and two years on the road returning to his father. His father Yitzchak didn’t see Yaakov for twenty two years.
Measure for measure, Yosef was away from Yaakov the same amount of years as Yaakov was away from his father, Yitzchak.
Q.What was wrong with Yaakov wanting to rest and have peace after all his difficulties until now?
A. Our sages explain that every person is sent to this world to fulfill a special mission which cannot be accomplished by someone else. As long as a person is alive they have an obligation to be active and fulfill their mission in this world. One should not be satisfied with their previous accomplishments, but strive to do more and more.
This is also the lesson of the Chanukah candles as we add a candle each night. One should not be satisfied with past accomplishments, but continue to contribute and add additional light each day.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Kislev 19, 5778 / December 7, 2017
Chanukah, which begins next Tuesday night, celebrates two miracles. 1) The miracle of the oil in the Holy Temple, when a small amount of oil barely enough to last one night, lasted for eight nights.
2) The miracle in which the small army of the Macabees were victorious over the great armies of their Syrian-Greek-Hellenistic enemies. As we recite in the Al Hanisim prayer of Chanukah, "Strong fell in the hands of the weak; many into the hands of the few."
These two miracles are celebrated by lighting the Chanukah lights for eight days.
Q. We can understand how the Chanukah lights celebrate the miracle of the Menorah, but how does lighting the Menorah celebrate the miracle of the small Jewish army winning the war against their mighty enemies?
A. The decrees against the Jewish people at the time of Chanukah were of spiritual nature. Jews were prohibited to study Torah and observe the mitzvot which connect us to G-d. Thus, the war which the Macabees fought against their enemies was to protect and save the Jewish soul.
The Jewish soul is compared to a candle, as is written, "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Torah and mitzvot are also compared to a candle and light.
Thus, the sages established to celebrate both miracles of Chanukah with the lighting of candles. It not only celebrates the miracle of the oil in the Temple, it also commemorates the victory of the war against the Jewish soul (candle) and the victory of Torah and mitzvot.
The Chanukah candles remind us to believe in the power of miracles. Miracles happen all the time, it is only a matter of recognizing them. Some miracles are obvious, while most are hidden, as they are concealed in what we call "nature."
The spiritual illumination of the Chanukah candles should enlighten us to see, to recognize and be thankful for G-d's constant miracles which accompany us with every breath, every minute of the day.
Today is the 19th of Kislev. It is a very important day in the Chassidic calendar, especially for Chabad-Lubavitch. 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, Rabbi Schneur Zalmen's teachings have illuminated Jewish souls through the darkness of this exile, for over 200 years. May his memory be a blessing to all.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
B"H
Thursday, Kislev 19, 5778 / December 7, 2017
Chanukah, which begins next Tuesday night, celebrates two miracles. 1) The miracle of the oil in the Holy Temple, when a small amount of oil barely enough to last one night, lasted for eight nights.
2) The miracle in which the small army of the Macabees were victorious over the great armies of their Syrian-Greek-Hellenistic enemies. As we recite in the Al Hanisim prayer of Chanukah, "Strong fell in the hands of the weak; many into the hands of the few."
These two miracles are celebrated by lighting the Chanukah lights for eight days.
Q. We can understand how the Chanukah lights celebrate the miracle of the Menorah, but how does lighting the Menorah celebrate the miracle of the small Jewish army winning the war against their mighty enemies?
A. The decrees against the Jewish people at the time of Chanukah were of spiritual nature. Jews were prohibited to study Torah and observe the mitzvot which connect us to G-d. Thus, the war which the Macabees fought against their enemies was to protect and save the Jewish soul.
The Jewish soul is compared to a candle, as is written, "The candle of G-d is the soul of man." Torah and mitzvot are also compared to a candle and light.
Thus, the sages established to celebrate both miracles of Chanukah with the lighting of candles. It not only celebrates the miracle of the oil in the Temple, it also commemorates the victory of the war against the Jewish soul (candle) and the victory of Torah and mitzvot.
The Chanukah candles remind us to believe in the power of miracles. Miracles happen all the time, it is only a matter of recognizing them. Some miracles are obvious, while most are hidden, as they are concealed in what we call "nature."
The spiritual illumination of the Chanukah candles should enlighten us to see, to recognize and be thankful for G-d's constant miracles which accompany us with every breath, every minute of the day.
Today is the 19th of Kislev. It is a very important day in the Chassidic calendar, especially for Chabad-Lubavitch. 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, Rabbi Schneur Zalmen's teachings have illuminated Jewish souls through the darkness of this exile, for over 200 years. May his memory be a blessing to all.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY
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