Letting it Sink In

Some have the custom to sit by the Chanukah candles for the half hour minimum burning time, and some for even longer.

The idea behind this concept is to give ones self time to meditate on the lessons of the candles and the associated miracles. We have shared on the blog a number of inspirational ideas about Chanukah. You can find many other lessons elsewhere. It is, however, too easy to just read such words and then move on. Becoming inspired is easy; really making it a part of yourself is hard work.

Sitting by the candles for a while gives you a chance to think about these ideas and take the time to absorb them within your consciousness.

Finding Light

The Talmud teaches that if someone chooses to immerse himself in evil the way is open for him. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev has an interesting spin on this concept. He explains that the meaning is that even if one is immersed in evil there are doorways that he can find within the evil to use to get himself out of it.
There are two ways to deal with the difficulties and challenges of life. We can run from them, or we can wrestle with them. Sometimes, indeed, running is the best path. If someone finds herself so overwhelmed that she feels incapable of dealing with the particular challenge, escaping it may be the only path. But, invariably, the challenge will come again. Until the person figures out how to deal with, and overcome, that challenge it won't go away. To really deal with it, one needs to find the light that is there in the darkness.

The challenge posed by the Hellenistic culture is described by our sages as darkness. The Lights of Chanukah represent finding the light at the end of the tunnel; the struggle through the darkness until a solution is found.

The Hellenists tried to make the Jewish people forget Torah. They succeeded to a certain extent. It was this forgetfulness that brought about the phenomenon of disagreement which is so common in Torah study and in the Talmud. But there was a silver lining to the cloud. The challenges posed by this forgetfulness created a culture in which constant study and review of Torah was needed.

God allowed the Hellenists to come as the people were allowing their devotion to Torah study to wane. By rising up to the challenge and fighting the Hellenistic influences, they created a new paradigm whereby even though they were now flawed by forgetfulness they had the desire and devotion to struggle with the understanding of Torah, difficult as it was.

this was the light in the darkness that they found.

We can find it too. We need to utilize the daily inspiration from Chanukah candles to inspire ourselves to find the light in all o our own challenges.

New Light

The light of Chanukah coming, as it did, in a miraculous manner, shining forth in the midst of one of the darkest periods of our history, is a harbinger of the light that will shine forth at the coming of the Messiah. At that time the light that God hid within creation at the time of Creation will finally shine forth. The beginning of that shine was at the time of the miracle of Chanukah.

Each time we light the Chanukah candles, we add a bit of the future light and reveal it from within the places it hides in the world today.

Up & Down

There is a Talmudic dispute as to the order of lighting Chanukah candles. The school of Shammai maintained that you begin with 8 lights on the first night and work your way down to one light on the final night. The school of Hillel, whose opinion we follow, maintains to begin with one light and work your way up to eight. What is the meaning behind this dispute?

The fire of the Chanukah candles can be seen as a fire purging all that is impure from the person. Alternatively, it can be viewed as a holy fire bringing light and passionate heat within the person. Which perspective is true? They both are. The fire symbolizes both aspects, the ridding of that which is harmful, and the embodiment of that which is good.

The dispute as to the order of lighting centers around which perspective is primary. The House of Shamai is of the opinion that the burning fire purging the evil is the primary perspective. Therefore the first day needs the greatest fire; each succeeding day with there being less evil, the fire diminishes. According to the School of Hillel the fire represents the good in the person, the longer the fire burns the more good in the person. Each day the fire increases.

Why does Chanukah affect everyone?

There is an interesting phenomenon in that many Jews who observe few Jewish rituals nevertheless observe Chanukah. What is it about Chanukah that attracts everyone?

The Sfas Emes explains this based on a Mishnah in Tractate Shabbos. It teaches that those wicks and oils which the Sages said not to use for Shabbos lights, may nevertheless be used for Chanukah lights. In Hebrew the words are as follows נר (container holding the oil) שמנים (types of oils) and פתילות (types of wicks). The first letters of these words spells out נפש Nefesh, the Hebrew word for soul.

This is alluding to the fact that even people whose souls are not influenced and affected every week by the holy Shabbos, they can still be affected by the holiness of Chanukah.

One Flask

Only one flask of oil remained undefiled by the hands of the Hellenist usurpers. The Chidushei HaRim explains that this is an allusion to the fact that there is always a small pocket of holiness within every Jew, and every Jewish society which is protected by God from being defiled. This is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that He would protect him.

Twilight

Candlelighting reminds us that God performed a miracle for us with light. Day time is the time of day when the regular workings of nature are most visible. At night, by contrast, the power of nature is less apparent. It is for this reason that our sages tell us that day time is for the workings of nature, nighttime for miracles. Therefore Chanukah candles are lit at night, the time of miracles. It is also for this reason that our Sages teach us that night was created for the study of Torah. This is because Torah study is from out of the natural world.

The Inside Story

On Chanukah we mention in our prayers that God gave the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of those who toil in Torah.
Chanukah is a time when we have the opportunity to have these same successes within ourselves as well. Do you have any internal struggles? Who doesn't?! Do you often feel that success in your internal strife is difficult or impossible?

Chanukah is the time when we have the ability to change that. Even if you feel that most of you is drawn to activities that are spiritually detrimental and that there is only a small part of yourself that is protesting those behaviors, Chanukah is the time when the many can be overcome by the few. The impure parts of your psyche can be overcome by the pure parts. The parts that are drawn to wickedness can be subsumed by those drawn to Torah.

Every holiday offers us opportunities for spiritual growth. But they don't just come by themselves. By consciously working on them during the holiday we take advantage of the spiritual power of the holiday to make strides in these areas.

Low Candles

Chanukah candles are meant to be placed low down, near the ground. Preferably they should be placed within 10 tefachim (approximately 30-40") of the ground. Why is this?

The reason is because we want to instill the idea that the light of God is not only found in the highest of places. We all know that there are places of greatness where holiness is easily manifested and found. The message here, however, is that even in the lowest of places, and the darkest situation, God can be found and the light of holiness can shine.

Outside

Ideally Chanukah candles are meant to be placed outside of the home, by the street. This is an allusion to the fact that the light of the spirituality of the Torah is so great that even when one leaves the protective cocoon of the home, and wanders out into a dark world full of temptations and challenges to one's belief system, the light can still win out. Even those who are found in places devoid of all Jewish Spirituality can be brought back by the light of the Chanukah candles.

Within Nature

Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev explained that there is a fundamental distinction between the miracles celebrated at Pesach (Passover) and those celebrated on Chanukah and Purim. This distinction is brought out by the fact that on Chanukah and Purim we recite the blessing שעשה נסים לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time. We do not recite this blessing on Pesach.

The distinction is that on Pesach the miracle was one which was above nature. Above nature is also above time. Nature is within the dimension of time. Above nature is not.

By contrast, the miracle of Chanukah and Purim were within nature; they were there to show us that God permeates all that exists in the natural world. As such, they were miracles within time. That is why we mention in the blessing "at this time," to emphasize that these were miracles within time.

Which do you think is greater? A miracle in which God breaks the laws of nature, or one in which he works within nature?