Description: Lights of Chanukah and Shabbos 03
The light of Shabbos, which means the clarity we achieve on Shabbos, has three levels. On the simplest level, we appreciate the fact that Hashem created and runs the world. This means that we challenge the contradiction put forth by the world – against this truth. The world seems to run on different rules. It appears that the person who works the hardest, who is willing to do whatever it takes to make it, whether by honest means or cheating and stealing, that’s the person who is ultimately successful. People who try to do what’s right, they perhaps remain unfortunate and poor. We challenge that and clarify to ourselves that Hashem is ‘Adon Hakol’, the ruler of all things, He makes these decisions and choices. It’s futile to war against the ruler of the world!
But with more effort and growth we come to the next level of clarity, with each Shabbos that we keep and celebrate. We begin to see that everything gets life solely from Hashem’s will – just as lo alainu, a person who can’t breathe on his own requires a ventilator to pump air into his lungs, Hashem is constantly pumping life into every aspect of creation – and without that they cease to exist. ‘Vi’atah mechayeh es kulam’!
The greatest level of clarity, is when we can move the mask of this world out of the way and perceive this world for what it really is – an embodiment of ‘ratzon Hashem’. It has no reality at all other than ‘Yichud Hashem.’ This is a high level of clarity, which we can attain pieces of with every Shabbos – with the light that Shabbos shines upon our neshamos.
Shabbos extends to our bodies as well. How? During the weekdays we perhaps don’t have the time to eat normal meals during the day. We drink a coffee for breakfast, and munch down a sandwich for lunch. But on Shabbos, we stop working, and Hashem invites us to His seudah. This casts light upon our whole self, helping us appreciate with all our senses the specialness of Shabbos. When we are in the presence of Hashem, when we have the clarity that allows us to really connect to Hashem – all our needs are filled, and we enjoy life to its fullest – in the most spiritual embodiment of this world.
However, this ends with ‘Hamavdil.’ The Torah provided us with some ideas how to infuse Shabbos into the week, ‘zachor es Yom HaShabbos,’ which according to some Rishonim means that during the week we mention Shabbos when we say what day of the week it is, or we prepare food for Shabbos. Seudas Melaveh Malkah is also a method of carrying Shabbos over into the week.
Chanukah is the bridge to carry over the light of Shabbos into our weekday life as well.
Let’s think of it this way. I remember when I was in Eretz Yisrael, I was very interested in going to hear Rabbi Tzvi Meir Zilberberg shlit”a. Rabbi Tzvi Meir Zilberberg is a quasi-rebbe, he’s not an official rebbe of any chassidus, but he had attracted a following of hundreds of bochrim and married men of all walks of life. He spoke by Shalosh Seudos for about an hour and a half every week to an audience of about 500 people! I was determined to see what the attraction was. I went the week before Chanukah, and truly he was a person on fire. It wasn’t hard to see what people were coming to hear, experience and how they were inspired.
The topic he was addressing was a pasuk in Yeshayah, ‘'הנותן בים דרך ובמים עזים נתיבה Hashem creates a road in the ocean, and a path in treacherous waters. He quoted a medrash that says that the second half, creating a path in treacherous waters, refers to the winter time up till Chanukah. He explained this at length with the concept of preparing to do mitzvos, and how powerful that is.
In line with how Rav Shimshon Pincus understands the power of Neir Chanukah, it means as follows. There is a path that exists even during the weekdays, although it is so dark, through the ‘choshech’ of olam hazeh. This means there is a method we can have some clarity in Avodas Hashem – we can achieve Emunah and trust in Hashem, and experience what it means to totally rely on Hakadosh Baruch Hu. There is a way to do this! It’s a charted-out path, a trail with markers and directions, sign posts and all. However, in choppy, treacherous waters – these all are moot. We can’t find the path! The difficulty is so great at times, that it’s compared to the difficulty of carving out a path in treacherous waters. In any body of water, it is difficult to navigate – there’s no road and no white and yellow lines! One must rely on all kinds of external markers, the stars, the sun and the moon. But when the waters are treacherous and are threatening to throw you off course it becomes even more difficult. This difficulty is what we experience during the days of the winter – until Chanukah! Chanukah charts out a course for us to follow even through treacherous waters. It shines a light through the darkness and reveals to us the path that already exists! Once we locate the path, we can utilize it the rest of the winter to guide our way.
What is this path? In a word: Hallel v’Hoda’ah. Bez”H we will continue to discuss this tomorrow.
The light of Shabbos, which means the clarity we achieve on Shabbos, has three levels. On the simplest level, we appreciate the fact that Hashem created and runs the world. This means that we challenge the contradiction put forth by the world – against this truth. The world seems to run on different rules. It appears that the person who works the hardest, who is willing to do whatever it takes to make it, whether by honest means or cheating and stealing, that’s the person who is ultimately successful. People who try to do what’s right, they perhaps remain unfortunate and poor. We challenge that and clarify to ourselves that Hashem is ‘Adon Hakol’, the ruler of all things, He makes these decisions and choices. It’s futile to war against the ruler of the world!
But with more effort and growth we come to the next level of clarity, with each Shabbos that we keep and celebrate. We begin to see that everything gets life solely from Hashem’s will – just as lo alainu, a person who can’t breathe on his own requires a ventilator to pump air into his lungs, Hashem is constantly pumping life into every aspect of creation – and without that they cease to exist. ‘Vi’atah mechayeh es kulam’!
The greatest level of clarity, is when we can move the mask of this world out of the way and perceive this world for what it really is – an embodiment of ‘ratzon Hashem’. It has no reality at all other than ‘Yichud Hashem.’ This is a high level of clarity, which we can attain pieces of with every Shabbos – with the light that Shabbos shines upon our neshamos.
Shabbos extends to our bodies as well. How? During the weekdays we perhaps don’t have the time to eat normal meals during the day. We drink a coffee for breakfast, and munch down a sandwich for lunch. But on Shabbos, we stop working, and Hashem invites us to His seudah. This casts light upon our whole self, helping us appreciate with all our senses the specialness of Shabbos. When we are in the presence of Hashem, when we have the clarity that allows us to really connect to Hashem – all our needs are filled, and we enjoy life to its fullest – in the most spiritual embodiment of this world.
However, this ends with ‘Hamavdil.’ The Torah provided us with some ideas how to infuse Shabbos into the week, ‘zachor es Yom HaShabbos,’ which according to some Rishonim means that during the week we mention Shabbos when we say what day of the week it is, or we prepare food for Shabbos. Seudas Melaveh Malkah is also a method of carrying Shabbos over into the week.
Chanukah is the bridge to carry over the light of Shabbos into our weekday life as well.
Let’s think of it this way. I remember when I was in Eretz Yisrael, I was very interested in going to hear Rabbi Tzvi Meir Zilberberg shlit”a. Rabbi Tzvi Meir Zilberberg is a quasi-rebbe, he’s not an official rebbe of any chassidus, but he had attracted a following of hundreds of bochrim and married men of all walks of life. He spoke by Shalosh Seudos for about an hour and a half every week to an audience of about 500 people! I was determined to see what the attraction was. I went the week before Chanukah, and truly he was a person on fire. It wasn’t hard to see what people were coming to hear, experience and how they were inspired.
The topic he was addressing was a pasuk in Yeshayah, ‘'הנותן בים דרך ובמים עזים נתיבה Hashem creates a road in the ocean, and a path in treacherous waters. He quoted a medrash that says that the second half, creating a path in treacherous waters, refers to the winter time up till Chanukah. He explained this at length with the concept of preparing to do mitzvos, and how powerful that is.
In line with how Rav Shimshon Pincus understands the power of Neir Chanukah, it means as follows. There is a path that exists even during the weekdays, although it is so dark, through the ‘choshech’ of olam hazeh. This means there is a method we can have some clarity in Avodas Hashem – we can achieve Emunah and trust in Hashem, and experience what it means to totally rely on Hakadosh Baruch Hu. There is a way to do this! It’s a charted-out path, a trail with markers and directions, sign posts and all. However, in choppy, treacherous waters – these all are moot. We can’t find the path! The difficulty is so great at times, that it’s compared to the difficulty of carving out a path in treacherous waters. In any body of water, it is difficult to navigate – there’s no road and no white and yellow lines! One must rely on all kinds of external markers, the stars, the sun and the moon. But when the waters are treacherous and are threatening to throw you off course it becomes even more difficult. This difficulty is what we experience during the days of the winter – until Chanukah! Chanukah charts out a course for us to follow even through treacherous waters. It shines a light through the darkness and reveals to us the path that already exists! Once we locate the path, we can utilize it the rest of the winter to guide our way.
What is this path? In a word: Hallel v’Hoda’ah. Bez”H we will continue to discuss this tomorrow.