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All his Chasidim strove to be present when Rabbi David
of Tolna kindled his Chanukah lights. It was a powerful event. The Rebbe would
be intensely focused and in an exalted state and his menorah in itself was
something quite impressive. It was made of pure gold, and magnificently crafted
with intricate designs. The chasidim who merited to be in the house would
be inspired, and the nights of Chanukah would be filled with joyous festive
songs and melodies.  | | " Do you bend over towards her or does she raise herself up to your height?" | | |
One year, on the first night of Chanukah, just before
the time to light the flame, the Rebbe was standing before the menorah, involved
in his last-moment inner preparations. The crowd of chasidim pressed
around him. Unexpectedly, the Rebbe turned to a certain chasid and said,
"I know that your wife is quite short. When you need to speak to her, what do
you do? Do you bend over towards her or does she raise herself up to your
height?"
Immediately upon uttering this remarkable question,
the Rebbe began his recital of the Chanukah blessings and lit his golden
menorah.
The astonished man to whom the Rebbe had directed his
question, as well as all the other Chasidim of Tolna, were totally
bewildered by the Rebbe's mysterious words. No one could even begin to suggest
what the tzadik could possibly have meant.
Standing among the Chasidim at the time was Rabbi
Mordechai Dov of Hornsteipel, a grandson of one of the Rebbe's sisters, who was
already known as a tzadik. He had come to visit with his relatives for a
while. Seeing how perplexed the Chasidim were by their Rebbe's words, he
cleared his throat and addressed them. | | " The Divine Presence never descends lower than ten..." | | |
"Shall I explain to you what my holy great-uncle said?
It is taught in Kabbala that 'The Divine Presence never descends lower than ten
(tefachim, or handbreadths from the ground)'. The one exception is the
Chanukah light. According to its law, ideally it should be lit at a height of
less than ten tefachim (about eighty centimeters/two feet, but higher than three
tefachim) above the ground. Then the Divine Presence will descend to
'lower than ten.'
"The holy Ari of Safed stated that this secret of the
descent of the Divine Presence is the mystical root of the Talmudic statement,
'If your wife is short, bend over and whisper to her.' It is this secret that
the Rebbe, my great-uncle, wished to hint at and invoke with his words to that
tall chasid."
The next evening, when it was time to kindle the
second light, the Rebbe of Tolna turned to a different chasid, and again
said something baffling that no one could penetrate. Then, as he turned back to
the menorah, he addressed his great-nephew, the young tzadik, and
remarked, "This time you will not be able to decipher it for them."
And so it was.
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