|
Chanukah is the most universally observed “ritual”
amongst the Jews. The Torah contains 613 commandments, many of
which we call ritual because they don’t fulfill a practical
or moral purpose, like the commandment to return a lost object
or not to murder, but rather the rituals express our love for,
and our relationship with God, like Shabbos or kashrus. Aside
from the 613 there are seven main rabbinic commandments of which
lighting the Chanukah menorah is one. How odd that one of the
rabbinic commandments has become more popular than any of the
Biblical commandments. Rosh Chodesh, the holiday of the first
day of every Hebrew month, has more intrinsic holiness than Chanukah,
yet only a small minority of Jews recognizes Rosh Chodesh as a
holiday. Since Chanukah is the most popular Jewish ritual, it
should be considered a symbol and a reminder of Jewish unity.
Although unity is a hallmark of Jewish history there is much
room for improvement. Yes, it is true that no matter what affiliation
or lack thereof, Jews care about one another more than any other
group. Even though they are separated by race, country, language
and culture, the Jews send aid, fight for, and pray for their
fellow Jews all over the world. Still, there are barriers that
have been created to thwart the feeling of unity. At the time
of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the sages
agreed that unwarranted hatred was the spiritual cause of that
destruction. And two thousand years later we have not rectified
this problem. Whenever you criticize your fellow Jew you are removing
the foundation of the Temple all over again. It’s clear
throughout their history, that the Jewish people are only successful
and powerful when they have unity.
Chanukah, being a symbol of Jewish unity, has the potential,
therefore, to be a catalyst for the redemption. The lights are
not only a remembrance of the military victory, but they are also
a symbol of the Menorah that stood in the Temple, and so they
represent the potential for the Messiah and a return to Jerusalem
with a united people. When you light the flames you can have in
your heart a prayer for the unity of the Jewish people. You can
even dedicate the merit of your mitzvah to go toward helping the
Jews have more unity.
It should be noted that an important aspect of the entire Chanukah
story is the extra effort, called “mesiras nefesh”
in Hebrew, that the Jews put in at the time of the Hellenist.
The Jews fought a seemingly unwinable war. As they went beyond
the call of duty, so did God. After they regained control of the
Temple, it was a miracle for them to even find a vessel of oil
that had not become impure. The Greeks purposely defiled every
single vessel of oil they could get their hands on. God went beyond
the call of duty by providing them with a vessel of oil that was
pure, and then as a symbol of this extra effort He caused the
oil to stay lit for much longer than it should have.
In order to be able to put in extra effort in any area of service
to God, you have to understand the depth of the commandment you
want to spend that effort on. In other words, you have to know
the spirit of the law. You can be righteous by fulfilling the
letter of the law, but in order to really have a close relationship
with the Almighty, you have to connect with the spirit of the
law. When you have thought about what God really wants from you,
then you are able to expend extra effort in that area. Why does
God command us to love our fellow man? One reason is because He
wants what’s best for every one of His creations, and love
is a universal pleasure to give and to receive. It actually is
often a greater pleasure to give it. So it’s a win/win situation
when we feel and express a deep appreciation for one another.
What is ironic is that in order to love, you have to look a
little deeper into someone’s personality in order to see
the real beauty inside. Spirituality is hidden behind the physical
superficialities. Much of the dislike between peoples of the world
is based on superficial differences between them. The deeper you
look, the more you realize what you have in common with people
all over the world. By focusing on the deeper stuff it’s
much easier to love and appreciate others. The soul of mankind
is the most awesome and beautiful thing in all creation. Our job
is to peel back the layers so we can see the inner beauty that’s
in everyone.
And what we find inside others when we pull back those layers,
is actually a piece of the Infinite One Himself.
Happy Chanukah from
Rabbi Max Weiman
The Kabbalah Made Easy Foundation is beginning its year end fundraising
campaign. If you are in a position to give a donation at this
time, large or small it is very much appreciated.
Membership is 36$, Supporter – 100$, Partner – 500$,
and Sponsor – 1000$.
Please send your check made out to Kabbalah Made Easy to:
The Kabbalah Made Easy
P.O. Box 32088
St Louis, MO 63132
THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
|
