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Rabbis' Blog

The secret of the public menorahs

Public menorahs are a staple of Chanukah all over the world. You can find one in famous locations such as the White House lawn and the Eifel Tower to the most remote places where handfuls of Jewish travelers frequent during the season.

El Paso has menorah displays in over a half-dozen locations, including the El Paso International Airport, San Jacinto Plaza, West Towne Marketplace, The Shoppes at Solana, Cielo Vista Mall, and University Medical Center.

It was not always this way. The mitzvah of kindling Chanukah lights is meant to be done in your home, with oil and wicks or candles. In 1973 the Rebbe launched the Chanukah campaign to publicize the observance and message of Chanukah to the world. The next year a menorah was lit in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, and public menorahs have sprouted everywhere since then, numbering over 15,000 around the globe today. They are not meant to replace the private menorah lighting at home. Rather, they serve as symbols of the universal Chanukah message for all and welcoming beacons for all Jews. 

While most welcomed and appreciated this new development in Jewish public pride and representation, some Jewish organizations frowned upon it and fought against it in the early days. I recently saw an internal memo written by the Rebbe to a Chabad rabbi facing stiff resistance to the public menorah, advising him to find a quiet and diplomatic way to influence the naysayers to stop their fight. Here is a rough translation of one of the talking points. Certainly, they wish to stop assimilation among the Jewish youth, etc. For the time being, lighting menorahs in public is the only way to inspire them [to remain connected and engaged in Judaism].

By now everyone admits that public menorahs are a positive and crucial part of the Chanukah culture and Jewish life in general, and there are countless stories of how the public menorahs brought Jews back to their Jewish roots. The reason for this is that the menorah represents the miracle of the oil. When the Maccabees liberated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem they found only one jar of ritually pure olive oil to rededicate the service of lighting the menorah. They lit up the menorah and that small amount of oil burned for eight nights until they could replenish the supply.

Although the Chanukah story includes dramatic stories of bravery and victory, the enduring symbol of the holiday is the “single jar of oil.” Oil is unique in that it never mixes with other liquids, and when placed on a surface, it permeates it entirely. The same is true about the Jewish soul which can never be diluted or completely extinguished, and - when awakened - impacts every aspect of life. Every Jew has an internal “single jar of ritually pure olive oil.”

The public menorah serves as the ultimate trigger for the Jewish soul. No matter how latent or dormant it may be, when confronted with the symbol of the “single jar of oil” its own internal “jar of oil” is awakened and drawn back to its source.

The ultimate Chanukah miracle.

Celebrating the Peaceful Victory

I recently heard a friend discuss “how to win when you are losing.” How does one pull through the dreary days and the humdrum elements of life without losing spunk and spirit, and maybe even gain from the lows?

In 1798 the founder of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, known as the Alter Rebbe, was arrested on trumped-up charges of treason. His life was in mortal danger, and the devastation of the Chassidic movement he led seemed imminent.

In a miraculous turn of events, he was released from prison 53 days later, on the 19th day of Kislev - known as “Yud Tes Kislev”. After answering dozens of questions and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that Chabad teachings and culture were no danger to society, the Czar approved the new movement.

However, as in all things, the initial arrest and subsequent liberation that occurred on the physical plane reflected a similar drama happening in the heavens. Chabad teachings are the deepest elements of Torah ever revealed to man, and the cosmos themselves questioned the appropriateness of disseminating such divine treasures. Eventually, divine permission was granted for these deep secrets to be revealed to the entire world.

In a letter to his friend and colleague, the revered Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev, the Alter Rebbe described the moment he learned of his acquittal and immediate freedom. “I was reciting chapter 55 of Tehillim (psalms) at the time. When I reached the verse “Pada BeShalom - He (G-d) redeemed my soul with peace from the battle that came upon me,” before I could recite it, I was notified of my peaceful release.”

For the past 226 years the verse “Pada BeShalom” has not only personified the tremendous miracle of 19 Kislev and the epic victory of Chabad chassidism over all adversaries; it also expresses the entire mission of Chabad on a personal and global level.

One can be victorious in battle, either through aggression, by destroying and disposing of the enemy, or through peace by transforming the enemy into an ally. Chabad teachings educate us to view every challenge as an opportunity for continued growth and every enemy as a potential ally. Not through compromising our integrity or fudging the truth, but by seeing reality from a deeper perspective and finding the good in everything and everyone. This is called a peaceful victory, where everyone is a winner - for real.

Today is Yud Tes Kislev and millions around the world are celebrating the spiritual revolution this miracle unleashed, through festive dinners, with plenty of L’chaims and dancing. An essential part of the traditional celebration is singing the song composed for the words of “Pada BeShalom.” Listen to a recording here. Here are the lyrics.

But most importantly we can make “Pada BeShalom” our personal mantra as well, through studying more Chabad teachings and applying their lessons. This helps us appreciate how the humdrum of life is the divine process through which amazing miracles happen and is therefore permeated with meaning and purpose. Instead of being frustrated with and worn out from the dreary days, we learn to embrace every moment of life with true enthusiasm and flourish from every encounter.

May this year’s celebration of Yud Tes Kislev be the final accumulative one needed to reach the ultimate redemption through Moshiach, who will unleash a global awakening to these truths, and usher in an era of true global peace and tranquility, when all humanity will give thanks to G-d for “Pada BeShalom” - redeeming us from the many battles ravaging the world - in peace.

Lechaim!


 

When Evil Disintegrates

On Sunday morning the world woke up to the news that the half-century Assad regime in Syria no longer existed. Two weeks earlier it was one of the most formidable enemies on Israel’s border, backed by Russia and Iran and a veritable lynchpin in the Axis of Evil threatening to throttle Israel. And within days it simply disintegrated.

There is no telling what the power vacuum will bring, and the types of policies the rebels will pursue. But without engaging in punditry - for which I have no credentials - I’d like to dwell on the fact that an evil regime, that seemed stable to every intelligence agency in the world, fell apart like a house of cards with no resistance.

In this week’s parsha we learn about the reunion between the two twin brothers Yaakov and Eisav. They had not seen each other in decades, and no love was lost between them. Eisav was still seething with rage that Yaakov had outsmarted him in receiving the blessings of destiny from their father Yitzchak. When Yaakov journeyed back to the Holy Land with his large family and fortune, Eisav gathered a force of 400 warriors to destroy them. Yaakov was saved by a miracle, as always, and they parted ways once again.

At the conclusion of the parsha, the Torah dedicates 43 verses to recording Eisav’s extensive legacy through the generations and their multiple alliances. Our sages relate that when Yaakov realized the enormity of Eisav’s influence throughout the generations he worried how the Jewish nation would fare in their shadow. Here is the teaching as it is recorded by the eleventh-century sage Rashi:

The camels of a flax dealer entered a city, laden with flax. The blacksmith wondered: “Where can all this flax be stored?” A clever person answered him: “One spark coming out of your bellows can burn up everything.” Similarly, Yaakov saw all the chieftains written above and wondered, saying, “Who is able to conquer all of them?” What is written afterward [in parshat Vayeishev]? “These are Yaakov’s descendants: Yosef…”; and it says: “The House of Yaakov will be a fire, the House of Yosef a flame, and the House of Eisav will be stubble.” A spark will emanate from Yosef that will destroy and consume all of them.

The dramatic saga of the Yaakov and Eisav relationship is an analogy for the struggle between good and evil for all time, and this teaching expresses the physics of these two forces. Although evil may seem like a formidable and intimidating force, it is inherently brittle and corrupt; even just one spark of goodness can consume it all.

Evil is dangerous and real. It must be confronted and destroyed. But remember the inherent advantage of goodness and approach the struggle with joyful confidence. World events this week illustrated how inherently weak evil is, and we can apply the same lesson to our personal struggles as well. Never identify with negative traits or vices, because their presence in your life is as permanent as a row of dominoes. One positive good deed, spoken word or even thought can set off a chain reaction to knock down all the nonsense and replace it with divine serenity, goodness, and purpose.

Even one spark can do it. Try it. It works.

When you’re on a mission

In this week’s parsha, we learn about Yaakov’s journey to a faraway land called Charan. This place was geographically distant from his hometown, Be’er Sheva, and spiritually furthest from the divine atmosphere of the home he was raised in. Despite his struggles with his deceitful uncle and father-in-law Lavan, he was extraordinarily successful in raising a large family dedicated to the morals and values he embodied. How did he do it?

Last week, we learned that Yitzchak wished to bless his son Eisav in his old age. Rivka disapproved of the plan and engineered a brilliant ruse for Yaakov to receive the blessings instead. When Rivka learned through prophecy that Eisav planned to kill Yaakov in revenge, she instructed him to flee to Charan until Eisav’s wrath subsided.

To explain Yaakov’s sudden departure, she fretted to Yitzchak over Yaakov’s options for finding a suitable match from the local girls. In response to this issue, Yitzchak instructed Yaakov to travel to Charan and marry a girl from the Abrahamic family. The Torah then records “Yitzchak then sent Yaakov on his way.”

While the circumstances and results of their conversations with Yaakov were the same, there is an enormously meaningful difference between them. Rivka sent him off as a fugitive escaping the vengeful wrath of his evil brother. Yitzchak, on the other hand, sent Yaakov on a mission. He was leaving the same spiritual home and arriving in the same dark place, but coming there as a “Shliach” an emissary instead of a fugitive allowed him to thrive, not just survive.

This past weekend I had the opportunity and pleasure of participating in the International Conference of Shluchim - the Rebbe’s emissaries. Contrary to popular belief, the thousands who gathered in Brooklyn don’t necessarily share the same job descriptions. There were pulpit rabbis, fundraisers, teachers, lecturers, authors, program directors, and more. But the bond we share is that we are on the same mission.

The Rebbe declared that every Jew is a Shliach - an emissary of G-d to make this world a better and brighter place. When you adopt this identity, every aspect of life is elevated with new meaning, and every circumstance becomes the catalyst for tremendous growth.

One of my inspirational highlights of the conference was the moving story of Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff of Israel. He was born Deaf and has created a quiet revolution within his community, a place where Deaf people can explore and experience Judaism within their own culture. Please click here to watch this fascinating story.

I was also moved by the story of Dr. Brian Levin who, despite discovering Jewish observance and meaning later in life, serves as an emissary in such a powerful capacity through his medical practice. You can watch his story here.

May we live up to being G-d’s emissaries, transforming the entire world into a divine garden of peace and tranquility, and preparing it for the imminent arrival of Moshiach.


 

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