Miracles
Within Nature And Beyond
Shabbos
Parshas Mikeitz; Zos Chanuka, 2nd Of Teives, 5750
Sichos in English
1.
This year, the unique aspect of Chanuka is that it contains two
Shabbasos; both the first and the last day of the holiday fall on
this holy day. These Shabbasos are special in that they possess a
dimension that includes all the other days of Chanuka. In
potential, all the days of the festival are included within the
first day, as reflected by the fact that on this day the cruse of
oil, which burned for eight days, was found. The eighth day
contains the influence of all eight days as they have already been
celebrated. This dimension receives greater emphasis according to
our practice of lighting eight candles on the eighth day, each
candle representing one of the days that has been celebrated.
Similarly,
the Torah readings of these two days reflect their all-inclusive
nature. The Torah reading of the first day of Chanuka describes
the princes’ decision to bring the sacrifices, thus containing
the potential for all the further readings. The Torah reading of
the final day describes the sum total of those sacrifices after
they had been offered. The all-encompassing aspect of these two
days is emphasized by the Midrash stating that it is considered as
if “all the princes offered their sacrifices on the first day”
and as if they “all offered their sacrifices on the final
day.”
Since
the first and final days of Chanuka include within themselves the
entire holiday, the fact that they fall on Shabbos implies that
there is a Shabbos-like quality to the entire festival. The
lessons derived from this fact are generally relevant to the
totality of our service of Torah and mitzvos throughout the
year.
Our
Sages state: What is Chanuka (i.e., in commemoration of which
miracle was the holiday instituted)?...They searched and were able
to find only one cruse with the seal of the High Priest. It
contained enough to burn for only a single day. [Yet,] a miracle
occurred with it and it burned for eight days.
The
Beis Yosef asks: Since there was enough oil in the cruse for the menora
to burn for a single day, the miracle lasted only for seven days.
Why then is the holiday celebrated for eight days?
Among
the resolutions offered is that the discovery of the oil was
itself a miracle. Nevertheless, other commentaries object to this
answer, explaining that the discovery of the oil cannot be
compared to the miracle of the oil’s burning. The latter miracle
transcended the laws of nature. In contrast, the discovery of the
oil could be described as a natural occurrence. It was hidden,
buried in the ground, and hence, overlooked by the Greeks. When,
however, the Jews needed oil desperately, they searched carefully
and found it.
Despite
this objection, the resolution offered is not rejected.
Accordingly, we must understand this sequence: Why is it that the
miracle of the first day of Chanuka is one that took place within
the natural order, whereas the following seven days saw a miracle
that transcends nature? If G-d wanted the miracles of the holiday
to transcend nature, the oil could have become available in a
totally miraculous way (descending from heaven or the like). If He
wanted the miracles to be within the laws of nature, He could have
enabled the Jews to find an amount of pure oil sufficient to burn
eight days.
This
concept can be explained on the basis of the following story. Once
during the imprisonment of the Alter Rebbe, before his redemption
on Yud-Tes Kislev, he was being taken by ship from one prison to
another. In the process of the journey, he asked the ship’s
captain to stop the ship so that he could recite the prayers
connected with the Sanctification of the Moon.
The
captain refused to comply with the Alter Rebbe’s request. The
Alter Rebbe told him that if he continued to refuse, the ship
would stop by itself, but the captain would not listen.
Subsequently, the ship stopped and the Alter Rebbe recited the
Psalm introducing this prayer. The Alter Rebbe then allowed the
ship to continue and asked the captain to stop it. Realizing that
he had no alternative, the captain agreed to stop the ship, and
the Alter Rebbe recited the appropriate prayers.
A
question can be asked that is similar to the question raised above
regarding Chanuka: Since the Alter Rebbe was capable of having the
ship stop through a miracle, why did he ask the captain to stop
it? Furthermore, having performed the miracle, why did he recite
only the introductory Psalm? Why did he allow the ship to continue
only to ask the captain to stop it again?
The
explanation for the above is that mitzvos must be performed
within the context of the natural order and not through miracles
which transcend that order. The preparation for the fulfillment of
the mitzvos should also be carried out within the context
of the natural order. Therefore, the Alter Rebbe wanted the
captain to stop the ship on his own volition so that even the
preparatory steps for the fulfillment of the mitzva would
have been carried out in this manner. Even when he was forced to
perform a miracle to stop the ship, he allowed it to proceed so
that the captain would stop it on his own volition.
A
similar concept can be explained in regard to the Chanuka
miracles. The entire miracle of the menora was not
absolutely necessary; according to Torah law, it was permissible
to light the menora with impure oil, for when there is no
alternative, the laws of ritual impurity are waived regarding
communal offerings. The miracle was thus an expression of the
dearness with which G-d holds the Jewish people, allowing them to
fulfill the mitzvos with pure oil for the rededication of
the Temple after it had been recovered from the enemy.
Therefore,
even when G-d performs a miracle to show the dearness with which
He holds the Jewish people, He performs a miracle in a manner that
allows the mitzvos to be fulfilled in the fullest manner,
i.e., within the context of the natural order. That is why the oil
did not descend from heaven and was found buried in the ground.
Even when it continued to burn for eight days, which was an
outright miracle, that miracle involved natural oil.
2.
This principle relates to the totality of Torah and mitzvos,
whose connection to Chanuka is emphasized by the expression,
“the candle of mitzva and the Torah of light.” G-d
created nature in a manner that is appropriate for the fulfillment
of Torah and mitzvos.
To
explain: It is written, “If you follow My statutes, observe My
commandments, and fulfill them, I will provide you with rain in
its season and the land will bear its crops.” The Rambam
interprets this and the other promises of material success in the
Torah as follows: “[G-d] promised us in the Torah...that He
would remove all factors preventing us from observing it...and
provide us with all the benefits that will strengthen our
fulfillment of the Torah, e.g., plenty and peace, and an abundance
of silver and gold, so that...we can be free to study wisdom and
observe the mitzvos.”
This
passage indicates that the nature of the world itself facilitates
the Jewish people’s performance of Torah and mitzvos.
This concept applies even in times when the world is characterized
by darkness and concealment. Thus, even when “the wicked Greek
kingdom rose up against Your people, Yisroel, to make them forget
Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will,” and the Greeks
entered the Beis HaMikdash itself and made the oil impure
— i.e., the situation in the world appeared to oppose Torah and mitzvos
— it was revealed that these negative aspects were only
superficial. The Hashmonaim conquered the Greeks, negating all
conflicting influences. Furthermore, the miracle of the oil openly
revealed how the very nature of the world allows for the
performance of Torah and mitzvos, since, as explained
above, the oil was found in a natural manner and even continued to
burn in a manner which did not alter its basic nature.
The
association of this lesson with Chanuka teaches a further concept.
As mentioned above, it was not absolutely necessary to kindle the menora
with pure oil. Thus, the use of such oil can be considered a hiddur
mitzva, the fulfillment of the mitzva in the most
complete and perfect fashion. Thus, we see that the natural order
permits even this level of fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos.
This
does not apply only to a person who is on a high rung of Torah
observance. Chanuka is associated with the word chinuch
(education). This implies that even one who is at the initial
stages of the service of G-d, merely being educated, still has the
potential not only to fulfill Torah and mitzvos according
to the law’s minimum requirements, but even to reach the level
of hiddur mitzva.
The
above relates to our service in Exile. Despite the darkness of
exile, G-d gives every Jew the opportunity to fulfill Torah and mitzvos
in a manner of hiddur.
What is more, the nature of the world leads toward this
goal. G-d grants every Jew all that he requires in the realms of
children, health, and earning a livelihood so that he can fulfill
Torah and mitzvos in a state of both spiritual and physical
composure.
3.
The above also relates to the Messianic age, when we will have the
opportunity of fulfilling Torah and mitzvos in a complete
fashion. At present, because we are in exile and living in the
Diaspora, there are many mitzvos that cannot be fulfilled.
These circumstances, however, do not contradict the principle that
the nature of the world is structured in a manner that enables a
Jew to fulfill Torah and mitzvos easily.
Exile
is an abnormal situation for the world and for the Jewish people.
The world was created “for the sake of Yisroel and for the sake
of the Torah,” i.e., to enable the Jews to fulfill all 613 mitzvos.
“Because of our sins” — acts that run contrary to a Jew’s
very nature (as the Rambam states, each Jew, “desires to be part
of Yisroel...to observe all the mitzvos and separate
himself from all the transgressions”) — “we were exiled from
our land.”
This
change in nature on the part of the Jewish people effects a change
in the nature of the world at large. Temporarily, rather than
fulfill the mitzvos that revolve around Eretz Yisroel
and the Beis HaMikdash in actual deed, it is sufficient
that “We will render [the prayers of] our lips in place of
[sacrificial] cattle.” Through prayer and study, we can
compensate for our inability to perform these mitzvos. This
compensation fulfills our obligations in regard to these mitzvos
in the fullest manner possible.
The
miracle of Chanuka, however, teaches a further concept — that
ultimately, the nature of the worldd will be elevated to a level
of perfection in the Messianic age. To explain:
Rashi
states that the portion of the Torah describing the menora
was placed next to the portion describing the princes’
sacrifices (as was read in today’s Torah reading) because: When
Aharon saw the dedication [of the altar] by the princes, he was
shaken that neither he nor his tribe were included....The Holy
One, blessed be He, told him, “Rest assured. Your portion is
greater. You will light...the candles.”
The
Midrash explains that the kindling of the menora is on a
higher level than the sacrifices because the sacrifices will be
offered only during the time the Beis HaMikdash is
standing, while the candles will always light up the menora.
The
Ramban questions the latter statement, noting that, in a simple
sense, the kindling of the menora is — like the
sacrifices — dependent on the existence of the Beis HaMikdash.
When there is no Beis HaMikdash, the menora also may
not be kindled. Accordingly, he explains that the Midrash is
alluding to the candles of Chanuka, which are kindled even in the
time of exile.
Furthermore,
the candles of Chanuka do more than compensate for the kindling of
the menora in the Beis HaMikdash, as “[the
prayers] of our lips” compensate for the sacrifices; they allude
to and reflect the kindling of the menora which will take
place in the Messianic age. Our Sages associate the number eight
— the number of candles lit for Chanuka — with the Messianic
age. In that era, we will kindle the menora in the Beis
HaMikdash in a manner which will never be nullified.
Thus,
the miracle of Chanuka — a miracle of eight days — reflects
how, and contains the potential for, the era when the world will
be elevated to its ultimate level of perfection in the Messianic
age. At present, the natural order is represented by the number
seven, reflecting the seven days of creation. In the Messianic
age, the nature of the world will be lifted to a higher level,
eight, which is symbolized by the Chanuka festival.
The
effect of the Chanuka miracle is to elevate the nature of the
world to the level of perfection it will reach in the Messianic
age. This is accomplished by “spreading the wellsprings of
Torah” — the aspect of Torah related to oil — “outward.”
The
latter service is required in the present age. The Arizal states
that “in these later generations, it is permitted and it is a mitzva
to reveal this wisdom (the teachings of Pnimiyus HaTorah).”
This certainly applies to the revelation of the teachings of
Chassidus by the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, and the revelation
of Chabad Chassidus by the Alter Rebbe, particularly after the
redemption of Yud-Tes Kislev. It also surely applies to the
Rebbeim who followed him, including the Rebbe Rayatz, who declared
that the “spreading of the wellsprings outward” is the
“obligation of the moment” in the present age.
Conversely,
the service of “spreading
the wellsprings outward” will bring the coming of Moshiach. The
“spreading of the wellsprings outward” is itself a beginning
and a reflection of the revelation of Pnimiyus HaTorah which
will accompany the Messianic redemption.
These
qualities are reflected in the Chanuka lights, which we are
commanded to place “at the entrance to our homes, facing
outward” and shine “until the feet of the Tarmudites
(representative of the quality of rebellion) disappear from the
street;” i.e., they effect the lowest levels of existence and
prepare them for the revelations of the Messianic age.
4.
The preparation of the world for the Messianic era through the
service of spreading the wellsprings outward shares a particular
connection with the arrival of the Rebbe Rayatz in America.
America is referred to as “the lower half of the world.” The
Torah was given in “the upper half of the world.” Through the
efforts of the Rebbe Rayatz after coming to America, the
wellsprings of Torah were spread in such a manner that the entire
world, even those portions in which “the Torah was not given,”
becomes a fit receptacle for “the wellsprings of Torah.”
There
is a further point to the spreading of the wellsprings of
Chassidus in this country. In America, in contrast to the
situation of the Jewish people in Eastern Europe, Jews live, by G-d’s
grace, in affluence. Indeed, this situation has become accepted as
natural to the extent that in all aspects — food, clothing, and
accommodations — we have become accustomed not to be content
with the minimum, but rather to expect comfort.
The
reason G-d has granted such affluence is to facilitate the service
of Torah and mitzvos, to allow for the fulfillment of mitzvos
b’hiddur and the study of Torah with a broad-minded
perspective, so that one can “know the G-d of your fathers and
serve Him with a full heart.”
In
the previous generations, the Chassidim were involved in the study
of Chassidus and the spreading of the wellsprings outward, while
living in a state of poverty. Thus, the Alter Rebbe writes, “It
is not hidden from me the difficult times when your livelihood has
become constrained...” Nevertheless, he charged his Chassidim
not to cut back their gifts to tzedaka. In the Mitteler
Rebbe’s time, the situation of the Chassidim was even more
hard-pressed, to the extent that some of his Chassidic teachings
were not printed in their entirety in a single cover. If they had
been, the Chassidim would not have been able to purchase them.
Despite these difficulties, Chassidus was revealed in a manner of
“the broadening of the river.”
In
these later years, beginning from the time the Rebbe Rayatz came
to America, the study of Chassidus and the spreading of the
wellsprings outward has been carried out amidst affluence. As we
draw closer to the coming of Moshiach, the wellsprings have become
spread out to further frontiers than ever before. The affluence of
our environment has enabled us to spread the wellsprings further
and to do so with a broadminded perspective, which is also one of
the new dimensions of service expressed by the Rebbe Rayatz.
This
condition of affluence reveals how the world itself has become
prepared for the spreading of the wellsprings of Chassidus
outward. Thus, material wealth and affluence is granted to Jews to
be used for the sake of spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus
outward.
The
latter concept is also connected with the fact that the first and
last days of Chanuka fall on the Shabbos. Shabbos is a day when
“all your work is completed,” i.e., the work which involves
the refinement and elevation of the nature of the world.
Accordingly, the nature of the world is on a higher plane.
The
influence of Chanuka — and its connection with Shabbos — has
an effect on all the days that follow, elevating them to a higher
level, a rung on which all matters associated with “the candle
of mitzva and the light of Torah” can be fulfilled in the
fullest degree possible. This will lead to Messianic age, “the
era which is all Shabbos and rest for eternity.”
Added
influence for all the above is granted this year, 5750, “A Year
Of Miracles.” To summarize, these are days when each Jew should
take on resolutions to increase his involvement with “the candle
of mitzva and the light of Torah.” Specifically, he
should study Chassidus in abundance, stealing from the time he
would devote to his business. G-d, in turn, will surely shower him
with all the wealth he needs. Indeed, this money already exists.
All that is necessary is to go and get it.
In
this context, it is worthy to hold a farbrengen after the Mincha
prayers and another one at night, as a Melaveh Malka, to
influence people to accept good resolutions in regard to the study
of Pnimiyus HaTorah, the spreading of the wellsprings of
Chassidus outward, and all other matters of Torah and mitzvos.
Also, at this time, it is worthy to mention that all those who
have not fulfilled the custom of giving Chanuka gelt to the extent
desired should compensate for this in the days that follow.
May
all these activities hasten the coming of the time when we will
dedicate the menora in the third Beis HaMikdash. May
it be now, immediately! |