The miracle of Chanuka is connected to eight, as a one-day supply of pure oil for the Temple menorah lit after the defeat of the Greeks lasted eight days. Also of interest is the concept that the number eight is above nature, which is represented by the number seven. It is therefore associated with an awareness of the miraculous. In addition, the Hebrew word for the number eight is "shemona", and it has the word "shemen", meaning "oil" as its root. Thus we see a connection between "miracles", "eight" and "oil".
The eighth sefira is hod, often translated as "thanksgiving". The Hebrew word "ness", meaning "miracle", also means "to raise up". The legs in the body represent the sefirot of netzach and hod. Just as the legs elevate the torso, so do netzach and hod raise up malchut by revealing wonders and miracles. The festivals of Purim and Chanuka represent these two sefirot in time.
In G-d's command to kindle the candelabrum of the holy Temple, the word used for "kindle" literally means "cause to ascend". The lamps of the candelabrum (the seven-branched menorah of the holy Temple) were all in a straight line; the "front" of the menorah is interpreted to mean the lamp situated on top of its middle shaft.
The Ari explains how its very structure illustrates the Kabbalistic maturation process of the Feminine Principal (Nukva). When the Torah mentions Aaron's kindling of the Menorah - literally causing [the flames] to rise", he thus aptly represents the way the flow of Zeir Anpin (i.e.
the emotions, the principle one of which is the love characterized by him) inspires and causes Nukva to mature and develop.
In the Torah portion Vayeishev, traditionally read at the time of the Chanuka holiday, we read about the unconventional union that transpired between Judah, the son of Jacob, and his daughter-in-law Tamar, who had disguised herself as a harlot.
A classical Chassidic interpretation based on Rabbi Isaac Luria's writings treats this episode as symbolic of the inner spiritual life of the Jew. Our judgment that began on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is completed some three months later, during the days of Chanukah. At this time Judah (the metaphor for G-d) is "informed" that His bride Tamar (the Jewish people) has betrayed Him, substituting him with another partner, and the verdict issued that Tamar has no future.
During that fateful time, the Jew says to G-d, "I am pregnant by the man who is the owner of these articles!" Gaze into my identity and you will see that my intimacy is shared only with You, G-d, to which G-d answers, "The Jew going astray is my fault…because I did not give Tamar to my son Shelah." Shelah refers to the Mashiach; Tamar is an innocent, beautiful palm-tree, which still has only one heart to its father in heaven.
One should begin to repair one's ways by learning Torah and performing mitzvot. The positive path of learning and mitzvot will automatically disassociate one from harmful actions. The path to repentance requires looking forward, not dwelling on the past.
Although the Chanukah lights commemorate
the lights of the Menorah in the Holy Temple, yet they differ from them in the
number of candles, the time they are lit and the positioning of the
menorah . The Menorah in the Holy Temple
contained seven lights and was located inside on the South wall,
and was lit an hour and a quarter before sunset. In honor of Chanukah, we
light eight candles outside the home on the left side after sunset.
The light descended into the Holy Temple according to the chain of levels, unlike the light of Chanukah, which brings light down from above the chain of levels through self-sacrifice. We light eight candles because the number eight is above this natural chain.
The light of the Holy Temple does not to dispel the darkness and therefore the Menorah was placed inside the Holy of Holies and not outside. The Chanukah light, having as its source a place higher than the natural chain of levels, dispels the darkness, and the candles are placed outside and lit after dark for this purpose.
The Greeks did not seek to kill us, but to make us forget our Judaism and accept their philosophies and approach to life. Man-made philosophies accept only those ideas that make sense to human intelligence. Therefore, the Greeks accepted the existence of G-d, His unity, His first-ness and His eternalness, but they denied G-d's "micro-management" and the Torah commandments, asking what does the Creator care if we eat meat with milk or not?
A Jew, on the other hand, believes that G-d is higher than any level of wisdom and knowledge, that no thought can contain the Almighty at all, even the loftiest. Even more, one challenge of our G-d-given ability to think is to understand that we and our intellect are limited, and to believe and have faith in the basic foundations of the Torah.
Reb Boruch the tinsmith was a totally dedicated chassid, bound by love and devotion to his Rebbe with all the strings of his soul.
All dreidels, both ancient and modern, sport the Hebrew letters:
Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin, each representing one of the four empires that
attacked the Jewish people, each in a uniquely different way - and each time the
Jewish people prevailed.
The Babylonian Empire attacked the Jewish body (Guf). The
Persian Empire, known for its promiscuity and licentiousness, attacked the
Jewish People in soul (Nefesh). The Greek Empire attempted to
demonstrate (falsely) the incompatibility of Torah with Science and Intellect (Seichel).
Finally, the Roman Empire utilized all the above three methods. The Hebrew word
for "all" is "Hakol."
Nonetheless, the victory of Moshiach, may he come speedily in our
time, is not one which precludes the use of the body, soul and intellect. On the
contrary, each of these tools must be transformed into tools to better serve
G-d.
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