Seasons of the Soul. Seasons of the Soul. Parsha. Seasons of the Soul. Seasons of the Soul. a project of What is Chanukah?

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1 a project of Chanukah-Mikeitz 5764 (2003) Seasons of the Soul Seasons of the Soul Seasons of the Soul Seasons of the Soul What is Chanukah? Some history... What's a miracle?... Power of the individual... The Greeks and the Jews... The mind and beyond... Chanukah today... Seeing Lessons Hedonism and ascetics are two sides of this same Hellenic coin: when the soul (flame) meets the body (wick), either the flame gutters out, or it consumes the wick leaving only formless soot behind. Judaism offers another model - the lamp Eight Shades of Light In the beginning, darkness and light were one. Then G-d separated between revealed good and concealed good, challenging us to cultivate the day and transform the night Eight Chanukah Stories 139 BCE... Heaven, 25 Kislev, 3622 from creation... Mezhibuzh, 18th Century... France, Kharkov, Los Angeles, 2003 What is Chanukah? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they contaminated all of its oil. When the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over them, they searched and found only a single cruse of pure oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest), enough to light the menorah for a single day. A miracle occurred, and they lit the menorah with this oil for eight days. The following year, they established these [eight days] as days of festivity and praise and thanksgiving to G-d (Talmud, Shabbat 21b) Parsha Vayeishev Genesis 37:1 40:23 What was the cause of the rift between Joseph and his brothers? What forces conspired to bring together Judah and Tamar? Who was Potiphar's wife, why was Joseph forgotten in prison, and why are there so many dreams in the book of Genesis? Exposing the Light All the world's problems stem from light being withheld. Our job then, is to correct this. Wherever we find light, we must rip away its casings, exposing it to all, letting it shine forth to the darkest ends of the earth. For more information or to subscribe to one of our many insipiring periodicals log on to: new material added daily! Especially the light you yourself hold. This magazine contains sacred Torah material. Please do not discard.

2 seasons of the soul What is Chanukah? by Tzvi Freeman Did Chanukah happen years ago? Or is it happening now? Was there ever a time when it was not happening? The story of a little candle pushing away the monster of frightening darkness is ever-alive within each of us and in the world outside of us. You might call it the cosmic mega-drama. Watch it happen at the dawn of each day and at every winter solstice, with every breath of life, every cry of a newborn child, every blade of grass that breaks out from under the soil, every flash of genius, every stroke of beauty, every decision to do good in the face of evil, to build where others destroy, to move humanity forward when others pull us toward chaos. All those and more are Chanukah. Some History You would have thought the Jewish people and the ancient Greeks would get along. After all, they had so much in common. Both valued wisdom and beauty. Many Greek philosophers even acknowledged a single, great Mind behind all the cosmos, similar to Jewish monotheism. Well, they did manage somewhat at first. The Jews tolerated Greek rule from the time of Alexander of Macedonia. Many Jews studied Hellenist philosophy and King Ptolemy had the Jewish Torah translated into Greek. But when King Antiochus attempted to force Hellenism down our throats, we rebelled. Antiochus forbade ritual circumcision. Mothers openly circumcised their infant boys in defiance. Antiochus forbade the keeping of the Sabbath. Jews were forced to leave Jerusalem so they could keep the day of rest holy. Antiochus forbade the study of Torah as a sacred text. Jews found ways to teach classes of children and adults in secret. When the Greeks raised up idols in the cities and towns and demanded that the Jews worship them, all-out war ensued. It was the first time in history that a people had fought not for their country or their lives, but for their beliefs and their right to religious freedoms. Problem was, the Syrian-Greek army was the most powerful in the world. Their soldiers marched in a compact formation of overlapping shields and long spears, almost invincible in those times. They had advanced weapons, were highly trained and even brought elephants to the battlefield. The Jewish resistance, on the other hand, began with a handful of brothers of the priestly class, calling themselves the Maccabees. There were many acts of courage, but the Maccabees firmly believed that their victory came from Above. Eventually, they received a sign that it was so: When they took back Jerusalem and the Temple, they searched and found a single flask of undefiled olive oil just what was needed to light the sacred menorah. Although the flask held only enough for a single day, the light of the menorah miraculously burned for eight complete days, providing just enough time to prepare new oil. To the Jewish people, this was like a nod from Above, that, yes, He was with us all along. Chanukah Insights: Miracles Without miracles, we might come to believe that the laws of physics define reality. Once we witness the inexplicable, we see that there is a higher reality. And then we look back at physics and say, This too is a miracle. The miracle of a small flask of oil burning for eight days was this sort of miracle. Then there are those small miracles that occur every day. Those acts of synchronicity we call coincidence because, in them, G-d prefers to remain anonymous. But when we open our eyes and hearts, we see there is truly no place void of this wondrous, unlimited G-d. These were the sort of miracles the Maccabees saw in their battles against the mighty Greek army. The Power of the Individual Chanukah was a victory of few over many. Each Maccabee was a hero, essential to the victory. One could think that, in those days, when the population of the world was so much smaller, a single individual would have more power to change the world. In fact, just the opposite is true. Technology and information has put enormous power in the Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 2

3 seasons of the soul What is Chanukah? hands of whoever wants it. Just over fifty years ago, one madman came to the verge of destroying the world. His failure to develop atomic weapons on time is still inexplicable it can only be attributed to the great mercies of the One Above who takes care of His world and promised it would always stand. Today we have seen that not even an army is needed, nor warheads or missiles but only an obsessive will to destroy. Such is the power of darkness. A thousand times over is the power of light, of any one of us to transform the entire world to good. A small child kissing the mezuzah on the door of her house, an act of kindness asking nothing in return, a sacrifice of convenience to benefit another-each of these things are as bursts of light in the nighttime sky. True, they make less noise. Rarely are they reported in the daily news. But while darkness passes as the shadows of clouds on a windy day, this light endures, accumulating until it leaves no room for evil to remain. The Mind and Beyond Today s Western society is built on the foundations of these two cultures: the Jewish and the Greek. Both treasured the human mind. The Greeks reached the pinnacle of intellect at their time. But the experience of Mount Sinai had taught the Jew that there is something greater than the human mind. There is a G-d, indescribable and inexplicable. And, therefore, a world could not be built on human reason alone. The idea annoyed the Greeks to no end. While they appreciated the wisdom of the Torah, they demanded that the Jews abandon the notion that it was something Divine. Ethics, to an ancient Greek, meant that which is right in the eyes of society. To a Jew, it means that which is right in the eyes of G-d. The difference is crucial: Ethics built solely on the convenience of the time can produce a society where human beings are treated as numbers in a computer or where the central value is the accumulation of wealth. At its extreme, it can produce a Stalinist Russia or a Nazi Germany. A healthy mind is one that recognizes that there will always be wonder, because G-d is beyond the human mind. And a healthy society is a balanced one, whose soil nurtures human accomplishment but whose bedrock is the ethical standard of an Eternal Being. Last Word Some people are waiting for a final, apocalyptic war. But the final war is not fought on battlefields, nor at sea, nor in the skies above. Neither is it a war between leaders or nations. The final war is fought in the heart of each human being, with the armies of his or her deeds in this world. The final war is the battle of Chanukah and the miracle of light. By Tzvi Freeman; tfreeman@chabadonline.com see for bio, info and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". The content on these pages is produced by Chabad.org, and is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with our copyright policy Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 3

4 Seasons of the soul Seeing Lessons by Shlomo Yaffe We ve all heard of music lessons and driving lessons, as these are skills that need learning. But seeing lessons? Seeing is something that a healthy person is born with the capacity to do automatically; why would one need lessons? But learning to see is just what the primary observance of Chanukah asks us to do. In HaNeirot Halalu the short prayer sung immediately after the lighting of the Chanukah lights we say: These lights are holy... We re not allowed to make practical use of them; they are only to be seen. This is actually quite curious, inasmuch as the other types of lights we are asked to kindle as a mitzvah i.e., the Shabbat and Festival lights are specifically designed to be used for illumination. With Chanukah, we are forced to do nothing with the lights except to look at them. Every Jewish holiday carries a lesson that has the capacity if absorbed to enhance our lives throughout the year. A key component of Chanukah is to teach us to see in a completely new way. If we look at a Chanukah lamp or candle, we will see that it has three mandatory components: 1) a wick 2) fuel (e.g. oil or wax) 3) the flame carried by the wick and fed by the oil. An electric light or a burning pool of flammable liquid do not fulfill the mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah lights. To have a clear, enduring flame all three components are necessary. A wick ignited is soon extinguished in an uncontrolled and smoky blaze to oblivion. Oil or wax without a wick will not burn in an illuminating manner and is very hard to ignite, as it is a cold and inert substance under normal conditions. And of course, without the flame there is no chance of light. During the historical period leading up to the events commemorated on Chanukah, the challenge of the Hellenists to the Jews committed to their beliefs was: Why do you insist on proclaiming the supreme purpose of doing mitzvot with certain objects and certain places in certain times? Symbolism is fine, but do you really think that there is intrinsic value in these practices? Can you not have great spiritual experiences without all these physical details? Philosophize, meditate, but why the tefillin? Why the Shabbat? Why the brit? Be spiritual or be physical, but who are you kidding by straddling the fence and pretending that physical activity has intrinsic spiritual value? The Jewish response is that the soul and body are indeed dichotomous and struggle with each other. The body desires the transient and tangible, the soul desires the eternal and ethereal. When the upwardly striving flame of the soul meets the inertial and cold wick of the body they struggle and smoke. Either the body wins and the flame gutters out, or the soul wins and consumes the body, leaving only formless soot behind. The Western traditions of hedonism and ascetics are two sides of this same Hellenic coin. In the dichotomous model, one side can only assert itself at the expense of the other. Judaism offers another model the lamp. The flame does not consume the wick; it is the source of a clear and enduring light. The oil mediates between the wick and the flame, slowly being consumed whilst the flame and wick maintain their integrity at peace with each other. The oil is the mitzvot the precepts of Judaism. These are physical things within which G-d asks us to find Him. The physical also flows from G-d s essence. The challenge of the physical is finding the G-dliness in it, as the physical is darkness and concealment, concealing the creative force within it rather than revealing it as the spiritual does. However, when we surrender ourselves to the divine will and say, Show us where You are in the physical world, we are guided to the mitzvot the physical actions G-d creates as doorways to the infinite within our finite world. When our body (the wick) is immersed in this oil and the flame of the soul is applied to our bodies, action expresses the G- dly and the body is illuminated and at peace with the light of the soul. We see that there is no dichotomy in life, only possible harmonies. G-d is truth, and truth is that which is always the same under all circumstances. If G-d is less present or available in the physical realm, then that is not truth. How is G-d available in the physical? By opening the doors that are the practice of the mitzvot, which are G-d s presence in the fact that He is requesting these Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 4

5 Seasons of the soul Seeing Lessons things of us. These are the seeing lessons the Chanukah lights teach us. Never see the physical as a contradiction to the G-dly, but as a necessary ingredient to an illumined and just world. G-d is only real to us when He can be present everywhere under all circumstances. Never see the physical as the enemy or the spiritual as impossible to attain. See them as the ingredients of a lamp that just need to be drawn together as one to shine. See the lights of Chanukah, and nothing will ever look the same. Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe is rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Agudas Achim of West Hartford, Connecticut, syaffe@juno.com The content on these pages is produced by Chabad.org, and is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with our copyright policy Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 5

6 seasons of the soul Light, Purity and Spirituality Eight essays on the essence of Chanukah INTRODUCTION Chanukah the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of Kislev 25 celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality. More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d. When they sought to light the Temple s menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the oneday supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity. To commemorate these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled. On Chanukah we also recite Hallel and the Al HaNissim prayer to offer praise and thanksgiving to G- d for delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous. Customs include eating foods fried in oil latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, A great miracle happened there ); and the giving of Chanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children. Our exploration of the soul of Chanukah consists of eight essays one for each of the eight flames of Chanukah which examine the various themes of the festival, the miracles it commemorates, and the laws governing its observance. The Flame discusses the uniqueness of the lamp as a metaphor for the soul of man, which the Torah describes as ner Hashem, a lamp of G-d. The Transparent Body examines the concept of spirituality. Why is Chanukah the most spiritual of the festivals? What lesson is there in this to the great majority of us, whose lives are of a decidedly material nature? Nightlight focuses on the significance of the Chanukah menorah as a generator of light, and its similarities and differences with its predecessor, the menorah in the Holy Temple. Who were the Greeks, and what was the nature of the challenge they posed to the purity of Israel? That is the question addressed in The Mudswamps of Hella. The following essay, The Miracle, probes the nature of heroism and self-sacrifice, while Compromise discusses another of Chanukah s themes education and includes the surprising revelation that the primary miracle of Chanukah was completely unnecessary. The Lamplighter offers an insight into the character of the shamash, the servant candle who ignites the Chanukah lamps and stands watch over their light. Our eighth and concluding essay, Accumulating Lights, discusses the specialty of Zot Chanukah the eighth day of Chanukah and the only day of the festival distinguished by a name of its own. We learn of the unique perspective on Chanukah offered by the sages of Hillel and the challenge of making the most spiritual festival in the Jewish calendar a real and actual force in our lives. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 6

7 seasons of the soul The Flame - 1 st Light How, indeed, can something as agitated as the flame radiate such peace? We can sit and gaze at it for hours. It s luminous, it s warm, it s romantic; but most of all it s spiritual. (In what way spiritual? We can t really say, but it is spiritual.) A yellow droplet of light, laced with red, bright-white at the edges, and blue at the core as if dirtied by its contact with the material wick. But we didn t see all those colors until we counted them the flame itself is a perfect, integral whole, emanating calm and tranquility. How, indeed, can something as agitated as the flame radiate such peace? For the flame is a clash of forces pulling in opposite directions. Look closely: see how it strains upward, striving to tear away from the wick which tethers it to the candle or lamp and lose itself in the great expanses of energy that gird the heavens. But look again, and see how it clings to the length of braided cotton that spears its heart and supplies it with the fuel that sustains its luminance and life. Back and forth, up and down it strives, vacillating between being and naught, between presence and oblivion. The soul of man is a candle of G-d (Proverbs 20:27). For the soul of man, too, is a clash of divergent forces and contrary strivings. We yearn to tear free of our wick of the body that anchors us to the physical reality and sullies us with physical needs and wants. We strive upwards, yearning to transcend the physical, the human and the particular, and fuse with the universal and the divine. At the same time, we cling to the body, to the bit of matter that sustains us as dynamic and productive participants in G-d s world. It is this perpetual up-and-down, this incessant vacillation from selfhood to selflessness and back again, that we call life. It is this eternal tension between our desire to escape the physical and our commitment to inhabit it, develop it and sanctify it that makes us spiritual beings. We can sit and gaze at the flame for hours, because we are gazing at ourselves. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 7

8 seasons of the soul The Transparent Body - 2 nd Light What is Chanukah? asks the Talmud, and encapsulates the essence of the festival in the following lines: When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they contaminated all of its oil. When the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over them, they searched and found only a single cruse of pure oil that was sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) enough to light the menorah for a single day. A miracle occurred, and they lit the menorah with this oil for eight days. The following year, they established these [eight days] as days of festivity and praise and thanksgiving to G-d. What is striking about the Talmud s description is that there is only the merest passing reference to the miraculous military victories that preceded and enabled the Hasmoneans liberation of the Holy Temple. While mentioning that the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over [the Greeks], the Talmud says nothing of the fact that this was a battle in which a small band of Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth. The focus is wholly on the miracle of the oil, as if this were the only significant event commemorated by the festival of Chanukah. Contrast this with the Al HaNissim prayer, recited on Chanukah to recount the miracles... that You have done for our ancestors in those days, at this time : In the days of Matityahu... the Hasmonean and his sons, when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget your Torah and to make them violate the decrees of Your will; You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress... You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous... and you effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel... Then Your children entered the house of Your dwelling, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great name. Here, it is the miracle of the oil that is ignored. While the Al HaNissim speaks of lights kindled in Your holy courtyards, this is most probably not a reference to the lights of the menorah whose appointed place was not in the courtyard of the Holy Temple but inside the Sanctuary but to lights kindled in celebration throughout the Temple compound and the city of Jerusalem (which explains why Al HaNissim speaks of courtyards, in the plural). In any case, even if the lights in question are those of the menorah, there is no mention of the miracles associated with its lighting. In other words, there seems to be a complete separation between the physical and spiritual miracles of Chanukah, to the extent that the mention of one precludes any mention of the other. When the physical salvation of Israel is remembered and we thank G-d for delivering the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few, we make no reference to the miracle of the oil; and when we relate to the spiritual significance of Chanukah the triumph of light over darkness it is free of any association with the physical victories that accompanied it. The Spiritual Festival The struggles and triumphs chronicled by the Jewish calendar are always more than a struggle for physical survival. Exodus, commemorated reexperienced each Passover, was a people s liberation from slavery to freedom; it their extraction pagan Egypt receive Torah at Sinai enter into covenant with G-d as His nation of priests holy people. On Purim we remember that Haman wished annihilate Jews because they singular people... whose laws different those all other nations ; thus celebrates not only salvation existence Jew, but Jew s identity way life. Yet the battle waged by the Hasmoneans against the Greeks was the most spiritual battle in Jewish history. The Greeks did not endeavor to physically destroy the Jewish people, or even to deprive them of their religion and way of life; they merely wished to Hellenize them to enlighten their lives with the culture and philosophy of Greece. Keep your books of wisdom, they said to the Jew, keep your laws and customs, but enrich them with our wisdom, adorn them with our art, blend them into our lifestyle. Worship your G-d in your temple, but then worship the human body in the adjoining sports stadium we ll build for you. Study your Torah, but integrate it with the principles of our philosophy and the aesthetics of our literature. The Hasmoneans fought for independence from Hellenic rule because the Greeks sought to make them forget Your Torah and make them violate the decrees of Your will. They did not fight for the Torah per se, but for Your Torah for the principle that the Torah is G- Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 8

9 seasons of the soul The Transparent Body - 2 nd Light d s law rather than a deposit of human wisdom which might be commingled with other deposits of human wisdom. They did not fight for the mitzvot as the Jewish way of life, but for the mitzvot as the decrees of Your will as the supra-rational will of G-d, which cannot be rationalized or tampered with. They fought not for any material or political end, not for the preservation of their identity and lifestyle, not even for the right to study the Torah and fulfill its commandments, but for the very soul of Judaism, for the purity of Torah as the divine word and its mitzvot as the divine will. The spirituality of Chanukah is emphasized by the festival s principal mitzvah, the kindling of the Chanukah lights. We are physical beings, enjoined to anchor our every experience to a physical deed: on Passover, we celebrate our freedom with matzah and wine; on Purim, we read the Megillah, give money to the poor, send gifts of food to our friends, and feast and drink. Chanukah, too, has its ritualistic element, in which a physical act and object embody the festival s significance. But here the vehicle is the most spiritual of physical phenomena light. On Chanukah, the overriding emphasis is on the spiritual essence of our struggle, so that even its physical face is an ethereal flame dancing in the night. Separation of Miracles So when the Talmud replies to question, What is Chanukah? it defines festival solely in terms of its spiritual miracles the discovery pure, undefiled cruse oil and rekindling divine light which emanated from Holy Temple. Since this commemorates our most spiritual battle, its spiritual content predominates to the extent that it completely eclipses its physical aspect. Although military miracles preceded made possible lighting menorah Temple, they are ignored we speak miracle essence Chanukah. This is also the reason that the prayer instituted by our sages to give thanks to G-d for the military victories omits all mention of the miracle of the oil. For only when they are regarded on their own can the military miracles be emphasized and appreciated. Were they to be discussed in relation to the miracle of the oil, they would fade to insignificance. Within the supra-spiritual context of Chanukah s central miracle, they are reduced to a minor detail scarcely worthy of mention. The Lesson Man is comprised of a soul and body: spiritual essence that the Chassidic masters call literally part G-d above physical vehicle via which it experiences impacts world. The body was designed to serve the soul in its mission to develop the world in accordance with the divine will. Of course, man has been granted freedom of choice. The body might thus rebel against the dominion of the soul; it might even subject its rightful master to its own desires, making the pursuit of material things the focus of life and exploiting the soul s spiritual prowess to this end. But in its natural, uncorrupted state, the body is the servant of the soul, channeling its energies and implementing its will. There are, however, many levels to this submission, many degrees of servitude of matter to spirit. The body might recognize that the purpose of life on earth lies with the soul s aspirations, yet also entertain an agenda of its own alongside the greater, spiritual agenda. Or it might selflessly serve the soul, acknowledging the spiritual as the only goal worthy of pursuit, yet its own needs remain a most visible and pronounced part of the person s life, if only out of natural necessity. Chanukah teaches us that there is a level of supremacy of soul over body that is so absolute that the body is virtually invisible. It continues to attend to its own needs, because a soul can only operate within a functioning body; but these are completely eclipsed by the spiritual essence of life. One sees not a material creature foraging for food, shelter and comfort, but a spiritual being whose spiritual endeavors consume his or her entire being. For all but the most spiritual tzaddik, it is not possible, nor desirable, to perpetually maintain this state; indeed, it is Chanukah for only eight days of the year. But each and every one of us is capable of experiencing moments of such consummate spirituality. Moments in which we so completely lose ourselves in our commitment to our spiritual purpose that our material cares become utterly insignificant. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 9

10 seasons of the soul Nightlight - 3 rd Light The mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah lights begins at sunset... They are to be placed in the outer doorway of one s home; if one lives on the second floor, one should place them in a window which looks out to the street. Talmud, Shabbat 21b Evening comes early in winter, filling the streets with darkness and cold. One by one the lights come on. Amid the electrical glare, a warmer, purer glow asserts itself. It is the last week of Kislev, and from the doorways and windows of Jewish homes, Chanukah lights illuminate the night. For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah, light (Proverbs 6:23). The essence of our mission in life is to shed light: every time we fulfill a mitzvah we are lighting a lamp, illuminating a world darkened by ignorance and strife with the wisdom and harmony of the Creator. Every mitzvah is a lamp, but there are two mitzvot whose actual form mirrors their quintessential function. These are the two mitzvot whose fulfillment involves the generation of physical light: the lamps of the menorah, which the Torah instructs to be lit each afternoon in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem; and the Chanukah lights, kindled at nightfall each evening of the eightday festival of Chanukah. Indeed, the Chanukah lamps are the offspring of those of the menorah. The mitzvah of lighting the Chanukah lights was instituted by our sages to commemorate the miraculous rebirth of light in the Holy Temple after its suppression, in the 2nd century bce, by the Hellenist rulers of the Holy Land. The Temple s menorah was a five-foot high, seven branched-candelabra made of solid gold and topped with seven oil-burning lamps. Its seven flames, fueled by premium olive oil prepared under special conditions of spiritual purity, were the physical expression of the spiritual light which emanated from the Holy Temple. For the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the epicenter of G-d s manifest presence in the life of man, the point, says the Talmud, from which light went out to the entire world. In their endeavor to supplant the spirituality of Israel with the paganism of Hellene, the Greeks invaded the Temple, defiled it with their decadent images and rites, and contaminated the oil designated for the kindling of the menorah. But one family refused to yield to the darkness. Matityahu the Hasmonean and his sons (the Maccabees ) rallied a small but determined group of fighters and drove the Greeks from the land. After liberating the Holy Temple and rededicating it to the service of G-d, they searched for ritually pure oil with which to light the menorah. They found a single cruse of oil that had survived defilement by the Greeks. Miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new pure oil could be prepared. Every winter of the more than 2,100 winters since, we remember and reenact the triumph of light over darkness with the eight flames of the Chanukah menorah. A DIFFERENT MENORAH There are, however, several marked differences between the Chanukah menorah and the menorah in the Holy Temple: a) The Temple menorah was lit during the day (no later than 1-1/4 hours before sunset) and burned through the night. The Chanukah lights are kindled at night. (Immediately after sunset according to the custom of some communities, or after three stars come out, according to the custom of other.) b) The original menorah stood well indoors, in the inner sanctum of the Holy Temple (called the Heichal). The Chanukah menorah is placed at the perimeter of the home, on the outer doorway of one s home or, if one lives on the second floor... in a window overlooking the street. c) Seven flames burned in the Temple menorah. The Chanukah menorah holds eight lamps, all of which are kindled on the eighth and culminating night of the festival. Why these dissimilarities? In Torah law, there is a rule-of-thumb that All rabbinical institutions are mod- Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 10

11 seasons of the soul Nightlight - 3 rd Light eled after their biblical prototypes. So why, in instituting the practice of kindling the Chanukah lights, did our sages so differentiate between them and the lights they come to commemorate? STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE G-d saw the light that it is good, and He separated between the light and the darkness. And G-d called the light day and the darkness He called night ; and it was evening and it was morning, one day. Genesis 1:4-5 In the beginning, darkness and light were one a single, seamless expression of the goodness and perfection of their Creator. But G-d wanted contrast and challenge in His world. So He separated between light and darkness, between revealed good and concealed good, challenging us to cultivate the day and sublimate the night. On the most fundamental level, our task is to harness the light of day so that it extends to illuminate the night. We strive to preserve and develop all that is good and G-dly in our world, and to direct these positive forces to overcome and transform the evil and negativity of the dark side of creation. This process was exemplified by the menorah in the Holy Temple: kindled in the light of day, its rays reached deep into the night; kindled in an inner sanctum brimming with divine light, it radiated its glow to the mundane world without. But there are times when this standard operating procedure is no longer operative. Times when darkness invades the divine lighthouse, extinguishing the menorah and defiling its oil. Times when we can no longer draw from the day to illuminate the night. At such times, we must turn to the night itself as a source of light. We must search for the hidden single cruse of pure oil, for the undefiled and undefilable essence of creation. We must delve below the surface realities of day and night to unearth the primordial singularity of light and darkness. Therein lies the significance of Chanukah, when the menorah moves from within the Holy Temple out into the street, and from the daytime to the evening. Chanukah transforms the menorah from a tool that disseminates the light of day into a tool that extracts the luminous essence of darkness itself. [More specifically, the lighting of the Temple and Chanukah menorahs, together with the third lightgenerating mitzvah, the lighting of the Shabbat lights, chart a three-phased progression of light through space and time. [The Temple menorah stood in the holiest place on earth, in the edifice that was the seat of G-d s manifest presence in the physical world. The Shabbat lights find a source of light in a less sacred environment in the home, a place that embraces both our holy endeavors (Torah study, prayer, acts of charity, etc.) as well as our more mundane activities. Yet the home is our private sanctum; here we are in control, making the task of achieving harmony between the spiritual and material components of home life, if not always easy, then within reasonable reach. The Chanukah lights, however, test the very limits of our light-generating capacities. Placed in the doorway or in a window, they straddle the private and public areas of our lives, the boundary between the home and the street. [In terms of their placement in time, the Temple s menorah was kindled in early afternoon, the Shabbat candles are lit eighteen minutes before sunset, and the Chanukah lights are kindled at or after nightfall. This also corresponds to the sequence of their appearance on the macro-historical level. The Temple menorah came first, in the luminous years when G-d still communicated openly with man; commanded by G-d at Sinai, the mitzvah to kindle the Temple menorah was written into the Torah (Exodus 27:20-21). The Shabbat lights came in later, spiritually darker times, a rabbinical institution designed to foster harmony in the home on the holy day (Jewish women, beginning with Sarah and Rebecca, kindled the Shabbat lights from the very beginning of Jewish history see Midrash Rabbah on Genesis 24:67; Likkutei Sichot, vol. XV pp ; but as a halachic obligation they date from the time they were instituted as a rabbinical decree). Most recent in linear time are the Chanukah lights, instituted 21 centuries ago in commemoration of the miracle of Chanukah. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 11

12 seasons of the soul Nightlight - 3 rd Light [So goes the journey of light: a journey through time and space to ever duskier vistas, to increasingly alien environments; a journey from midday in Jerusalem to the darkest reaches of a world awaiting redemption.] CYCLE AND CIRCUMFERENCE This is also the significance of the difference between the number of lamps in the Temple and Chanukah menorahs. Seven is the number of creation. G-d created the world in seven days, employing the seven divine attributes (sefirot) which He emanated from Himself to serve as the seven spiritual building blocks of the created reality. Seven is thus the dominant number in all natural cycles and processes. Hence, the standard operating procedure to bring light to the darker corners of creation is associated with the sevenbranched menorah of the Holy Temple. If seven is the cycle of nature, the number eight represents the circumference (shomer hahekef) that defines and contains it, the pre-creation reality that both transcends and pervades the created reality. If the seven lamps of the Temple menorah embody the normative process of overriding darkness with light, the eight lamps of the Chanukah menorah represent the endeavor to access a higher reality a reality in which darkness is but another ray of divine truth. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 12

13 In general, the factors that might undermine the integrity of a Jew s faith and his commitment to G-d fall into two categories. Most blatant are the challenges of a material sort. The Jew living in Middle-Ages Europe had a choice: cleave to your faith and suffer humiliation, poverty, frequent expulsion and outright slaughter, or submit to the faith of your hosts. Twentieth-century America offered the same choice, albeit in more humane terms, beckoning to the Jew to shed Shabbat, tefillin and kashrut for smoother distillation in the melting pot and enhanced access to the American dream. On the individual level, we are daily challenged by the choice of devoting our lives to serving our Creator and fulfilling the purpose of our creation, or to the pursuit of physical gratification and material gain. More subtle are the ideological challenges: doctrines and philosophies that lay claim to virtue and truth, and might even espouse altruistic behavior and transcenwww.chabad.org seasons of the soul The Mudswamps of Hella - 4 th Light And He raised me from a tumultuous pit, from the Yavanite mire. Psalms 40:3 Yavan means mud. Rashi, ibid. Chanukah celebrates the victory of Judea over Greece, of a small band of Jews over those who sought to subvert their faith and profane the sanctity of their lives. In the course of the four millennia of Jewish history, many ideologies and cultures have sought to compromise our allegiance to G-d and His Torah. But there is something unique about the challenge posed by the Hellenists 21 centuries ago something that marks Chanukah as the ultimate triumph of spirit over matter and of light over darkness. SOIL AND WATER dent aims, but are utterly alien to the Jewish soul. A Jew disconnected from his roots and ignorant or unappreciative of his heritage is ready prey for the foreign waters that offer to quench his spiritual thirst. But infinitely more noxious is a third category: doctrines that blend the soil of materialism and the fountains of reason into a lethal muck. A person buried in corporeality can claw and dig his way out to sunlight. A person sinking in a sea of spurious reason can struggle to the surface and swim to shore. But he who adds water to his soil who saturates his materialism with intellectual fluid creates a morass from which it is infinitely more difficult to extricate himself. When his soul is moved to reach beyond the mundanity of the material, a host of rationalizations rise to still its yen; and when his mind begins to wake to the fallacy of the alien creed, the grasp of earth pulls him down. The person is thus steadily sucked down, as his efforts of mind and will to rise above his mired state are counteracted by the bog of idealized hedonism. Such was the challenge that faced our forefathers during the Greek domination of the Holy Land. Yavan, the Hebrew word for the Hellenic culture, means mud (as in Psalms 40:3 see Rashi and Metzudat Zion commentaries on verse). The Hellenic reformers did more than entice and coerce the people of Israel to embrace the body-worship of Greece they also sought to indoctrinate them with a philosophy that exalted the physical and made its worship a virtue and an ideal. The Greek was not merely pagan; his was a paganism aestheticized by art, glorified by poetry and hallowed by reason. The Greek was no mere materialist, but one who kneaded his earthiest wants with the subliminal waters of his intellect to form a mucilage that fastened on the soul and drew it, inch by inch and limb by limb, into the quagmire of Yavan. The deadliness of the mudswamp is further illustrated by the very form of the Hebrew word Yavan, (éåï ) whose three letters are three lines, each descending an increment lower than its predecessor. Unlike water, in which one might sink swiftly to the bottom but can also, equally swiftly, pull himself out, the mud of Yavan works slowly, drawing the person down bit by bit, step by step. At first, it only demands a slight, bare- Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 13

14 seasons of the soul The Mudswamps of Hella - 4 th Light ly discernible departure from one s convictions and morals. But its downward pull is steady and all but irreversible indeed, all efforts to extract oneself by the means of one s conventional faculties are doomed to failure except by the extremely potent power of faith, as explained in the text. HOLY MUD Mud can be made with the putrid water of sophism. But even water from the most pristine well turns to mud when mixed with soil. Thus, our sages have said: If the student of Torah is meritorious, the Torah becomes an elixir of life for him; if he does not merit, it becomes a death-potion for him (Talmud, Yoma 72b). The Hebrew word zechut ( merit ) also means refinement ; so the above statement can also be read, If the student of Torah refines himself, the Torah becomes an elixir of life for him; if he does not refine himself, it becomes a death-potion for him. If a person does not refine his soul, cleansing his character from the soil of its baser instincts, the pure waters of Torah become for him a mudpit of depravity: instead of buoying and nourishing his soul, his wisdom and knowledge only feed his ego, justify his iniquities, and aid his manipulation and distortion of the truth. This is the eternal lesson of Chanukah: intellect might be man s highest faculty, but it can also be the instrument of his degradation to the lowest depths. Chanukah celebrates the cleansing of the Holy Temple from Hellenic corruption, the triumph of the pristine essence of the Jewish soul represented by the small, pure cruse of oil that burned in the menorah for eight days over the mud of Greece. We each possess such a small, pure cruse of oil in the pith of our souls a reserve of supra-rational commitment to our Creator, with the power to illuminate our lives with a pure, inviolable light. A light that ensures that our search for water does not leave us mired in mud. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 14

15 seasons of the soul The Miracle - 5 th Light What is Chanukah?... When the royal Hasmonean family overpowered and was victorious over [the Greeks], they searched and found only a single cruse of pure oil... enough to light the menorah for a single day. A miracle occurred, and they lit the menorah with this oil for eight days. On the following year, they established these [eight days] as days of festivity and praise and thanksgiving to G-d. Talmud, Shabbat 21b Many miracles, great and small, accompanied the liberation of Israel from Hellenic dominance and the reclaiming of the Holy Temple as the lighthouse of G- d. But there is one particular miracle, the Talmud is saying, that is the sum and substance of Chanukah: the miracle of the small cruse of pure oil that burned for eight days. The challenge faced by the Jewish people at that time was unlike any that had confronted them before. Hellenism, a noxious blend of hedonism and philosophy, could not be resisted by the conventional tools of Jewish learning and tradition. Only the cruse of pure oil the supra-rational, supra-egotistical essence of the Jewish soul, from which stems the Jew s intrinsic self-sacrificial loyalty to G-d could illuminate the way out of the mudswamps of Hella. Only by evoking this inner reserve of incontaminable oil were we able to banish the pagan invader from G-d s home and rekindle the torch of Israel as a light unto the nations. But this was oil sufficient for only a single day. By nature, man s highest powers flare brightly and fleetingly, soon receding to the supra-conscious, suprabehavioral place from which they have come. When a person s deepest self is challenged, the essential oil of his soul is stimulated, and no force on earth can still its flame; but then the moment passes, the cataclysmic levels off into the routine, and the person is left with his ordinary, mortal self. The miracle of Chanukah was that they lit the menorah with this oil for eight days that the flame of selfless sacrifice blazed beyond a moment of truth, beyond a day of reckoning. That the small pure cruse of oil burned beyond its one-day lifespan for an additional week, illuminating the seven chambers of the soul (Kabbalistic teaching enumerates seven middot or basic character traits love, restraint, harmony, ambition, devotion, bonding and receptiveness from which stem all feelings and motivations of the heart). This was no mere flash of light in a sea of darkness, but a flame destined to shed purity and light for all generations, under all conditions. Thus the Talmud relates that it was only on the following year that these eight days were established as the festival of Chanukah. A year is a microcosm of time, embodying all of time s seasons and transmutations. So it was only on the following year, after it had weathered all fluctuations of the annual cycle, that the victory of Chanukah could be installed as a permanent fixture in our lives. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 15

16 seasons of the soul Compromise - 6 th Light The mitzvah of Chanukah is [fulfilled with] a single light for each household. Those who do more than is obligatory, kindle a single light for each individual. Those who do more than those who do more than is obligatory... kindle one light on the first day and add an additional light on each succeeding day. Talmud, Shabbat 21b The miracle of Chanukah was completely unnecessary. Every Jewish schoolchild knows the story: the Greeks had defiled the Holy Temple s store of olive oil. So when the Maccabees liberated the Temple, they could not find ritually pure oil with which to kindle the menorah. Then, a single cruse of uncontaminated oil was found, enough to keep the menorah lit for a single day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared. Strictly speaking, none of this was necessary. The law which forbids the use of ritually impure oil in the Temple would not have applied under the circumstances which then prevailed. According to Torah law, The prohibition of impurity, if affecting the entire community, is waived if the entire community, or all the kohanim (priests), or all the Temple s vessels, are ritually impure, it is permissible to enter the Temple and conduct the Temple services under conditions of impurity. Nevertheless, G-d wished to show His love for His people: He suspended the laws of nature in order to enable them to rededicate the Temple without any compromise on its standards of purity even if it be a perfectly legal and permissible compromise. GOING OVERBOARD Every Chanukah, we reciprocate in kind. How many lights must be kindled on the Chanukah menorah? Most would reply: one on the first night, two on the second, and so on. The law, however, is otherwise. According to the Talmud, The mitzvah of Chanukah is [fulfilled with] a single light for each household. Those who do more than is obligatory, kindle a single light for each individual. Those who do more than those who do more than is obligatory... kindle one light on the first day and add an additional light on each succeeding day. There are those who buy the least costly tefillin on the market, who give the absolute minimum that the laws of charity mandate, who employ every halachic exemption and loophole they can lay their hands on. But when was the last time you saw a single light in the window of a Jewish home on the sixth night of Chanukah? On Chanukah, we all do more than those who do more than is obligatory after all, G-d did the same for us. FANATICAL EDUCATOR The name Chanukah comes from the word chinuch, which means inauguration. Chanukah celebrates the renewal of the service in the Holy Temple after it was liberated from the Greek defiler, purified, and rededicated as the seat of the divine presence in our world. Chanukah thus serves as a model for all inaugurations, including the most significant inauguration of all education, a child s inauguration into life (indeed, chinuch is also the Hebrew word for education ). The uncompromising insistence on purity and perfection which Chanukah represents holds an important lesson regarding the essence of the educator s task. Compromise is anathema to education. To a mature tree, a gash here or a torn limb there is of little or no consequence. But the smallest scratch in the seed, the slightest nick in the sapling, results in an irrevocable deformity, a flaw which the years to come will deepen rather than erase. Virtually every life is faced with demands for compromises some tolerable, others not. The educator who wishes to impart a set of values and priorities that will weather them all, must deliver, in word and example, a message of impeccable purity, free of even the slightest and most acceptable compromise. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 16

17 seasons of the soul The Lamplighter - 7 th Light Why doesn t the shamash count? As every child knows, if you want to know which night of Chanukah it is, just count the lights in the menorah. But there are four flames in your menorah, Daddy, says my child, not three. Four flames? Oh, the one up on top is the shamash. He doesn t count. Why doesn t he count? Why, indeed, doesn t the shamash count? It is he, after all, who kindled the other flames. It is he who stands watch over them, should one of them falter and require a fresh boost of light. But isn t it always that way? The one who cooks and serves the meal is never really part of the party, even after he removes his apron and joins the others at the table. The tour guide isn t in any of the pictures (she took the pictures). The shadchan is the most unwanted guest at the wedding. Only the Chanukah menorah seems appreciates the significance of the servant candle, placing it high, high above all the others. Why doesn t the shamash count, Daddy? my child asks again. I look at the shamash as he burns at his post, alone, forgotten, ignored. Somehow I get the feeling that he wouldn t want to be anyplace else. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 17

18 seasons of the soul Accumulating Lights - 8 th Light Why doesn t the shamash count? The House of Shammai says: On the first day, one lights eight lights; from here on, one progressively decreases. The House of Hillel says: On the first day, one lights a single light; from here on, one progressively increases. Talmud, Shabbat 21b Unlike most other mitzvot, which can be (and usually are) performed indoors, the laws governing the kindling of the Chanukah lights stipulate that they be placed within the doorway or window of the home, so that their luminance should radiate outward to the street. The night may be dark, the street may be teeming with alien and commonplace elements, but if there is a Jewish home in the vicinity, the street will know that it is Chanukah. It will also know which night of Chanukah it is. On each of the eight nights of Chanukah, a different number of flames are kindled, expressing that night s particular place in the festival. On the first night of Chanukah, there will be one flame illuminating the street; on the second night, two flames; and so on. Actually, the Talmud records two opinions on how each Chanukah night should identify itself and cast its unique light upon the world. This was one of the halachic issues debated by the two great academies of Torah law, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel: the sages of Hillel held that the Chanukah lights should increase in number each night, in the familiar ascending order; the sages of Shammai were of the opinion that eight flames should be lit on the first night, seven on the second, and so on in descending number, until the eighth night of Chanukah, when a single flame should be lit. The Talmud explains that the sages of Shammai saw the Chanukah lights as representing the upcoming days of the festival the number of days still awaiting realization; thus, the number of lights decrease with each passing night, as another of Chanukah s days is expended. The Hillelian view, on the other hand, saw the lights as representing Chanukah s outgoing days, so that the ascending number of flames reflect the accumulation of actualized milestones in the eight-day quest for light. In practice, we follow the opinion of the school of Hillel, and an ascending number of lights chronicle the progress of the festival. This is even alluded to in the very name of the festival: the Hebrew word Chanukah forms an acronym of the sentence Chet Neirot V halachah K veit Hillel Eight lights, and the law follows the House of Hillel. Our acceptance of Hillel s perspective on Chanukah is also expressed by the name traditionally given to the eighth day of Chanukah the only day of the festival to be distinguished by a name of its own Zot Chanukah. The name Zot Chanukah is based on a phrase from that day s Torah reading, and literally means This is Chanukah. This is in keeping with the Hillelian vision of Chanukah, in which the final day of Chanukah the day on which all eight days of light have been actualized marks the climax of the festival: only on the eighth day can we say, This is Chanukah. Now we have the entire Chanukah. (From the Shammaian perspective, the first day of Chanukah would be Zot Chanukah. ) What is the basis for these two visions of Chanukah? And why is the view of the House of Hillel so decisively embraced, to the extent that it is implicit in the very name Chanukah and in the name given to its culminating day? The Debate There are two basic ways in which one might view something: in light of its potential, or by the its actual, manifest state. We might say of a certain person: He has tremendous potential, but his actual performance is poor. The same can be said of a corporation, a relationship, an experience, or anything else. Or we might say: There s potential for disaster here, but it can be contained and prevented from actualizing. Some of us are potential-oriented, which means that Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 18

19 seasons of the soul Accumulating Lights - 8 th Light Why doesn t the shamash count? we would admire the person, invest in the company, stick it out with the relationship and treasure the experience depending upon its potential. Some of us are more actual-oriented, viewing things in terms of their bottom line their actual, tactual impact upon our reality. This is a recurring theme in many of the disputes between the schools of Shammai and Hillel. For example, the sages of Shammai consider the moment of the Exodus to be the eve of Nissan 15, when the people of Israel were free to leave Egypt, while the sages of Hillel place the moment at midday of the following day, when the Jews actually exited Egypt s physical borders. (The question of the precise moment of the Exodus has certain halachic repercussions, such as the procedure for reciting Hallel on the seder night.) In another debate, the sages of Shammai consider a fish susceptible to ritual impurity from the moment the fisherman pulls his catch out of the water, since at this point the fish has been removed from the environment in which it might possibly live; the sages of Hillel disagree, contending that as long as the fish is actually alive (though its potential for continued life has been destroyed), it is immune to contamination, as are all other living plants and animals. This is also the basis of their differing perspectives on Chanukah. The House of Shammai, which views things in terms of their potential, sees the first day of Chanukah, with its potential for eight days of light, as the point in which all eight days are there ; but after one day has gone by and passed from potential into actuality, there are left only seven days in their most meaningful form the potential form. The sages of Hillel, on the other hand, see the actual state as the more significant; to them, the eighth day of Chanukah, when all eight dimensions of the festival have been actualized, is when the festival is at its fullest and most real. G-d s Reality We are creatures of the actual. We cannot live on potential nourishment, or be emotionally satisfied by potential relationships; on the whole, we judge people by their actual conduct, as opposed to their potential to behave a certain way. Reality, to us, is what is, not what might be. This is largely due to the fact that we are physical beings. It is a most telling idiosyncrasy of our language that immaterial means insignificant : if we cannot touch it or see it, it s not real to us. Also, because of our finite and limited nature, we possess potentials that we will never actualize because we haven t enough energy, resources or willpower to carry them out, or simply because we won t live long enough to do so. So the existence of a potential or possibility for something is not enough, for how do we know that it will amount to anything? Indeed, we often judge a thing s potential by the actual: if this much has been actualized, this proves that there is potential worthy of regard. Envision, however, a being who is neither physical nor finite; a being not limited by space, time or any other framework. In such a being, potential does not lack actualization, for everything is as good as done. On the contrary: potential is the purest and most perfect form of every reality the essence of the thing, as it transcends the limitations and imperfections imposed upon it when it is translated into physical actuality. For G-d, then, the potential is a higher form of being than the actual. This is why we say that, for G- d, the creation of the world did not constitute an achievement or even a change in His reality. The potential for creation existed in Him all along, and nothing was added by its translation into actuality. It is only we, the created, who gained anything from the actual creation of the world. So when the sages of Shammai and Hillel debate the question of which is more significant from the perspective of Torah law, the actual or the potential, they are addressing the more basic question: Whose Torah is it ours or G-d s? When Torah law enjoins us to commemorate the Exodus, when it legislates the laws of ritual impurity, or commands us to kindle the Chanukah lights, does it regard these phenomena from the perspective of its divine author, in whom the potential is the ideal state, or from the perspective of its human constituency, who equate real with actual? The Torah Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 19

20 seasons of the soul Accumulating Lights - 8 th Light Why doesn t the shamash count? Whose Torah is it, ours or G-d s? Both Shammai and Hillel would agree that it is both. The Torah is the wisdom and will of G-d. But as we proclaim in the berachah (benediction) recited each morning over the Torah, G-d has given us His Torah, for He has delegated to mortal man the authority to interpret it and apply it. Thus, He did not communicate His will to us in the form of a detailed manifesto and a codified list of instructions. Instead, He dictated a relatively short (79,976-word) Written Torah (the Five Books of Moses), together with the Oral Torah a set of guidelines by which the Written Torah is to be interpreted, decoded, extrapolated and applied to the myriads of possibilities conjured up by the human experience. So while the entire body of legal, homiletic, philosophical and mystical teaching we know as Torah is implicit within the Written Torah, G-d designated the human mind and life as the tools that unlock the many layers of meaning and instruction contained within its every word. Torah is thus a partnership of the human and the divine, where a kernel of divine wisdom germinates in the human mind, gaining depth, breadth and definition, and is actualized in the physicality of human life. In this partnership, our human finiteness and subjectivity become instruments of the divine truth, joining with it to create the ultimate expression of divine immanence in our world the Torah. Which is the more dominant element of Torah divine revelation or human cognition? Which defines its essence? What is Torah G-d s vision of reality, or man s endeavor to make his world a home for G-d? At times the Torah indicates the one; at times, the other. Thus we have the rule that The words of Torah are not susceptible to contamination (Talmud, Berachot 22a). A person who is in a state of ritual impurity (tum ah) is forbidden to enter the Holy Temple; but there is no prohibition for him to study Torah. Why is he forbidden to enter a holy place but permitted to think and speak holy words? Because the Torah is not only holy (i.e., an object subservient to G-d and receptive to His presence) it is divine. It is G-d s word, and the divine cannot be compromised by any impurity. On the other hand, another law states that A teacher of Torah who wishes to forgive an insult to his honor, can forgive it (Kiddushin 32a). This is in contrast to a king, who if insulted, has no right to forgive the insult, and no recourse but to punish the one who insulted him. For a king s honor is not his personal possession, but something that derives from his role as the sovereign of his people; one who insults the king insults the nation, and this is an insult that the king has not the authority to forgive. Yet does not one who insults a Torah scholar insult the Torah? How does the scholar have the right to forgive the Torah s insult? The explanation given is that the Torah is his. He who studies Torah acquires it as his own; G-d s wisdom becomes his wisdom. Whose Torah is it ours or G-d s? Both descriptions are valid; both are part of the Torah s own selfperception. In certain laws and circumstances, we find the divinity of Torah emphasized; in others, its human proprietorship. Thus, in a number of laws, the schools of Shammai and Hillel debate which definition of Torah is the predominant one. The sages of Shammai believe that in these particular applications of Torah law, the divinity of Torah predominates: the Torah s perspective is synonymous with G-d s perspective, meaning that the potential of a thing is its primary truth. The sages of Hillel see these laws as belonging to the human element in Torah, so that Torah s vision of reality is the human, actual-based perspective. The Human Festival In the great majority of disputes between the schools of Shammai and Hillel, the final halachic ruling follows the opinion of the House of Hillel. Halachah is the application of Torah to day-to-day life. In this area of Torah, it is the human element which predominates; here, reality is defined in terms of the actual and tactual, rather than the potential. But nowhere is the supremacy of the Hillelian view more emphasized than in the debate on Chanukah, where the very name of the festival, and the name given to its final day, proclaim that the law follows the House of Hillel. For Chanukah is the festival that, more than any other, underscores the human dynamic in Torah. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 20

21 seasons of the soul Accumulating Lights - 8 th Light Why doesn t the shamash count? As noted above, the Torah consists of two parts: the divinely dictated words of the Written Torah, and the Oral Torah, also communicated by G-d, but delegated to man. In the Oral Torah, G-d provides the guidelines and principles, while man follows these guidelines and applies these principles to derive and express the divine will. The Oral Torah has two basic functions: to interpret the Written Torah, and to legislate the necessary laws, ordinances and customs required to preserve the Torah and Jewish life through the generations. Most of the festivals are explicitly ordained in the Written Torah. This is not to say that there is no human element involved: the Oral Torah is still required to clarify each festival s laws and observances. For example, the Written Torah commands us to dwell in a sukkah and take the Four Kinds on Sukkot, but the Oral Torah is needed to interpret the oblique biblical allusions that tell us how a sukkah is to be constructed and which plant species are to be taken. Still, the festivals themselves were instituted by direct divine revelation. There are two festivals, however, that are rabbinical institutions: Purim and Chanukah. These belong to the second function of the Oral Torah: to institute laws and observances that derive not from a verse in the Written Torah, but which arise out of the historical experience of the people of Israel. These, too, are Torah, for they were enacted in accordance with the principles revealed at Sinai. Before reading the Megillah on Purim, or kindling the Chanukah lights, we say: Blessed are You, G- d... Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to read the Megillah... to kindle the Chanukah lamp. G-d is commanding us to observe these mitzvot, for it is He who granted the leaders of each generation the mandate to institute laws, ordinances and festivals. Yet in these festivals, it is the human element of Torah which predominates, while the divine element is more subdued. Of the two rabbinical festivals, Chanukah is even more human than Purim. Purim was instituted during the Era of Prophecy, when G-d still communed directly with the greatest individuals of the generation. The story of Purim was written down and incorporated within the Holy Scriptures that are appended to the Written Torah. Thus, while Purim is technically an Oral Torah festival, it is closely related to the Written Torah. Chanukah, however, occurred several hundred years later, when prophecy had ceased and the canon of the twenty-four books of the Tanach (Bible) had been closed. It thus belongs wholly to the Oral Torah to the predominantly human element of the partnership. So Chanukah is the environment in which the Hillelian perspective on Torah Torah as it relates to our tactual experience of the world in which we live reigns supreme. Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe; rendered by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 21

22 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories A Small Cruse of Oil by Nissan Mindel Twenty-two centuries ago, the land of Israel was part of the Hellenist Syrian Empire, dominated by the rulers of the Seleucid dynasty. Antiochus III, who reigned from 222 to 186 BCE, had waged war with King Ptolemy of Egypt over the possession of the Land of Israel. Antiochus III was victorious and the Land of Israel was annexed to his empire. At the beginning of his reign he was favorably disposed toward the Jews and accorded them some privileges. Later on, however, when he was defeated by the Romans and compelled to pay heavy taxes, the burden fell upon the various peoples of his empire who were forced to furnish the gold that was required of him by the Romans. When Antiochus died, his son Seleucus IV took over, and further oppressed the Jews. Added to the troubles from the outside were the grave perils that threatened Judaism from within. The influence of the Hellenists was increasing. Yochanan, the Kohen Gadol ( high priest ), foresaw the danger to Judaism from the penetration of paganism, and opposed the attempts on the part of the Jewish Hellenists to introduce Greek and Syrian customs into the land. The Hellenists hated him. One of them told the King s commissioner that in the treasury of the Temple there was a great deal of wealth. The wealth in the treasury consisted of the contributions of half a shekel made by all adult Jews annually. That was given for the purpose of the sacrifices on the altar, as well as for maintaining and improving the Temple building. Another part of the treasury consisted of orphans funds which were deposited for them until they became of age. Seleucus needed money in order to pay the Romans. He sent his minister Helyodros to take the money from the treasury of the Temple. In vain did Yochanan beg him not to do it. Helyodros entered the gate of the Temple. But suddenly, he became pale with fright. The next moment he fainted and fell to the ground. After Helyodros came to, he did not dare enter again. The Madman A short time later, Seleucus was killed and his brother Antiochus IV began his reign over Syria (174 BCE). He was a tyrant of a rash and impetuous nature, contemptuous of religion and of the feelings of others. He was called Epiphanes, meaning the gods beloved. Several of the Syrian rulers received similar titles. But a historian of his time, Polebius, gave him the epithet Epimanes ( madman ), a title more suitable to the character of this harsh and cruel king. Desiring to unify his kingdom through the medium of a common religion and culture, Antiochus tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by suppressing all the Jewish Laws. He removed the righteous High Priest, Yochanan, from the Temple in Jerusalem, and in his place installed Yochanan s brother Joshua, who preferred to call himself by the Greek name of Jason. For he was a member of the Hellenist party, and he used his high office to spread more and more of the Greek customs among the priesthood. Joshua or Jason was later replaced by another man, Menelaus, who had promised the king that he would bring in more money than Jason did. When Yochanan, the former High Priest, protested against the spread of the Hellenists influence in the Holy Temple, the ruling High Priest hired murderers to assassinate him. Antiochus was at that time engaged in a successful war against Egypt. But messengers from Rome arrived and commanded him to stop the war, and he had to yield. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a rumor spread that a serious accident had befallen Antiochus. Thinking that he was dead, the people rebelled against Menelaus. The treacherous High Priest fled together with his friends. The Martyrs Antiochus returned from Egypt enraged by Roman interference with his ambitions. When he heard what had taken place in Jerusalem, he ordered his army to fall upon the Jews. Thousands of Jews were killed. Antiochus then enacted a series of harsh decrees against the Jews. Jewish worship was forbidden; the scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned. Sabbath rest, circumcision and the dietary laws were prohibited under penalty of death. One of the Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 22

23 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories A Small Cruse of Oil respected elders of that generation, Rabbi Eliezer, a man of 90, was ordered by the servants of Antiochus to eat pork so that others would do the same. When he refused, they suggested to him that he pick up the meat to his lips to appear to be eating. But Rabbi Eliezer refused to do even that and was put to death. There were thousands of others who likewise sacrificed their lives. The famous story of Hannah and her seven children happened at that time. Antiochus s men went from town to town and from village to village to force the inhabitants to worship pagan gods. Only one refuge area remained and that was the hills of Judea, where faithful Jews hid in caves. But even there did the Syrians pursue the faithful Jews, and many died a martyr s death. Mattityahu One day, the henchmen of Antiochus arrived in the village of Modin where Yochanan s son, the old preist Mattityahu, lived with his five sons Simon, Elazar, Judah, Yochanan, and Jonathan. The Syrian officer built an altar in the marketplace of the village and demanded that Mattityahu offer sacrifices to the Greek gods. Mattityahu replied, I, my sons and my brothers are determined to remain loyal to the covenant which our G-d made with our ancestors! Thereupon, a Hellenistic Jew approached the altar to offer a sacrifice. Mattityahu grabbed his sword and killed him, and his sons and friends fell upon the Syrian officers and men. They killed many of them and chased the rest away. They then destroyed the altar. Mattityahu knew that Antiochus would be enraged when he heard what had happened. He would certainly send an expedition to punish him and his followers. Mattityahu, therefore, left the village of Modin and fled together with his sons and friends to the hills of Judea. Many loyal and courageous Jews joined them, rallying under Mattityahu s battle cry, All who faithful to G-d, follow me! They formed legions and from time to time they left their hiding places to fall upon enemy detachments and outposts, and to destroy the pagan altars that were built by order of Antiochus. The Maccabees Before his death, Mattityahu called his sons together and urged them to continue to fight in defense of G-d s Torah. He asked them to follow the counsel of their brother, Simon the Wise. In waging warfare, he said, their leader should be Judah the Strong. Judah was called Maccabee, a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words inscribed on his banner, Mi Kamocha Ba eilim Hashem, Who is like unto Thee amongst the mighty, O G-d. Antiochus sent his general Apolonius to wipe out Judah and his followers, the Maccabees. Though greater in number and equipment than their adversaries, the Syrians were defeated by the Maccabees. Antiochus sent out another expedition which also was defeated. He realized that only by sending a powerful army could he hope to defeat Judah and his brave fighting men. An army consisting of more than 40,000 men swept the land under the leadership of two commanders, Nicanor and Gorgiash. When Judah and his brothers heard of that, they exclaimed: Let us fight unto death in defense of our souls and our Temple! The people assembled in Mitzpah, where Samuel, the prophet of old, had offered prayers to G- d. After a series of battles the war was won. The Miracle Now the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate it. They entered the Temple and cleared it of the idols placed there by the Syrian invaders. Judah and his followers built a new altar, which he dedicated on the 25th of the month of Kislev, in the year 3622 from creation (139 BCE). The golden Menorah had been stolen by the Syrians. Lacking the means to replace it, the Maccabees now made one of cheaper metal. But there was no pure, sacred olive oil to light it with, for everything had been defiled by the enemy. Finally, they found a small cruse of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the High Priest Yochanan. It was sufficient to light only for one day. By a miracle of G-d, it continued to burn for eight days, until new oil could be obtained, demonstrating to all that G-d had again taken His people under His protection. In commemoration, our sages established these eight days as the annual festival of lights, Chanukah. Excerpted from by Dr Nissan Mindel, published Kehot Publication Society, Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 23

24 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files Begin Forwarded Message Subject: Contract Tender, Menorah Miracle Date: Kislev 24 3:29: PM From: miracles@admin.hvn To: MiraclesRUs@engineering.hvn, QualityMiracles@engineering.hvn, OutaNowhere@engineering.hvn, FlamingWonders@engineering.hvn, MikesMiracleShop@engineering.hvn, SeaSplitters@engineering.hvn, MadeInHeaven@engineering.hvn, PhysicsBusters@engineering.hvn, MiraclesUnlimited@engineering.hvn Background: In direct consequence to the overwhelming success of the Maccabee project and as a sign of appreciation to the courageous Maccabees who made that success possible, the administration of Heaven Inc. has decided to provide yet another wondrous manifestation of the truth behind the cosmos, a.k.a. a miracle. As is well known, the Maccabees yesterday regained control of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Greek Army, and spent most of today sweeping away the broken beer bottles and associated mess. In answer to the sincere search of the Maccabees for ritually appropriate Menorah oil, Heaven engaged the services of Hidden Surprises Inc., who were successful in engineering yet another miracle, the discovery of a flask of pure olive oil hidden in the ground and sealed with the seal of the High Priest. Now, another miracle is needed. The flask discovered contains only one days worth of oil. Although it will take eight days to prepare new olive oil, nevertheless, the Maccabees have decided to go ahead and use this oil immediately. In response to this inspiring display of alacrity, zeal and devotion, the administration has been instructed to perform one more miracle and insure this oil will burn for all eight days. We are presently accepting proposals on the implementation of this miracle. All applicants should prepare a detailed description of the mechanics of their proposed implementation, as well as their qualifications to perform such services. Note that requirements surrounding this miracle are quite stringent: 1. Eight Days: All applicants must demonstrate that their proposal will not just burn for eight days, but also provide a miracle on each of the eight days. Since the flask found by the Maccabees already contains enough oil for one day to begin with, some creativity will be necessary to provide this effect. 2. Fair Compensation: In consonance with a longstanding policy on all heavenly matters, often known as the measure-for-measure policy, the miracle should reflect the attitude and acts to which it is resultant. Applicants should insure their proposal blends smoothly with the general theme of the Maccabee vs. Hellenist episode and the no-compromise strategy of the Maccabees. 3. Halachah: At least the fundaments of halachic requirements for the Menorah of the Holy Temple must be taken into consideration, with extra points for fulfilling all requirements, and bonus points for extracompulsory details. Please submit your proposals and all correspondence to this address. Adjudication of presentations by all bidders will commence today at 3:29: PM. AV equipment for presentations will be provided by Heaven Inc. - End Forwarded Message LIGHT II: THE CONSULTANT The scene up there is far beyond the capacity of our earthly imaginations, since we imagine everything in coarse material terms. Perhaps I can attempt to explain it in whatever terms we share, as long as you promise to keep in mind that in truth, it is something far abstracted from any of what I might say. On the appointed day, an angel of wisdom, known as a maggid, stood in still reverence, waiting for the assembly to be called to order. His eyes scanned the 70 members of the Heavenly Supreme Court. They stood (nobody sits up there its just not in the repertoire) at a semi-oblong table, allowing all to see one another. But the central position of this table is not locatable, beyond dimension or place, since it is the (un)space of The Chief Magistrate of All Things. To the right hand of The Chief stood the ChairAngel (a.k.a., Av Beit Din), a powerful radiance about his face and magnificent robes flowing down from his shoulders. To the left stood the next wisest of the angels and from that point on, in either direction, the remainder of the esteemed judges stood solemnly by rank in G-dly wisdom. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 24

25 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files On cue, the maggid made his case. My lords, esteemed masters of justice and righteousness, he spoke, moving his hands gracefully. Today you convene to discuss a matter of serious, practical implications for every generation of the Jewish people from now unto eternity. Indeed, whereas the lights of other festivals may at times of darkness be all but extinguished, and eventually are destined to be entirely absorbed within the great light of the World to Come, the lights of Chanukah are constant and eternal as per the talmudic gloss of Nachmanides and his commentary to parshat Behalotecha. We are well aware of the gravity of our meeting today, patiently interjected the ChairAngel. Is there anything in particular you feel has not been taken into account in our planned adjudication? The eyes of the maggid widened. As you know, I am the maggid appointed to instruct an illustrious student, one by whos light all the Community of Israel shall proceed through the thick darkness of the last leg of their exile until the final redemption. He is none other than Yosef Karo, illustrious author of the Beit Yosef as well as the Shulchan Aruch, the most authoritative code of Jewish Law. Angels are an excitable group. At the mention of that holy name, heartbeats accelerated, ethereal wings began to flutter and amidst the scattered exclamations of Yosef Karo!, The Beit Yosef!, a spontaneous chorus of audio-oriented beings burst into harmonious accolades of praise and appellations upon the aforementioned. Eventually, the court was called to order. My illustrious student, continued the maggid, will write about the very issue we are gathered here today to discuss in his halachic gloss, Beit Yosef the House of Joseph. Indeed, the matter will from that time on be known by his name, the Difficulty Posed By the Beit Yosef. It is only appropriate therefore, that he be invited to sit in on our proceedings as an outside consultant. The ChairAngel scanned quickly the faces of the assembled heavenly judges, noting their unanimous approval. Clerk! he called, Bring us Yosef Karo! The clerk looked back, bewildered. But, your honor, Yosef Karo does not live for the better part of another two millennia! Bring us Yosef Karo, the ChairAngel commanded firmly. This is heaven. And we need him now. An Angel of Sympathy who stood near the clerks post read his confused face, leaned over and whispered, If we dont consult with him now, eventually were going to have to retro-write history according to his decision anyway. The clerk shrugged and walked out the door, still shaking his head. But he was back in no time. Trumpets blasted in royal fanfare and drums rolled as the entrance of Yosef Karo, was announced. The entire heavenly court rose in awe and glowed in neon colors. The vocal ensemble once again joined together in celestial chorus. Then he entered. In jeweled turban and flowing robes, his piercing eyes shining like sapphires, he walked forth in all humility, yet with the elegance and majesty of a mighty king. A heavenly court clerk rushed him a portfolio and a nametag and led him to his place at the consultants desk. The proceedings commenced. LIGHT III: QUALITY Quality Miracles is known for their high-end, lavish presentations. This one was no let-down. The upbeat, surround-sound music came on, the lights dimmed, and in a sprinkle of sparks, a sales associate dramatically appeared at stage center cupping in his hands a small golden unlit lamp. Brother angels, behold with your eyes! His hands opened and the lamp came in full view of all the court. The enlightened beings gasped in unison. Yes, you all recall! It is the holy lamp that was lit by those most transcendent and magnificent of beings, the Matriarchs of the Souls of Israel, Sarah and Rivka! Now the 3D video came on. The image of Sarah leaning her shining countenance of beauty over the Shabbat lamp in the pre-twilight of the Negev brought tears to the eyes of the Angels of Sensitivity. The hearts of the most judgmental beings were captured as, with breathtaking focus and inspiration, she uttered the words as though counting golden coins, Blessed are You, our All-Pervasive Force, Master of the Cosmos, Who has made us wholly transcendent through His mitzvahs and enjoined us to light the lamp of the Holy Shabbos. Then, as she waved gently her hands over the flame, Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 25

26 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files serene light flashed out in all directions, illuminating upper and lower worlds. And so, the agent from Quality continued, you must remember the great and wondrous miracle that occurred then, how the Natural Order of Things was transcended so the pure light of this magnificent being could illuminate all the worlds for an entire week, every week, for her entire life, and for the life of her heiress Rivka, as well! To this day, that miracle empowers every Jewish woman and girl to light up her world just the same! In a brilliant twist of suspense, the music found its way to a sudden silence, the video halted on a still frame. And who engineered that miracle? The sales reps voice echoed through the marble hall. With eye-riveting form, the still image morphed into the logo of Quality Miracles as the multitude of highres amplifiers burst forth with Quality! Quality Miracles! The natural solution to all your miracle needs! The music ended on a sharp climax, the video faded away, and the crowd burst into applause as the lights came back up. The Quality Miracles VP of Development strutted forth. Riding on the excitement in the air, he began promptly. Of course, the Chanukah Miracle project presents certain features that were not present in the Sarah and Rebecca scenario. We ve noted the two most significant: The Sarah and Rebecca lamp only burnt for seven days this miracle must occur for eight. Secondly, the Shabbat Lamp was a single miracle spread over an extended duration of time, whereas, in our case the Menorah must be rekindled every afternoon, thereby providing eight distinct miracles. The wise members of the court stroked their silvery beards and nodded their heads in heedfulness. Rabbi Yosef Karo only stared intently, as though precipitating every word. We believe our previous implementation can be easily extended to fill these requirements. And now, here is our senior engineer for an explanation of the technology behind this amazing accomplishment. A complex chart appeared at the presenters position as the senior engineer stepped forward. It was one of those charts that only an angel could read, describing in multiple dimensions the links and chains that serve as the backbone of created entities. Over here, the engineer pointed, we see the letters, or combination of forces that form the word shemen meaning oil. This connects with the Divine source of olives, as we see in this link, here. Note the intimate connection with the sphere of Wisdom of the World of Emanation, which is preserved throughout the creative process. As this linkage descends below, olive oil is manifested in each of the worlds, in each according to the parameters of that world. Finally, as it descends into the lowest world, the World of Action and Physicality, it becomes an actual material substance, derived by the crushing or squeezing of physical olives. As you are well aware, most miracles are performed by invasive fiddling with the mechanics of such links and letter combinations. Turning water to blood, dust into lice, vinegar into oil are all examples of such rearrangements of the system. Our strategy is far less invasive: Youll notice there is quite a bit of leeway in the quality dimension of this particular linkage. This explains why every olive produces its own quality of oil, with a wide margin of variety, especially in combustibility. Our technique is to hyper-extend that quality margin, thereby manifesting in the target olive oil down there an enormous capacity to burn even to eight times the original average power. It was obvious the judges were impressed with the professionalism, thoroughness and high entertainment value of the presentation. Heads turned towards each other, sharing comments and nods of approval. The VP of Development strutted back on stage and opened the floor to questions. Yosef Karo alone appeared unmoved. He looked about him, shook his head almost with disdain, and spoke assertively at the VP. Being from a practical world, where nitty-gritty details matter, I am still unclear on your proposal. The engineer got out his charts again, preparing to explain things in greater depth. No, I dont mean your schematics, or your software code or any of that. I m talking about the human interface. How does this actually get implemented? The Quality Team members looked a bit shaken. They were experts in high tech solutions. Humans were a necessary component in implementation, but not one that got a lot of attention. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 26

27 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files To be specific, continued Yosef Karo, what exactly are the Maccabees supposed to do with this oil on the first afternoon they light it? Well, answered the VP slowly and cautiously as though sensing a trap, They put the oil in the cups of the Menorah, like they always used to do, and they light it. And how much oil do they put in? The engineer jumped in. One eighth! Why should they put in any more? They only need one eighth, so thats how much theyll put in! Now one of the judges took a stab. But how are they supposed to know that one eighth is going to last through the entire night? The VP was struggling to hold his cool as murmurs were heard throughout the assembly. An employee rushed up to whisper something in his ear. Yes, we ve taken that into consideration, he continued. There s a contingency allowance to sub-contract Echo Communications, a firm that deals in supplying earthly beings with minor levels of prophecy, sometimes known as Ruach Hakodesh. Youll find that clause on page... The employee who had done the whispering could no longer contain himself and interjected, Actually, theyll probably figure it out on their own. They ll say, look, if the Almighty only gave us one flask of pure oil and of course He knows we can t get any replacement for eight days, it must be this is super-eight powered oil. Most of the judges were not impressed with this response, being rather skeptical of the mental capacity of most earthly beings. The VP glanced over his shoulder at his employee with a biting cold stare, then turned back to his audience swiftly donning a warm smile. By the way, he noted, you ll observe that with this solution there is a separate miracle each of the eight days. Each night only a little bit of oil burns an entire night. Every night a new miracle, for eight nights just as the contract tender required. The eight days is just wonderful and some minor prophecy is fine with me. The voice of Yosef Karo broke through the confusion, commanding silence. I have a different problem with your solution. The VPs neck was outstretched as Yosef Karo continued. As you know, the Torah does not state a precise quantity of oil to be placed in the Menorah for each lighting, only that there should be enough to last for the longest nights of the winter. Our sages determined this amount to be a little over six fluid ounces. Just so happens, thats the amount found in that little flask down there. Which means, they re going to have to put the whole thing in. Aha, the ChairAngel spoke now, that would be true in general, but here, remember, with this oil, one eighth is the appropriate amount for the longest nights of the winter! On the contrary, putting more would mean a violation of the halacha you just cited! With all due respect to his honored chair, I ve yet to finish, continued Yosef Karo, calmly, There is another halacha that applies to all the vessels in the Holy Temple. Out of respect for their sanctity, whenever they are filled they must be filled entirely. The VP beamed, oblivious to the trap laid for him. So we will have them fill the entire thing the first night! And then, only an eighth will burn the first night, another eighth the second... Karo pounced like a tiger. But didn t the ChairAngel just declare that to be a violation of the halachah!!! You ll have eight times the established amount the first night, seven times on the second, and so on. The hall burst into an uproar of debate. The brilliant counter-offence of Yosef Karo had the entire heavenly court ignited. With Qualitys solution there seemed no way out: You could fulfill one requirement or the other but there was no way to fulfill both. Above the confusion, another judge yelled out, Filling the vessel to the brim is an non-compulsory requirement! Let them fill up only an eighth, since that s all they can do! First of all, Yosef Karo replied, commanding immediate silence, the whole thing is non-compulsory to begin with. The Maccabees really could light with impure oil. When the entire community is in a state of impurity, such as they are after a war, impure offerings are permitted as per the Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim, folio 80a.. So whats the whole deal with this contract tender for a miracle?! The VP waved a paper in exasperation. Think for a minute, Karo reasoned. Why did they Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 27

28 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files search so hard for ritually pure oil when they could have used any old oil given the circumstances? And why did the Almighty contract the previous miracle of providing a hidden, untouched flask? Wasn t it all in order that they should perform the Menorah lighting in the most perfect way, not just so-so and get it over with? And that is the job of Heaven, inc., he declared. To perform a miracle that allows the Maccabees to go beyond the letter of the law, as they have committed themselves to do, for the sake of the eternity of the Jewish Nation! The judges were enthralled with the insights of Yosef Karo. Fascinated, they took in every word. Lowering his voice mischievously, Karo continued. Furthermore, who says they are allowed to fill the Menorah only partially each day, when they could fill it to the brim? The VP from Quality timidly ventured, And with what will they fill it to the brim each day if they only have one flask? With impure oil! shot back Yosef Karo. Since that is perfectly permissible under these conditions. The entire court exploded into animated debate, reviewing, shaking their heads and waving their wings frantically. Once again, the ChairAngel called for order. I humbly propose, he advised his colleagues, we consider another proposal. LIGHT IV: QUANTITY Official Report Card: Quality Miracles Proposal. Pros: Excellent multimedia presentation, esp. audio effects. Provides a miracle for each of the eight days. Elegance: Supernatural miracle produced without disturbing the natural order. Fulfills most halachic requirements, such as use of authentic olive oil and natural burning of oil to produce flame. Cons: Lack of coordination between team members. Actual implementation not well conceived. Little consideration given to human interface issues. One major halachic concern: The Menorah regulations require that precisely the amount of oil to burn through one winter night be placed in the cups of the Menorah. It is also preferable that the cups all be completely filled. With Qualitys proposal, there is no way both these conditions can be mutually fulfilled. It has even been proposed that, under such conditions, the use of impure oil in proper quantities would be preferable over using the limited amount of pure oil that was miraculously discovered. Rating: 3.5 wings The man from OutaNowhere appeared from out of nowhere pushing a trolley cart with coffee and Danishes. Your esteemed judges have been having an intense session here, he announced. Let s all take a break for refreshments! The judges noticed coffee mugs on their desks. The sales rep held only a tiny coffeepot, but proceeded to fill cup after cup with heavenly coffee not stopping for a single refill. Continuing to pour, he started his spiel: Yes, esteemed judges, I m sure you ll agree weve got a supernatural, nifty technology here. But don t imagine this is some useless gimmick! As a matter of fact, OutaNowhere technology was originally developed to fulfill a real need. To fill you in on the history of our product, just listen to this testimonial from our first successful client, none other than the prophet, Elisha! All eyes turned to the 3D video are, now filled with the scene of an agent of OutaNowhere sitting on the edge of a sofa in the Garden of Eden, interviewing Elisha who sat across the coffee table from her. Elisha, you are well known for your compassion and wonderful acts of kindness in the earthly realm. Much of your good work was possible due to your ability to transcend the present tense and see matters from a higher time-definition. You also developed an amazing and unique repertoire of record-breaking miracles. But there was one time you turned to OutaNowhere technologies for assistance. Why? Truthfully, everything I know I received from my teacher, Elijah. But then came a very difficult case, a woman whos husband had been a member in good standing of the Professional Prophets Association until his premature passing. The poor woman was left with two little boys to support, no pension, no real source of income. Neither her landlord nor the rental board had Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 28

29 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files any sympathy. By the time she came to me, she had in her hand a notice that if she didnt pay the rent fast, her two boys would be seized as payment! Thats horrifying! But couldnt you just co-sign on a long term loan or something? That wouldn t be professional. I m a prophet. My job is to help people discover their own inner wealth, not breed dependence, as you suggest. So I followed standard case analysis technique and asked the lady to describe her assets. Which were two boys... Which I understood as a reflection of the love and sense of awe within her. This, however, was apparently in real danger as reflected by the collection notice mentioned earlier. So all these material concerns and details were all merely reflections of a higher, spiritual drama? You re with me now. She also had a small flask of olive oil, reflecting her essential spiritual self. I needed some way for this inner spiritual wealth to release itself to the point of becoming manifest in her earthly domain. Now, how could you do that? Well, that s when I remembered a business card I had been handed just the day before, while wandering about the higher spheres. I checked my pocket, and there it was, OutaNowhere Technologies, inc.. Was OutaNowhere responsive when you needed them? Their tech support was fantastic. Immediately, we put together a plan whereby all the lady had to do was visit her neighbors and borrow their jugs, pots, pans any types of physical-realm vessels and containers. We realized this was basically what she was missing tangible, practical ways to express her inner soul. She gathered all this stuff in her house, closed the doors, let down the blinds and then started filling everything up with her little flask of oil. That must have been an exciting scene. It certainly was. The little boys were running back and forth, back and forth, bringing containers and more containers, while the oil just kept pouring and pouring out of the flask. Finally, she asked for one more pot and her boys told her there wasnt a single one left. And neither was there any more oil. And what happened to that nefarious landlord? With sales from the oil, she was able to pay him off, with enough left over that she could just live off the interest. So, thanks to support from OutaNowhere, another great act of compassion was accomplished in the physical realm. Not only that. This episode was reported and discussed in all the major prophetic journals. It was recorded as a classic for all times in the Book of Kings. You see, it wasn t just that lady who was helped. Since that time, anyone that is in a dire state of spiritual poverty is able to overcome his or her situation by doing the same as she did but in spiritual terms. By temporarily ignoring their state of spiritual poverty and just collecting vessels of mitzvahs and acts of kindness and allowing that essential self to pour into them, unlimited eventually all those deficiencies are spontaneously overcome. I ll challenge everyone in our audience to just try it out and see. And that message to the world is all thanks to OutaNowhere. That s right. Like another cup of coffee? The shot of Elisha pouring a cup of coffee for his host spun out to make way for an animated OutaNowhere logo, accompanied by a snappy OutaNowhere there when you need us jingle. As the judges were sipping their heavenly coffee, Yosef Karo was busy taking notes. Once in a while, he stopped to shake his head. It was obvious something about the presentation was bothering him. LIGHT V: PROZAC OutaNowhere had learned their lesson from what had occurred with Quality. You could tell that from their presentation. We re not going to bore you with all the technical details behind this tremendous feat of spiritual engineering, continued the sales rep. After all, we re an end-user oriented company. Weve put a lot of thought into the practical, nitty-gritty the things that count in the physical world where our target user resides. Heres our human interface expert to discuss ground level implementation. The H.I. expert stepped up in front of the 3D-video display area. Actually, we ve got two options to present. The first option youve seen a demo of already, but heres a short animation that will demonstrate how far weve gone into the details. You ll also observe the vir- Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 29

30 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files tual model of the Temple Menorah here next to me. A life-size image of a Hasmonean Cohen holding a jug of olive oil in front of the Menorah appeared. This being heaven, with more than 3 dimensions available, the image displayed that the jug was full. Here s the initial state. Now observe what happens as the Cohen fills the cups of the Menorah on the first day. As the Cohen filled each cup, the jug became successively emptier. But then, just before the last drop poured out, the flask suddenly refilled itself. The Cohen froze for a moment, puzzled, stared into the jug, and then ran out of the Holy Chamber yelling, A MIRACLE! A MIRACLE! Note, the HI expert commented, that as this scenario occurs each of the eight days, we have in effect eight separate miracles. This is in direct contradistinction to certain other solutions that offers only one miraculous state-change of the olive oil, which then remains consistent over the next eight days. Obviously, you can see the superiority of our... You call that superiority? yelled a snide voice from the back of the room. It was the VP from Quality. All this time he had been sitting in a back row, arms folded, waiting for his chance to jump back into the ring. Now, completely out of protocol, unable to contain himself any longer, he grabbed it. Why, with your solution, the only ones who ever see a miracle are those who are there at the time of the lighting! After that, its just everyday burning of olive oil. Our solution provides any witness at any point in time a clear view of a miraculous state, every day, at every moment! But you must agree, replied the OutaNowhere expert, smugly, that the actual miracle only occurs once in your solution. Once your oil is set to its high quality level on the first day, it just remains there. Here, every day, a miracle must occur for new oil to appear! What does that have to do with the project requirements? shot back Quality s VP. The Chair Angel called for order, chiding Quality s VP for his disruption of protocol. But the HI expert was delighted his competition had provided the opportunity for him to fully present his thesis. The success of a miracle, he explained, must be measured by the end user experience. Consider here the impact upon the human psyche. A continuous state of miracle would become accepted as natural routine within a single day. The sense of wonderment would rapidly wear out. By calling for spaced, intermittent miracles, we hope to sustain the wonderment factor for a much longer period. This, after a careful study of human psychology... Psychology shmykology! shot back the Quality VP. Who are you kidding? What do you know about human psychology? What do any of us know? We re angels, for heavens sake! That s right! replied the expert. We were on the design team. Design team? Design team? mocked the VP. Haven t you read the? If it were up to us, the Earthly Human Project would never have gotten beyond the World of Emanation stage! The judges were enjoying the entertainment, but the ChairAngel finally had to interfere. We have a human subject right here, he remarked. Why don t we ask him? Rabbi Karo was reluctant. I believe your test would be more meaningful if performed on a more skeptical specimen, he suggested. Perhaps you have a Hellenist about here somewhere? Or maybe even an authentic Ancient Greek? Your honor, ventured one of the lesser judges. Perhaps we could call in the Sar Shel Yavan? The ChairAngels face glowed with delight, as did the faces of the others. Yes! they cried out, one to the other. The Sar Shel Yavan! Who else could we call to test end user experience? In the data processing protocol of heaven, there are only seventy nations. Over each of these is appointed a sar or officer, somewhat lower than a full-fledged angel. Yavan is the name by which the Ancient Greeks are known. Thus the Sar Shel Yavan the officer appointed over Ancient Greece. He came hobbling on crutches, covered with wounds of war. His substance was as the walls of the chamber, that heavenly version of marble. You could still see the beauty and gracefulness for which he had been known, but military defeat and shame had taken its toll. We won t get into the details of the user testing, at least in this edition. Suffice it to mention that the Sar Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 30

31 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files refused to acknowledge any miracles, attributing everything to natural causes. When pressured, he began to accuse all the heavenly court of being no better than those superstitious Jews, believing in things that make no sense, relying on empirical evidence rather than the truth of the natural sciences. At any rate, he stayed to audit the rest of the hearings. Truthfully, the ChairAngel commented to Yosef Karo, We ve never had much success with end user experience. On occasion, we went through ten iterations of miracles before achieving our goals and even then only with partial success. The other judges nodded, resignedly. We even, the Chair Angel hesitated, had to... drown the test subjects at the end of that procedure... to cover up the data. Yosef Karo took over. I would like to go back to the scenario presented in your detailed animation, he continued. The OutaNowhere expert was relieved, feeling he was back on a more solid cloud. On the first day, that is the afternoon of the 25th, a miracle occurs, correct? A very startling miracle, your honor. At least, certainly to the Maccabees for whom it is performed. And on the second day, the afternoon of the 26th, the same miracle? That s correct. And so on, all the way until the eighth afternoon? Precisely. And then what happens? On the ninth? No, on the eighth. What miracle occurs on the eighth? Remember, there are eight days of Chanukah. Or are you proposing to change that? Well, just the same as the seven days before could occur. The human interface expert passed a quick, nervous glance over to the other members of his team. I m sorry, countered the ChairAngel. But we have a policy concerning such matters. Miracles must always serve a practical function. Nobody, not even Heaven Inc., is allowed to make miracles just for the heck of it. And in this case, since new oil will be arriving on the ninth day anyway, there is no need for your miracle on the eighth. The Cohen can just empty out his entire jug on the eighth day, with no need for your miraculous auto-refill out of nowhere. The sales rep from OutaNowhere was motioning wildly to the HI expert. All those dealings with earthly beings had dulled his angelic intellectual brilliance. But finally the puzzled expression on the experts face resolved into glee, as he exclaimed, Yes! Oh yes! Thats why we have solution #2. Here it goes: Another animation began. The initial state was the same, but this time, the jug emptied entirely. The animation collapsed the next 12 hours into a few nanoseconds, during which the oil progressively decreased in quantity. Then, just as it hit the last drop, oil returned suddenly to the cups of the Menorah. A Hasmonean Cohen entered the Holy Chamber that morning technically day two of Chanukah to prepare the Menorah as per Temple ritual. He looked in the cups, saw the oil and ran out waving his arms and yelling, A MIRA- CLE! A MIRACLE! Now, you ll observe in this scenario, concluded the expert, since the miracle occurs the day after, instead of immediately, the miracle must also therefore occur on the 8th day of Chanukah, in order that the Menorah may be lit on that afternoon! You ll also notice, pitched in the sales rep, that we ve provided all of you with auto-refilling coffee mugs to demonstrate this wonderful application of our technology. We re not limited to refilling the source we can even cause the recipient vessel to auto-refill! Yosef Karo sat poker-faced, astonished by the trap OutaNowhere had laid for itself. And what about the first day? he softly queried. The first day? Yes. You said the miracle doesn t occur until the day after. What miracle do we celebrate on the first day then? The expert was by now searching his pockets for his Prozac. His team members had their heads practically between their knees. The CEO of OutaNowhere could no longer take it. He jumped up there in a last ditch attempt to save his company. Gentle Angels, he said, feigning suave and good humor. I m sure you yourselves have realized the most obvious solution, so simple we didn t feel need to mention it! LIGHT VI: MIRACLE WHIP Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 31

32 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files Yosef Karo helped him out, in an understanding voice. You re going to tell us you are willing to let Hidden Surprises Inc. take credit for the miracle of the first day of Chanukah, right? You want the Heavenly Court, as well as the Court of the Maccabees below, to recognize that the discovery of a jug of oil sealed with the seal of the High Priest and obviously untouched was also a miracle, and one to be celebrated. The CEO was charmed to have found a friend. Of course, they could also count their miraculous victory over the Greek army, he added. e ll be glad to share credit with Underdog Miracle Services, as well. Hold it! A furious Angel of Bureaucracy was asserting himself. Who in heavens name is Underdog Miracle Services? Why, they re the team that engineered the miraculous victory over the Greek-Syrian army. Just a minute. We re talking miracles here. Big time miracles. Oil miraculously appearing out of nowhere. Coffee mugs that never empty. Total disregard for the standard conventions of the natural order. And you want to compare that to a natural event of one army winning over another in war? A very miraculous war. They used guerilla tactics. They knew the territory well. They had higher morale and greater conviction. The people from Underdog had been sitting in the wings ready for just this situation. Deftly, one of them leaped onto the stag How about we take a look at what actually happened, he suggested, and then determine just how conventional it really w. Before the judges of the court could nod or shake their heads, the lights dimmed and a 3D image of the Maccabee brothers appeared in the projection area. They didn t look like guerilla freedom fighters at all. In fact, they looked a lot more like sedentary yeshiva bachurim in ancient garb, hunched over their scrolls by an oil lamp, waving their thumbs and arms in a heated discussion of talmudic cases of damages. Now, let s say someone just rolls a rock by a hillside, and the rock rolls and causes some heavy property damage along the way. Maybe like even an avalanche or something... Well, his liability depends on this: Did the rock roll due to his rolling of the rock, or was his roll of the rock only an indirect cause of the rock rollin g? I told you last time. A rolling rock is similar to fire, and concerning fire we have a Torah edict... But Rabbi Eliezer says... Why do you always bring up that same Rabbi Eliezer?! I ve told you a thousand times his statement is irrelevant to this matt! Please don t yell at me. My ulcer, you know. As the heavenly court shook their heads in pity and compassion, the agent from Underdog continued his narrative, Now let s take a look at the enemy forces. You decide who you think will be more successful in battle. The judges were thrown out of their seats by the wild beat of raunchy Hellenist music, as thousands of fierce warriors danced in wild frenzy about huge bonfires, swinging their swords recklessly, guzzling gallons of beer, hollering and laughing at the top of their lungs. Stop! the judges screamed. Who gave you permission to bring those hoodlums up here?! The presentation ground to an abrupt halt, and the agent asked the judges for their respected opinion: Rate each side for its ability to win a battle of arms and bloodshed. The Greeks rated 95. Maccabees, Now let s observe what actually ensued. The scene was now the top of a Judean Hill. The Maccabee brothers stood about a large boulder, clumsily holding bows and arrows that may have been bought in a cheap toy store, awaiting the approaching Greek army. Look, here s a good example of just the sort of rock we were discussing last night. Just the sort of rock Rabbi Eliezer would have... I told you: Rabbi Eliezers statement has nothing to do with this sort of damages! How can you compare damage due to fire to... Brothers! The Greeks are coming! The Greeks are coming! It s obvious. This is a case of indirect damage. Thats exactly what Rabbi Eliezer is discussing! The whole army! Thousands of them! You re already assuming this is indirect damage! But its not! Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 32

33 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files Oh yes it is! NO IT ISN T!! Tens of thousands of footmen! Cavalry! Theyve sent the largest army in the world against us! Brother! I dont understand how you can ignore the reality of all this! Its just such a classic case of indirect... ELEPHANTS! THEY VE GOT ELEPHANTS! WHOOOOOEEEEEEY!!! Direct liability! That s what it is! They ve almost entirely entered the valley right now. INDIRECT! DIRECT! Yes! The entire army is in the valley below us! Theyll find us soon!! WE RE MACCABEE PURÉE! INDIRECT! DIRECT!!!!!! With that last assertion, the Maccabee brother pounded his talmudic fist down upon the boulder. As their debate continued, the boulder began its descent down the hill, gathering more and more rocks to join it on its mission. Within moments, a cataclysmic avalanche was in action. BUT RABBI ELIEZER... The leading flank of the Greek army was crushed in a matter of seconds. The central flank turned to retreat in panic, screaming at those behind to turn back. In the stampede Greek fought Greek the rear flank pressing forward, certain the enemy was ahead, the mid-flank desperate to get the *%*&#^!! out of there. BUT RABBI ELIEZER NEVER HAD ANY- THING TO DO WITH ROCK & ROLL DAM- AGES!! Within an hour or so, the Greek army was demolished. Those not buried under the rock and soil or killed in battle by their own troops simply ran home in utter confusion and trauma, with no idea how to explain any of this to their king, their people or their wives. The Maccabees eventually determined the liability issue was more complex than it had originally seemed. The Underdog reps were all slapping the back of the team angel that had played the boulder in that episode. And the heavenly court determined that, yes, this indeed was a great miracle. But Yosef Karo was not finished. He was up from his desk, examining the virtual model of the Temple Menorah. What s that oil made of? he asked. Why, that s olive oil, the CEO answered. From olives? Karo persisted. Olive oil comes from olives, right? I thought you just told us its miracle oil. So it didn t come from olives, then. Well, the CEO looked a bit perplexed, I ll have one of my engineers explain. An engineer came up in his OutaNowhere sweatshirt and laivees (as they are known up there), with all the charts needed to explain the technical stuff the team thought they wouldn t need to explain. As you are all well aware, he began, the physical world is the ultimate in finite creation. This is actually only a crystallization of the finitude which begins in the higher, spiritual realms. What OutaNowhere has discovered, through close observation of the workings of the cosmos, is quite astounding. Apparently, the energy source of this finite creation is 100% infinite. And that infinite force is continually invested within the finite, sustaining its existence and vivifying it. We all know, interrupted one of the angelic judges, that The Boss, Blessed Be He, is infinite in every way. And we know that everything comes from Him. But, how could an infinite energy source power something finite all the more so, be invested within it? Simple logic dictates that a large thing cannot fit into a smaller one, never mind infinite within finite. The energy within the cosmos must therefore be finite. That was our original hypothesis, explained the engineer. And I m sure that s what the Sar Shel Yavan still believes, and is one of the reasons he has such difficulty accepting the supernatural. However, the data we collected overwhelmingly points to an infinite energy source within the finite creatio n. Some examples? asked a wide-eyed angel. As the Talmud states clearly, there is no evidence of the forces of the cosmos weakening over time, or of the sum whole of the mass of the universe diminishing. Furthermore, we see infinite wisdom in each finite detail of the creation. When we saw earthlings tapping Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 33

34 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files into this infinitude by means of the mitzvahs, we were convinced. There are many other pointers, but let s get to our implementatio The engineer shone a narrow light beam on his chart, which looked vaguely similar to those the engineer from Quality had show Here, you ll recall, is the source of olive oil. It produces light, does not mix with other liquids and yet permeates everything all this due to its close link with the Sphere of Wisdom, as my colleague before noted. Whereas their strategy was to increase the quality property of this node, we are able to unleash the power of the infinite that creates the quantity factor of this element. There was no doubt the judges were in awe. Unleashing the Infinite was heavy stuff to throw around up in heaven. OutaNowheres stocks were rising rapidly. Rabbi Karo, however, was unimpressed. You ve yet to answer my question. So is it olive oil, or is it Miracle Whip? he reiterated. It s olive oil! It comes straight from the same place that olive oil comes from, just the same way! The engineer was exasperated. The CEO jumped in to help. Look, it tastes like olive oil, feels like olive oil, has all the spiritual and physical properties of olive oil. Because it is olive o he pleaded. Rabbi Karo didn t flinch. As I understand, in my very simple, mortal-being, non-angelic terms, olive oil is that which comes out of an olive. Not oil that comes out of a miracle. The OutaNowhere team members were holding their heads in their wings again. Rabbi Karo continued, But this oil comes out of nowhere, as your very name suggests. But everything comes out of nowhere! cried the engineer. You and I and olive oil and everything that exists all come out of absolute nothingness at every moment! True, admitted Karo, but that s not the end-user experience. The user-experience is induced by a facade of a natural order, by which trees grow, olives develop, and then they are squeezed by live human beings to extract their oil. In my meek understanding, th s the sort of oil the Torah requires be used in the Menorah. The entire assembly-on-high was utterly floored. Finally, one of the judges spoke up. We are at a loss, he complained. We fail to understand what Rabbi Karo is demanding. We re here today to plan a miracle. He seems to be demanding preservation of the natural order. Rabbi Karo, please make up your mind! I also wish to see a very great miracle, Yosef Karo replied, his confidence unshaken. I m only requiring that all halachic considerations be fulfilled. Is that too great a miracle for the Heavenly Court? The question dropped like lead on the heads of the court. No, very softly replied the ChairAngel. Nothing is too great for heaven. Why, we have the Power of the Infinite. Is that not correct, my fellow He looked about both at his colleagues and at the engineering teams. They were forced to nod. Finally, an erudite-looking angel, positioned not far from center, cleared his throat and spoke. If it is halachic compliance you deman Rabbi Karo, then I believe we can settle this matter quite simply with no modifications to the design under review. I had actually imagined these fellows had taken this into consideration when I noted the refill action...excuse m he gestured to the H.I. expert from OutaNowhere, could you play that second animation sequence again. Stop just before the oil refills. The OutaNowhere engineers eagerly fast-forwarded the animation to the frame where the oil was down to the last drop. Yes, stop there! the erudite judge motioned. Now, move ahead frame by frame...yes, so you see, there are a few drops left when the new oil appears! It is not appearing out of nowhere. It is simply an extension of the oil that was there from before. And just what difference does that make? his neighbor turned to him impatiently. A world of a difference! he replied. You see, there is a general principle applied in various circumstances throughout the Talmud that... An outgrowth is classified with its source! piped in an excited younger angel, proud to display his Talmudic knowledge. And liquid which comes into another liquid acquires the same considerations as the original liquid! joined in another. The angels were getting excited again. Talmud is a hot topic up there. They have always been jealous that such abstract matters were officially the domain of Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 34

35 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files coarse earthly beings. Once again, debate and discussion exploded in all directions. So, whats with the name, OutaNowhere? demanded one angel above the commotion. If it s out of nowhere, its not olive. If its only an outgrowth of the original olive, then weve got you for misrepresentation. All eyes were once again on the OutaNowhere team. The CEO was already on his cellular, talking with his lawyers. The sales rep leaped forwar Actually, we were going to take the name, Miracles Unlimited, but it was copyright already, and since the user experience In a bolt, before he could put his foot in his mouth, the CEO had his sales rep off the floor. Gentleman, he announced, it s all settled. It will take a few days for the paper work, but our company name is now officially, Miracles Unlimited. Now if we could just get around to the terms of the contract, I have my attorney on the phone... I m sorry to say, esteemed judges, but this is not what I expected. It was the voice of Yosef Karo, once again, and all were stilled as it echoed through the hall. I cannot hide that I am deeply disappointed. Here, my fellow Jews, the Maccabees went far beyond the letter of the law to challenge the mighty Greek army. I might add, if they had asked a competent halachic authority whether they were obligated, nay, permitted to put their lives and those of all the Jewish people in definite danger on the highly improbable chance they might win, the answer would have been a resounding No! Furthermore, they refused to compromise with the apparent reality to light the Menorah with impure oil, although, as stated earlier, this would have been perfectly permissible considering the circumstances. They searched every nook and cranny for pure oil, and the Almighty showed his appreciation and endearment to them, providing them with such. Everything until now has been a striving for the most immaculate service of G-d which reaches beyond intellect and reason. He paused. And then with a biting irony in his powerful voice, like a mighty sword piercing metal, And you are requiring that they rely on a flimsy kvetch and twist of the Talmudic thumb to burn oil on the second day that did not come out of an olive? This you call this the Power of the Infinite?! This you call the Kingdom of Heaven? His voice resounded through the Marble Chamber, pounding upon the ears of its court members. The very walls shook, and the most exalted of the angels looked for somewhere to hide in shame. As for the issue of whether this is to be a miracle or a natural event, did the Maccabees ask that question when they went to battle against skilled men of war riding upon elephants? Did they say, Well, if the Almighty wants miracles, let Him perform miracles without us, and if He wants us to fight, then what are these elephants doing here? No! They knew a G-d to whom miracle and nature are one, a G-d who wishes His world to know that physics, too, is miraculous! You engineers! the rabbi pointed sharply towards the sweatshirts and laivees in the OutaNowhere-nowknown-as-Miracles-Unlimited-tea. Didn t your eyes open to this when you discovered that the world He made is an impossibility, a marriage of the finite and the infinite? Then why is it so absurd to require that power here? If He wanted only an open miracle with no trace of physics, then why did He require the Maccabees to search for a flask of oil? Let it simply fall from the heavens! And if He wanted just vanilla physics, without any miracle, then let them find eight days worth of oil! But no, He, in His masterful scheme of things desires both. He desires harmony of the natural and the supernatural. He desires that the lighting of the Menorah be performed by natural means, with natural olive oil from olives, and yet be a miracle by burning for eight days. That is not my requirement, that is His. And you as His agents are charged with fulfilling it. The ChairAngel struggled to speak the words out of his throat. I believe we have one more bidder to hear out. Apparently, they plan to use only the pure, natural olive oil with no miraculous additives. They also purport to keep the cups of the Menorah full for all eight days. I move we hear them out. The motion was passed and Flaming Wonders began their presentation. LIGHT VII: BATTLE Official Report Card: OutaNowhere Proposal Pros: Strong precedent. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 35

36 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files But, Rabbi Karo! pleaded a stunned senior judge. You insisted that the oil not be consumed, and these angels are providing just that. What could now be lacking? Moses said clearly that the bush was not burning, answered Rabbi Karo. No combustion of its carbon. And that s just what you wanted, countered the sales rep. So if the bush is not burning, then where is the flame coming from? demanded the Rabbi. It s just there! the sales rep exclaimed, obviously having lost his cool already. What do you care where its coming from?! Do we really need a whole new technical discussion with the charts and schematics and more talk about infinite light and spiritual engineering? It works. It has worked in the past. It fulfills everything you ve talked about until now! It even provides a constant miracle at every moment! So just go with it! Yosef Karo took a deep breath and replied, The Torah states,...pure olive oil, crushed in order to be a luminance, to raise up an everlasting flam That irrevocably implies that the flame must be produced by the combustion of the oil. Now his voice rose again. But, in your case, as Moses clearly stated, there is no combustion at all! But that s what you asked for! exclaimed a row of angels in unison. I asked for halachic compliance, and I have not budged! was the firm reply. Now the whole court was in an uproar. Consternation and bewilderment were on the faces of many as they waved their wings to each other in frantic discussion. Some, such as the ChairAngel, tried to justify Rabbi Karo s position, but in vain. How could you please such a man? they argued. First he tells us the cups must be full each day with the very same oil as was originally placed in them. Then he demands that the oil be burning. Burning. That means being consumed. It s mass diminishing as it produces heat and light. So is the oil to burn or is the oil not to burn?! The man has to make up his mind! That s when the Sar Shel Yavan saw his chance. Amidst the commotion, he crept surreptitiously forth towards Rabbi Karo. At about two meters, he began his attack. Consideration of human factors. New miracle on each day. Superb coffee. Cons: Lack of coordination between team members. First day of Chanukah provides no oil miracle. Forced to rely on lower-level miracles for that day. One major halachic concern: The oil in the Menorah is required to be oil squeezed from an olive. This proposal provides a substance that has all the qualities of such oil, but is actually produced overtly ex-nihilo. Rating: 4 wings Flaming Wonders knew they had two tough acts to follow. But they figured their presentation had it made. A flurry of high-distortion, heavy-metal sound, a blinding flash of light and the whole of heaven was on fire. Hollywood-style flames were dancing out of the coffee mugs of every member of the court. With a mighty whoosh, one giant flame appeared at center-floor. A sales rep stepped out. Elegantly, he stepped over to a solid gold Menorah (real, physical gold), squeezed oil from olives into the cups (natural, earth-grown olives), and with a flourish of his wings set flames dancing across the cups. And then, in the 3D-projection area, appeared an image for which all the angels rose in reverence and awe. It was the image of none other than Moses himself, staring at one of the Flaming Wonder flames dancing within a bush. In utter awe, he could be heard whispering to himself, I must turn from my present, humanist mind-set to attain cognizance of this new obsvation, that this bush is aflame yet there is no combustion of its carbon! As the ear-ringing music reached its apex, all the flames in the chamber rushed together over the heads of the audience and in magnificently choreographed motion converged into the Flaming Wonders logo, with a subtitle, Do We Have Your Attention Now The entire heavenly court applauded, ecstatic to see that, yes, there was a solution, and one that could satisfy even their hyper-rigorous human consultant. Or so it seemed. The sales rep, remained there, smiling. Need I say more? I believe you have seen with your eyes, we have filled all the requiremen No, sighed an exasperated Yosef Karo. You need say no more. You have already said it. Or at least, we have all heard Moses himself say it. And what better authority on Torah-compliance than that? ventured the sales rep. Quite correct, added Yosef Karo. And since he clearly acknowledged that you fail to fill a basic requirement, I suppose you can take your little presentation and go back to your desk. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 36

37 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files This, he stabbed, is precisely the attitude that has gotten you stubborn Jews into all your trouble until now. Cannot you relent and see? If the stick is too long to hold at both ends, then grasp one end alone! His eyes began to shine, the polish of his marble glistening in the sharp light of the Chamber. One moment he was a dramatist, the next a philosophe Even I would be ready to accept what you call a miracle. It would take some convincing and explaining, but as long as there is some semblance of internal logic albeit not the logic of our world, perhaps the logic of a higher realm I am always open to hear anything that could make sense. But you, he pointed accusingly at Yosef Karo, you Jews will not suffice with common sense! He paused. His tone became more civil. You profess wisdom and rationality. Yes, I have admitted many times that your Torah is full of jewels of insight into human nature, a marvelous system of critical analysis that although quite distinct nevertheless compliments our own. It is, as stated within,...your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nation His tone suddenly changed. We could have blended so beautifully together! He began to cry. A Judeo- Hellenist Ethic! Your spiritual wisdom, coupled with our Science of Nature... The power of Greek drama in its pristine source now unleashed in all fury. But no! Like the olive oil we discuss today, you refused to mix! You refused to recognize your Torah for the marvelous pinnacle of human wisdom that it is, clinging to this archaic, primitive doctrine that it is something G-dly, something that defies as if it were at all possible the very Laws of Logic that set the parameters of the universe, of nature, of the gods and of all that is. When I saw your rituals, I learned many things from their wisdom. But there were those I could not fathom. When I inquired about them, your reply always boiled down to the same irrational, Because our G-d, the G-d of Israel has so commanded. I begged you to describe for me this G-d we could not see, a G-d who commands things beyond the intellect of his subjects. You told me He has no description. No explanation. He just is, you said. That which cannot be described and cannot be explained cannot exist! I exclaimed. And you persisted. You claimed that existence cannot be explained either despite all I had taught you of science and philosophy. When I saw those things, I felt moved to enlighten you. I had mercy upon you by abolishing those commandments that perpetuated this crude, backward doctrine of yours. But, like little children, you couldnt swallow the medicine the doctor prescribed for your own well being! You forced me to take an extreme position. I decreed upon you, Engrave upon the horns of your oxen that you have no portion in the G-d of Israel! But that drove you only further. You abandoned logic and good common sense, as though all this Torah of yours had nothing to do with that, as if it were no more than an irrational bond between you and something that cannot exist. You sacrificed your very lives and the lives of your loved ones as though nothing else mattered but this nonsensical, blind vision! So you see, I too sincerely desire that your light should shine forth! Let the oil of your wisdom burn and illuminate the entire world! But first we must ensure that it complies with human reason. At the very least, it must fit neatly within the realm of logic, and not step beyond. Yosef Karo s eyes widened. The Sar had enlightened him. So you defiled the oil on purpose, he uttered. The Sar smiled. Karo went on. You wanted the Maccabees to light the Menorah with impure oil, as a symbol of Torah compromised with human intellect. This would have been your underhanded victory! And tell me, the Sar countered, not using the oil simply because a soldier may have touched it with a ten foot pole makes sense? Reality does not require the approval of your common sense! THERE YOU GO AGAIN!! Excuse the interruption. A hand waved from amongst the engineers bench, accompanying the polite Danish accent. My job is empirical science, especially in the area of quantum physics, and I must say I am forced to agree with the rabbi. LIGHT VIII: DARKNESS SHINES The Sar turned with an imposing glare, but the scientist meekly continued. We don t use philosophy. We are empiricists. Meaning that we accept the data, whether it fits our current conceptions or not. Once we have the data, we try to make sense of it not the other way around. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 37

38 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files As a matter of fact, the scientist grinned slightly, we have observed certain phenomena very basic to the common reality that appear to counter common sense altogether. But they are measurable, nonetheless. Yes, but with a caveat. You see, as soon as we start measuring anything, the reality is impacted by our act of measurement. After all, just by saying that we are going to measure something, we are already bifurcating the reality. Were saying, theres us, and theres the thing we are measuring and then, of course, theres our act of measurement, which is a third thin So therefore? So nothing can really be known in an absolute sense. That leaves a lot of room for what they call miracles when you are dealing with unknowable states, well just anything could happen. Theres no absolute rule of cause and effect, as you Ancient Greeks like to believe. The Sar now demonstrated his mastery of sophistry, able to debate even on another s ground. But it is measurable nonetheless perhaps not precisely, but measurable. Everything, to be a something, must have some sort of measure to it, the scientist conceded. Idiot! The Sar shouted. Is then what these Jews believe empirically observable in measurable terms? The scientist was unperturbed. A scientist s job is to measure according to what he is able to perceive with the tools available to him, he observed. The job of the rabbi is to heighten the consciousness of the observer so that the inner world also becomes perceptible. And therefore? insisted the Sar. In a strictly material world it is true there is no perception of ritual impurity or purity in the oil. But up here, in the inner wor... But they believe in things that are inherently immeasurable!! Not in their world and not in any world! Because they implicitly deny measurement! Such as? They themselves admit that this G-d of theirs is immeasurable. And they believe in a Beginning! Creation ex nihilo! Now, go ahead, tell me you can measure and observe that the entire cosmos came out of nothing! Nothing is immeasurable. Precisely. And now, have him tell you about the Holy Ark they claim to have, that is 2.5 cubits wide but takes up no space whatsoever in the Chamber of the Holy of Holies. The court members looked at each other with widened eyes. They knew about that chamber, and on occasion certain beings were permitted entry. But they were never allowed to measure. That place was strictly His territory. That chamber was twenty cubits wide. The Holy Ark, measuring 2.5 cubits sat in the middle of it. The measurement from the left wall of the chamber to the left side of the Ark was 10 cubits. The measurement from the right wall of the chamber to the right side of the Ark was also 10 cubits. With the width of the Ark, the distance from one wall to the other should have come to 22.5 cubits. Yet, when measured, it came to only 20 cubits. The Ark took up no space. Yet it measured 2.5 cubits. It took up space and it did not take up space. This, the Sar Shel Yavan could not accept. And the members of the heavenly court were entirely bewildered. But you have lost! retorted Yosef Karo. The Maccabees did not fall for your ploy! They refused to do the rational and searched instead for the impossible for an untouched flask of pure oil! One more small defeat in battle, the Sar sighed. But the war I shall still win. For you have gone too far. You are attacking the very basis of logic, and that battle you cannot win. Let me explain something, he continued, since it is I who is the master of mathematics and logic. In our world, one plus one is two. I am ready to accept that a world could have been created where one plus one could be three, or five, or seventeen, or whatever its Creator wishes it to be. I can even accept a world where two conclusions, or even more could be drawn from one equation, as your friend the quantum physicist here wishes to posit. As I said, as long as there is a logic, whatever that logic might be. As long as there are true statements and false statements, there is logic and there is reality. But what I cannot accept is that one plus one should equal two and the same one plus one should not equal two. That a statement should be both true and false at once. That is a denial of logic. If that could be so, then you and I and all our world and all that exists has no true substance! Now he began to scream again, in a maddened, desperate shrill tone. And that is precisely what you are demanding! You want that oil should burn, yet not be Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 38

39 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Menorah Files burning! That the laws of nature be preserved, yet a miracle occur! You are demanding darkness to shine and yet remain darkness! But it cannot be!! You cannot defy the very binary foundation of reality, of being! Yes, the scientist piped in. Reality is definitely binary. The whole cosmos is built on is and isn t. If the Rabbi wants us to abrogate that to have his miracle, well, it just cant be done. Not even by Heaven, Inc.. Yosef Karo swung around in royal form to face and command the court. Esteemed masters of judgement! he declared. Empowered to do the work of the Infinite Master of All Being! Could it be that the hand of heaven is limited in any way? Perform the Miracle of Chanukah in utmost perfection as the Torah so demands! Silence was all he received in response. Quietness, the echo of his own voice and a room of pale faces. His eyes flashed from one angel to the next, to the next, this one in tears, anothers face covered with shame, some shaking their heads in sorrow, wings drooping, the glow of heaven all but gone from their countenance. Finally, the ChairAngel spoke up. Illustrious Rabbi. He forced out his words, as though reading from a script, a glistening tear rolling over his cheek. We thank you very much for coming today, and enlightening us with your unique perspective. It is with deep regret, however, that we inform you we are unable to process your request. We refer to the advice we have received that for a flame to both burn and not burn, for the same oil to be consumed and not be consumed, to preserve the laws of nature and defy those very same laws at once, abrogates the very basis of reality. We in heaven can make anything be. Or we can make it not be. But nothing can both be and not be at once. However, we assure you we will do our best to hire the applicant who comes closest to fulfilling the requirements you have laid out before. For a moment, Karo was still. He bit his lip, perhaps he shivered it would be hard to tell. Then he turned ever so deliberately towards the center of the assembly and stepped in awe and trembling towards that point in the epicenter that transcended place, time and consciousness. The Divine Spirit of the Infinite Light And Beyond overcame and enveloped him, as he raised his hands and cried out in a piercing, mighty voice, like the massive waves of a storm crashing upon the shore: You Who dwells in darkness as You do in light, Who is found in concealment as in revelation! Beyond Being and Not Being, You who unites all things and for Whom all things are one! And then, even louder, unbearably, tortuously... Almighty Father in Heaven, have compassion upon your children who have given their lives to the slaughter for the sake of Your Great and Awesome Name! The echo of his voice pounded the walls of the chamber, shaking them to the ground. The supernal beings of the heavens stood in their places as though stunned. All mouths were closed, all wings held their place in readied stillness. And then the glory of the Holy One, Blessed be He rose in all worlds. A light that shone with equal intensity in all places, in all realms, for it knows no place or time. It is the Ohr haganuz! exclaimed the ChairAngel in reverence. The light of the first day of Creation that was hidden until the Time to Come! We must all descend below to see whence comes this light! So it was that the entire Supreme Court of the Heavens descended into the Holy Chamber of the Temple in Jerusalem the physical one on this earth to witness the miracle of the Menorah, as the oil burned to produce a flame, but did not burn; combustion occurred, but did not occur; oil was consumed and none was consumed; transforming darkness into light while remaining darkness. Silence reigned. And the silence was also Light. This is my G-d, whispered Yosef Karo. This is my G-d and I will praise Him. And all the heavenly court and the whole host of heaven, indeed all of G-ds creation and infinite emanations burst into the song of Hallel, the praise of the Ultimately Infinite. Including, noted Rabbi Karo, the Sar Shel Yavan. Darkness shone. Sources: See the thesis Mai Chanukah, based on the Lubavitcher Rebbe s examination of the miracle of Chanukah (Kehot Publication Society, NY, 1994) By Tzvi Freeman; tfreeman@chabadonline.com see for bio, info and more articles by this author as well as to order his book, "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth". Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 39

40 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories Judith It is not clearly known when the story, which we are about to tell, actually took place. The story first appeared in a very ancient book named after the heroine, Yehudit (Judith). However, the original Hebrew text was lost, and only a Greek translation remained, and not a very accurate one at that. The story was retold in different versions. According to one version, it happened during the time of the Maccabean revolt against Syrian oppression (which resulted in a miraculous victory and gave us the festival of Chanukah). According to this account, Yehudit was a daughter of Yochanan the High Priest, father of the Hasmonean family. At any rate, the heroic deed of Yehudit has inspired faith and courage in the hearts of Jews throughout the ages. The town of Bethulia, in the land of Judea, came under siege by Holofernes, a mighty Syrian-Greek general, at the head of a huge army. Holofernes was notorious for his cruelty in suppressing rebellions. When he captured a rebel stronghold, he showed no mercy to the men, women, and children sheltered there. Now he was determined to crush the rebellion of the town of Bethulia, whose inhabitants refused to recognize the oppressive rule of the Syrians. The men of the beleaguered town fought bravely and desperately to repulse the repeated assaults by the superior enemy forces. Seeing that he couldn t take the fortified town by force, Holofernes decided to starve the inhabitants into submission. He cut off the food and water supply, and before long the town was indeed brought to the verge of surrender. Hungry and thirsty and in utter despair, the townspeople gathered in the marketplace and demanded that, rather than die of hunger and thirst, they should surrender to the enemy. Uzzia, the commander of the defense forces, and the Elders of the town, tried to calm the populace, without success. Finally they pleaded, Give us five more days. If no salvation comes by the end of five days, we will surrender. Just five more days... Reluctantly the people agreed, and slowly they dispersed. Only one person, a woman, remained in her place, as if riveted to it, and she addressed Uzzia and the Elders, who had also turned to go. Her voice was clear and firm. Why do you test G-d, giving Him five days in which to send us His help? If you truly have faith in G-d, you must never give up your trust in Him. Besides, don t you know that surrender to Holofernes is worse than death? So spoke Yehudit, the noble daughter of Yochanan the High Priest. She was a young widow. It was several years since she had lost her beloved husband Menashe, and had devoted all her time to prayer and acts of charity ever since. Yehudit was blessed with extraordinary charm, grace, and beauty, but she was particularly respected and admired for her devoutness, modesty and loving kindness. Yehudit s words made a deep impression on Uzzia and the Elders. You are quite right, daughter, they admitted, but what can we do? Only a downpour of rain that would fill our empty cisterns could save our people, but it is not the rainy season. We are all suffering the pangs of hunger and thirst. Pray for us, Yehudit, and perhaps G-d will accept your prayers. We must all continue to pray, and never despair of G-d s help, Yehudit said. But I have also thought of a plan. I ask your permission to leave town together with my maid. I want to go to Holofernes. Uzzia and the Elders were shocked and dismayed. Do you know what you are saying, Yehudit? Would you sacrifice your life and honor on the slim chance that you might soften Holofernes s heart? We cannot allow you to make such a sacrifice for us. But Yehudit persisted. It had happened before that G-d sent His salvation through a woman. Yael, the wife of Heber, was her name, as you well know. It was in her hands that G-d delivered the cruel Sissera. Uzzia and the Elders attempted to discourage Yehudit from such a dangerous mission, but she Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 40

41 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories Judith insisted that she be allowed to try. Finally, they agreed. Yehudit passed through the gates of Bethulia, dressed in her best clothes, which she had not worn since her husband passed away. A delicate veil all but hid her beautiful face. She was accompanied by her faithful maid, who carried on her head a basket filled with rolls, cheese, and several bottles of old wine. The sun had already begun to hide behind the green mountains when Yehudit and her maid wound their way toward the enemy s camp, their lips whispering a prayer to G-d. Presently they were stopped by sentries, who demanded to know who they were and who sent them. We have an important message for your commander, the brave Holofernes, Yehudit said. Take us to him at once. Who are you, and why are you here? Holofernes asked, his eyes feasting on his unexpected, charming visitor. I am but a plain widow from Bethulia. Yehudit is my name. I came to tell you how to capture the town, in the hope that you will deal mercifully with its inhabitants... Yehudit then told Holofernes that life in the beleaguered town had become unbearable for her, and she bribed the watchmen to let her and her maid out. She went on to say that she had heard of Holofernes s bravery and mighty deeds in battle, and wished to make his acquaintance. Finally she told Holofernes, what he already knew, that the situation in the besieged town was desperate, that the inhabitants have very little food and water left. Yet, she said, their faith in G-d remained strong, and so long as they had faith, they would not surrender. On the other hand, she added, before long, every scrap of kosher food would be gone, and in desperation they will begin to eat the flesh of unclean animals, and then G-d s anger will be turned against them, and the town will fall... But how will I know when the defenders of the citadel will begin to eat unkosher food, as you say, so that I can then storm the walls and capture the city? the commander of the besieging army asked. I had thought of that, Yehudit answered confidently. I have arranged with the watchmen at the city s gates that I would come to the gate every evening to exchange information: I will tell them what s doing here, and they will tell me what s doing there. Holofernes was completely captivated by the charming young Jewish widow who had so unexpectedly entered his life and was now offering him the key to the city. If you are telling me the truth, and will indeed help me capture the city, you will be my wife! Holofernes promised. Then he gave orders that Yehudit and her maid were to have complete freedom to walk through the camp, and anyone attempting to molest them in any way would be put to death immediately. A comfortable tent was prepared for the two women, next to his. The two women, veiled and wrapped in their shawls, could now be seen walking leisurely through the armed camp at any time during the day and evening. Fearful of the commander s strict orders, everyone gave them a wide berth. Soon they attracted little, if any, attention. Yehudit could now walk up to the city s gates after dark, where she was met by a watchman. Tell Uzzia that, thank G-d, everything is shaping up according to plan. With G-d s help we shall prevail over our enemy. Keep your trust strong in G-d; do not lose hope for a moment! Having delivered this message for the commander of the defense force of the city, Yehudit departed as quietly as she had appeared. The following evening she came again to the city s gate and repeated the same message, adding that she had won Holofernes complete confidence. In the meantime, Holofernes, having nothing special to do, spent most of his time drinking, with and without his aides. When he was not completely drunk, he would send for Yehudit. She always came to his tent in the company of her maid. On the third day he was already getting impatient. Well, gracious Yehudit, what intelligence do you bring me today? My men are getting impatient and demoralized doing nothing; they cannot wait to cap- Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 41

42 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories Judith ture the city and have their fun... I have very good news, general. There is not a scrap of kosher food left in the city now. In a day or two, famine will drive them to eat their cats and dogs and mules. Then G-d will deliver them into your hands! Wonderful, wonderful! This surely calls for a celebration. Tonight we ll have a party, just you and I. I shall expect you as my honored guest. Thank you, sir, Yehudit said. That evening, when Yehudit entered Holofernes tent, the table was laden with various delicacies. The general was delighted to welcome her and bade her partake of the feast. But Yehudit told him she brought her own food and wine that she had prepared especially for that occasion. My goat cheese is famous in all of Bethulia, Yehudit said, I m sure you ll like it, general. He did. And he also liked the strong, undiluted wine she had brought. She fed him the cheese, chunk after chunk, and he washed it down with wine. Before long he was sprawled on the ground, dead drunk. Yehudit propped a pillow under his head and rolled him over on his face. Then she uttered a silent prayer. Answer me, O L-rd, as You answered Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, when you delivered the wicked general Sissera into her hands. Strengthen me this once that I may bring Your deliverance to my people whom this cruel man vowed to destroy, and let the nations know that You have not forsaken us... Now Yehudit unsheathed Holofernes heavy sword, and taking aim at his neck, she brought the sword down on it with all her might. For a moment she sat down to compose herself. Then she wrapped up the general s head in rags, concealed it under her shawl, and calmly walked out and into her own tent. Come quickly, she said to her maid, but let us not arouse suspicion. The two veiled women walked leisurely, as usual, until they reached the gates of the city. Take me to Uzzia at once, she said to the sentry. Uzzia could not believe his eyes as he stared at the gruesome prize Yehudit had brought him. There is no time to lose, she told the commander. Prepare your men for a surprise attack at dawn. The enemy s camp is not prepared for it. When they run to their commander s tent, they will find his headless body, and they will flee for their lives... This is precisely what happened. The enemy fled in confusion and terror, leaving much booty behind. Excerpted from the Complete Story of Chanukah, by Dr Nissan Mindel, published by Kehot Publication Society, Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 42

43 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Vanishing Flame It was the first night of Chanukah. Outside a snowstorm raged, but inside it was tranquil and warm. The Rebbe, Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuz, grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, stood in front of the menorah, surrounded by a crowd of his Chassidim. He recited the blessings with great devotion, lit the single candle, placed the shammash ( servant candle ) in its designated place, and began to sing HaNairot Halalu. His face radiated holiness and joy; the awed Chassidim stared intently at him. The flame of the candle was burning strongly. Rebbe and Chassidim sat nearby and sang Maoz Tsur and other Chanukah songs. All of a sudden, the candle began to flicker and leap wildly, even though there wasn t the slightest breeze in the house. It was as if it were dancing. Or struggling. And then, it disappeared! It didn t blow out, there was no smoke, it just was not there anymore. It was as if it flew off somewhere else. The Rebbe himself seemed lost in thought. His attendant went over to re-light the wick, but the Rebbe waved him off. He motioned to the Chassidim to continue singing. Several times, between tunes, the Rebbe spoke words of Torah. The evening passed delightfully, and the Chassidim present had all but forgotten about the disappearing Chanukah candle. It was nearly midnight when the harsh sound of carriage wheels grating on the snow and ice exploded the tranquility. The door burst open and in came a Chassid who hailed from a distant village. His appearance was shocking. His clothes were ripped and filthy, and his face was puffy and bleeding. And yet, in stark contrast to his physical state, his eyes were sparkling and his features shone with joy. He sat down at the table, and with all eyes upon him, began to speak excitedly. This isn t the first time I came to Mezhibuz by the forest route, and I know the way very well. But there was a terrible snow storm this week, which greatly slowed my advance. I began to worry that I wouldn t get here in time to be with the Rebbe for the first night of Chanukah. The thought disturbed me so much, I decided not to wait out the storm, but to plod ahead and travel day and night, in the hope that I could reach my destination on time. That was a foolish idea, I must admit, but I didn t realize that until too late. Last night, I ran into a gang of bandits, who were quite pleased to encounter me. They figured if I was out in this weather, at night, alone, I must be a wealthy merchant whose business could not brook delay. They demanded that I surrender to them all of my money. I tried to explain, I pleaded with them, but they absolutely refused to believe I had no money. They seized the reins of my horses and leapt on my wagon. They sat themselves on either side of me to keep me under close surveillance, and then drove me and my wagon off to meet their chief to decide my fate. While they waited for their chief to arrive, they questioned and cross-examined me in great detail, searched me and the wagon, and beat me, trying to elicit the secret of where I had hidden my money. I had nothing to tell them except the truth, and that they weren t prepared to accept. After hours of this torture, they bound me and threw me, injured and exhausted, into a dark cellar. I was bleeding from the wounds they had inflicted, and my whole body ached in pain. I lay there until the evening, when the gang leader came to speak with me. I tried to the best of my ability to describe to him the great joy of being in the Rebbe s presence, and how it was so important to me to get to the Rebbe by the start of the holiday that it was worth it to endanger myself by traveling at night. It seems that my words made an impression on him, or else he was persuaded by my adamancy even under torture. But whichever it was, thank G-d he released me from the handcuffs, saying: I sense that your faith in G-d is strong and your longing to be with your Rebbe is genuine and intense. Now we shall see if this is the truth. I am going to let you go, but you should know that the way is extremely dangerous. Even the most rugged people never venture into the heart of the forest alone, only in groups, and especially not in a storm Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 43

44 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Vanishing Flame and at night. You can leave and try your luck. And I am telling you, if you get through the forest and the other terrible conditions safely, unharmed by the ferocious wild beasts or anything else, then I will break up my gang and reform my ways. If you actually reach the outskirts of the city, then throw your handkerchief into the ditch next to the road, behind the signpost there. One of my men will be waiting, and that is how I will know that you made it. I then became terrified all over again. The hardships I had already endured were seared into my soul, and now even more frightening nightmares awaited me. But when I thought about how wonderful it is to be with the Rebbe at the menorah lighting, I shook off all my apprehensions and resolved not to delay another moment. My horse and carriage were returned to me and I set off on my way. There was total darkness all around. I could hear the cries of the forest animals, and they sounded close. I feared that I was surrounded by a pack of vicious wolves. I crouched down over my horse s neck and spurred him on. He refused to move in the pitch blackness. I lashed him. He didn t budge. I had no idea what to do. At that moment, a small light flickered in front of the carriage. The horse stepped eagerly towards it. The light advanced. The horse followed. All along the way, the wild animals fled from us, as if the tiny dancing flame was driving them away. We followed that flame all the way here. I kept my end of the bargain and threw my handkerchief at the designated place. Who knows? Perhaps those cruel bandits will change their ways, all in the merit of that little light. It was only then that the Chassidim noticed that the Rebbe s Chanukah light had returned. There it was, burning in the elaborate menorah, its flame strong and pure as if it had just been lit. Biographical note: Rabbi Baruch was born in 1753 in Mezhibuz, the town from which his illustrious grandfather, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, led the Chassidic Movement which he founded. Rabbi Baruch was the son of the Baal Shem Tov s daughter, Adel, and her husband, Rabbi Yechiel Ashkenazi. He was one of the pre-eminent Rebbes in the generation of the disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch and had thousands of Chassidim. A master storyteller with hundreds of published stories to his credit, Rabbi Yrachmiel Tilles is co-founder of ASCENT OF SAFED, and editor of Ascent Quarterly and the and websites Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 44

45 seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories It Should Again See Light Several years ago, a physician from southern France contacted me. His granddaughter had taken ill with a disease that baffled the physicians there. He called after reading several of my articles on disorders of the autonomic nervous system. His granddaughter s symptoms seemed to match those I had described, and he asked me if I could help. I readily agreed, and for many months, I collaborated with the child s French physicians by telephone and by fax, directing their diagnostic testing. At last we came to a diagnosis, and I prescribed a course of therapy. During the next several weeks, the child made a seemingly miraculous recovery. Her grandparents expressed their heartfelt thanks and told me to let them know should I ever come to France. In the summer of 1996, I was invited to speak at a large international scientific meeting that was held in Nice, France. I sent word to the physician I had helped years before. Upon my arrival at the hotel, I received a message to contact him. I called him, and we arranged a night to meet for dinner. On the appointed day we met and then drove north to his home in the beautiful southern French countryside. It was humbling to learn his home was older than the United States. During the drive he told me that his wife had metastatic breast cancer and was not well, but she insisted upon meeting me. When introduced to her, I saw that despite her severe illness, she was still a beautiful woman with a noble bearing. After dinner, we sat in a 17th-century salon, sipping cognac and chatting. Our conversation must have seemed odd to the young man and woman who served us because it came out in a free-flowing mixture of English, French, and Spanish. After a time the woman asked, My husband tells me you are Jewish, no? Yes, I said, I am a Jew. They asked me to tell them about Judaism, especially the holidays. I did my best to explain and was astounded by how little they knew of Judaism. She seemed to be particularly interested in Chanukah. Once I had finished answering her questions, she suddenly looked me in the eye and said, I have something I want to give to you. She disappeared and returned several moments later with a package wrapped in cloth. She sat, her tired eyes looking into mine, and she began to speak slowly. When I was a little girl of 8 years, during the Second World War, the authorities came to our village to round up all the Jews. My best friend at that time was a girl of my age named Jeanette. One morning when I came to play, I saw her family being forced at gunpoint into a truck. I ran home and told my mother what had happened and asked where Jeanette was going. Don t worry, she said, Jeanette will be back soon. I ran back to Jeanette s house only to find that she was gone and that the other villagers were looting her home of valuables, except for the Judaic items, which were thrown into the street. As I approached, I saw an item from her house lying in the dirt. I picked it up and recognized it as an object that Jeanette and her family would light around Christmas time. In my little girl s mind I said I will take this home and keep it for Jeanette, till she comes back, but she and her family never returned. She paused and took a slow sip of brandy. Since that time I have kept it. I hid it from my parents and didn t tell a soul of its existence. Indeed, over the last 50 years the only person who knew of it was my husband. When I found out what really happened to the Jews, and how many of the people I knew had collaborated with the Nazis, I could not bear to look at it. Yet I kept it, hidden, waiting for something, although I wasn t sure what. Now I know what I was waiting for. It was for you, a Jew, who helped cure our granddaughter, and it is to you I entrust this. Her trembling hands set the package on my lap. I slowly unwrapped the cloth from around it. Inside was a menorah, but one unlike any I had seen before. Made of solid brass, it had eight cups for holding oil and wicks and a ninth cup centered above the others. It had a ring attached to the top, and the woman mentioned that she remembered that Jeanette s family would hang it in the hallway of their home. It looked quite old to me; later, several people told me that it is probably at least 100 years old. As I held it and thought about what it represented, I began to cry. All I could manage to say was a garbled merci. As I left, her last words to me were Il faudra voir la lumiere encore une fois it should once again see light. I later learned that she died less than a month after our meeting. This Chanukah, the menorah will once again see light. And as I and my family light it, we will say a special prayer in honor of those whose memories it represents. We will not let its lights go out again. ByDr. Blair Grubb, M.D. Medical College of Toledo Ohio Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 45

46 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories The Fifth Night One of the legendary soldiers in the Lubavitcher Rebbe s army of teachers and activists who kept Judaism alive in Communist Russia in the darkest years of repression was Rabbi Asher Sossonkin, who spent many years in Soviet labor camps for his counter-revolutionary activities. In one of these camps he made the acquaintance of a Jew by the name of Nachman Rozman. In his youth, Nachman had abandoned the traditional Jewish life in which he was raised to join the communist party; he served in the Red Army, where he rose to a high rank; but then he was arrested for engaging in some illegal business and sentenced to a long term of hard labor in Siberia. Rozman was drawn to the chassid who awakened in him memories of the home and life he had forsaken. With Reb Asher s aid and encouragement, he began a return to Jewish observance under conditions where keeping kosher, avoiding work on Shabbat, or grabbing a few moments for prayer meant subjecting oneself to near-starvation, repeated penalties and a daily jeopardy of life and limb. One winter, as Chanukah approached, Reb Asher revealed his plan to his friend. I ll get a hold of a small, empty food can the smaller the better, so it ll be easy to hide and escape notice. We ll save half of our daily ration of margarine over the next two weeks, for oil. We can make wicks from the loose threads at the edges of our coats. When everyone s asleep, we ll light our menorah under my bunk... Certainly not! cried Nachman Rozman. It s Chanukah, Reb Asher, the festival of miracles. We ll do the mitzvah the way it should be done. Not in some rusty can fished out from the garbage, but with a proper menorah, real oil, at the proper time and place. I have a few rubles hidden away that I can pay Igor with at the metal-working shed; I also have a few debts I can call in at the kitchen... A few days before Chanukah, Nachman triumphantly showed Reb Asher the menorah he had procured a somewhat crude vessel but unmistakably a real menorah, with eight oil-cups in a row and a raised cup for the shamash. On the first evening of Chanukah, he set the menorah on a stool in the doorway between the main room of their barracks and the small storage area at its rear, and filled the righthand cup; together, the two Jews recited the blessings and kindled the first light, as millions of their fellows did that night in their homes around the world. On that first night the lighting went off without a hitch, as it did on the second, third and fourth nights of the festival. As a rule, the prisoners in the camp did not inform on each other, and their barrackmates had already grown accustomed to the religious practices of the two Jews. On the fifth night of Chanukah, just as Reb Asher and Nachman had lit five flames in their menorah, a sudden hush spread through the barracks. The prisoners all froze in their places and turned their eyes to the doorway, in which stood an officer from the camp s high command. Though surprise inspections such as these were quite routine occurrences, they always struck terror in the hearts of the prisoners. The officer would advance through the barracks meting out severe penalties for offenses such as a hidden cigarette or a hoarded crust of bread. Quick, throw it out into the snow, whispered the prisoners, but the officer was already striding toward the back doorway, where the two Jews stood huddled over the still-burning flames of their candelabra. For a very long minute the officer gazed at the menorah. Then he turned to Reb Asher. P yat? (Five?) he asked. P yat, replied the chassid. The officer turned and exited without a word. Originally published in the Hebrew weekly Sichat Hashavua; translation/adaptation by Yanki Tauber, editor@chabadonline.com Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 46

47 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories Kharkov, 1995 American children are taught never to ride with a stranger. America is technologically advanced; America is on the cutting edge of craziness. The former Soviet Union is lagging behind; people still hitchhike. I watch and learn. Taxis are more expensive, and they don t take cigarettes as payment. You put your hand out, and a car quickly slows down. You say a street name, the driver says two bucks, you say one, he says forget it and drives off. You stop the next car and say the same street name. He says get in; you do. If you don t settle on a price beforehand, you take the risk of hearing a wordless grunt when you get out. It was a cold morning, and I couldn t wait to be sitting in a warm car. I put my hand out. A small blue car stops, and at once, as if it is an old friend of the family, I get into the car without asking or telling. We drive in silence down Pushkinskaya street towards the shul. In my haste I have forgotten to set a price. When I try to pay, my driver refuses to take the amount shown. He refuses any payment for the ride. I am confused, and it is too early in the morning to argue. What don t you understand? he says. Look at me. I m a Jew; my name is Cohen, I should charge a Yeshiva boy to get to shul? I thanked him and later bought a coke with the money. Snow falls and stays. Flake after flake, the earth foams with clouded slush. Sincere snow trucks make rounds. The ice hardens. The sidewalk slips into an endless street. The venders and beggars surf the cold with grace. Tonight is one of those nights when all I want to do is cuddle up with my cat. But that would be impossible. First, tonight is the fifth night of Chanukah. Second, I have no cat. Tonight hundreds of Russian Jews will publicly celebrate religious freedom. Tonight Kharkov s Minister of Religion, Vladimir Voldovsky, will join Kharkov s Chief Rabbi, Moshe Moskowitz, for the lighting of the giant Chanukah Menorah. Tonight we will celebrate the victory of light over darkness. Or at least w ell try. Where did the Menorah come from? Who built it? Maybe the Maccabees themselves? Kharkov s Menorah was created by students, the first group of Lubavitch students to come to Kharkov. What do young yeshiva boys know about constructing a giant Menorah from less than scratch? But I ll save that for another story. Like One Hundred Ways to Build a Menorah in Russia. Or The Menorah That Was Made from Snow. In Ukraine you don t ask, Where did it come from? If you have it, you use it. And tonight the Menorah stands tall, facing every street in the world, starting with Ulitsa Pushkinskaya. Tonight the Chief Rabbi and the Minister of Religion will arrive on time, and with a rented cherry picker, the two will light the five kerosene lanterns. The glass cover will keep the flame alive all night, and the warmth will melt the frozen heart of man. That was the plan. That is what was supposed to happen. That s what we advertised. That s what the hundreds gathered came to see. But Russian life is what happens when you have plans. Tonight Yossi is inside the shul, trying to get the frozen lanterns to start. Outside hundreds are waiting in the cold. The Russian crane driver is angry and wants to leave. My fingers are frozen and smell like gas. I run to see how the lamps are doing, but a short man stops me. Do you have a shovel? He offers to clear the snow off the shul stairs. I tell him it is a good idea, but I can t help him with a shovel. Do you remember me? He points to a small blue car. Cohen has come to celebrate, to be amongst Jews. Cohen wants to do his part, but he already has. He came. Now Yossi and Yefim have three lanterns working in the office. But how can we light only three lamps on the fifth night? We need a Chanukah miracle, the miracle of lights. The minister speaks a few words in Russian; the rabbi places the first working lantern, then the second, then the third. He then slowly tries lighting the fourth and fifth. I close my eyes for the miracle, but there is none. The music starts to play, and the Jews dance in the snow. The crane drives off. Minutes later two lights go out; only one lamp remains shining brightly. I join hands and start to dance, to celebrate, to be amongst Jews. Mr. Cohen smiles and claps his hands. It is time to go home. I put my hand out, and a car stops. We drive a little, and then I look back through the frosty window and see the miracle of lights. Seventy years of communism, and one flame still burns. Russian Jews still know how to dance. And hitchhiking is still safe. Well, at least tonight. From Chicken Kiev, by Shmuel Marcus (to purchase the book chickenkievbook@yahoo.com) Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 47

48 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories A Long Day for Morgenstern Don t even try it, old coot! The woman in the convertible Cadillac stepped on the gas, thwarting Morgenstern s latest attempt to merge into traffic. That wasn t very nice, muttered Morgenstern. He had been trying to proceed for ten minutes, but no one wanted to let an 80 year old man in an old Dodge Dart in front of them. Eventually a red light stopped the parade of vehicles long enough for him to edge onto S. Vicente Boulevard. Everyone is in such a hurry he said as honking and cursing drivers passed him like he was standing still. Morgenstern wasn t having a very good morning. It was only 10 am, but already he had been yelled at by a movie producer who didn t like how long Morgenstern was taking to order his non-fat latte and nearly run down by a fast-walking new mom with a jogger stroller. Now he was carefully pulling into the library parking lot. A space loomed in front of him. In the moment it took to put on his turn signal, a car zoomed into the spot from the other direction. The young man got out of his BMW and rushed towards the door without a look back at the white-haired gent he had just cut off. Inside, Morgenstern mustered up his courage to confront the man. That was my parking space, said Morgenstern. Bite me, said the man. Before Morgenstern could answer, he was gone. Morgenstern shook his head. Of course, Morgenstern wasn t really 80 years old. He wasn t even a man. He was an Aklusian. And not just any Aklusian. A high-ranking Aklusian Planet Evaluator, sent to Earth to determine if it was a threat to the Aklusian colony on Mars. So far all signs pointed to Yes. Aklus was a small planet on the other side of the Milky Way. Over the centuries, the Aklusians had found it necessary to colonize uninhabited celestial bodies across the galaxy. One of the most spectacular colonies was Le Chateau Du Glaxtinshpiel on Mars. The gardens alone would leave you breathless. Obviously you could never see these gardens because the colony is invisible to the human eye. Not even an invisible colony can stay hidden for long. Would-be attackers with the proper instruments could expose Le Chateau in all its glory. The Aklusians knew it was only a matter of time before Earth sent another rover to Mars and discovered one of their Olympic-sized swimming pools or prize winning rose bushes. If Earthlings were generally a warring people, they would soon be pointing their missiles towards the sky. The best defense is a good offense, so the Aklusian High Council called upon Morgenstern. If he found that Earthlings act primarily out of aggression, he would simply sneeze without covering his nose. The virus in his sneeze was so lethally concentrated that the entire world population would be dead in hours. The gardens of Le Chateau Du Glaxtinshpiel would be safe for future generations to enjoy. Morgenstern shuffled up the stairs to the library s second floor. He was the best at what he did. He knew all the warning signs of an angry planet. Yet he was never one to rush to judgement. The annihilation of a global population was nothing to sneeze at. He would wait until the end of the day to make his decision. He sat down at a computer and punched the word peace into a search engine. The search results revealed 1587 sites for peace. He then typed the word war and hit the return key sites were found. Not a good sign. A loud voice behind him made him jump. Hey Mister, you gonna be there all day? He turned to face a teenage boy with pierced eyebrows. Yeah you, old guy. Observing the actions of a child was one of Morgenstern s favorite ways to predict a planet s future. He suddenly felt his nose getting itchy. Morgenstern drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove towards the ocean. The sky was alight with streaks of orange and yellow. Sure is nice here, he sighed. In his mind he saw a sprawling invisible Aklusian resort and tennis club atop the S. Monica mountains. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 48

49 Seasons of the soul - eight chanukah stories A Long Day for Morgenstern Dusk was approaching. Morgenstern drove slowly, carefully surveying the suburban neighborhood. Night was when a creature s true colors were revealed. If they were a predatory species, these humans would use the cover of darkness for their darkest deeds. Suddenly a flickering light caught his eye. Morgenstern turned his head. Someone had placed two lit candles in their front window. A few doors down, another pair of candles glowed from a mantle next to an open door. He pulled over to the curb. This hadn t been in the scouting report. He walked gingerly towards the door, keeping an eye peeled for pit bulls, muggers and mothers pushing jogger strollers. He reached the porch safely and pressed the doorbell. A young girl came to the entryway. Can I help you? I saw the candles in the window. Are they for decoration? That s our Menorah. It s the first night of Chanukah. Chanukah? The Festival of Lights. It celebrates the Maccabees victory over the Greeks. Victory, eh? A voice came from inside the house. Who s that, Sarah? A nice man, said Sarah, smiling. It was the first smile Morgenstern had received all day. Her mother came to the door. Oh hello. Would you care to join us? Two hours, three helpings of brisket and a dozen latkes later, Morgenstern had heard the whole story of Judah and the Maccabees. But what interested him the most was the Menorah. So you place it near the doorway to publicize the Chanukah miracle? Sarah s father answered him. And also to let everyone who passes by see the light that comes from freedom, and from truth. What truth? That good will always triumph. That light will always conquer darkness. Morgenstern s voice grew quiet. But there s so much darkness here. Sarah s dad smiled. Yes, there is a lot of darkness in the world, but without darkness there would be nothing to illuminate. I believe darkness exists only to be turned into light. Morgenstern turned to little Sarah. What do you think, Sarah? She replied, Candles are pretty. They re little lights of love. A sneeze rang out across the table. It was Sarah s mom. Bless you, said Morgenstern. He stood up to leave graciously thanking his hosts. Just before midnight, a barefoot Morgenstern stood at the ocean s shore. The pellet of anti-matter in his hand would find a wormhole in the sea foam and expand it long enough for him to make the timeleap safely back to Aklus. He took one last look at the starry skies of planet Earth and dove into the cold water. Ten milliseconds later, he was standing at attention before the Aklusion High Council. Their fearless leader, Gloria, addressed her favorite Planet Evaluator. So, what s the verdict on these Earth people? Warmongers or peacemakers? They re more than peacemakers. They re lightmakers. Morgenstern removed his human skinsuit, saluted and left. He had a date to take his kids to the invisible zoo. By Mike Indigin, originally published in Farbrengen Magazine Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 49

50 PARSHAH in a nutshell Mikeitz Genesis 41:1-44:17 Torah Reading for Week of December 21-27, 2003 Joseph s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of hunger, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the plentiful years. Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt. Joseph marries Asenat, daughter of Potiphar, and they have two sons, Menasseh and Ephraim. Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt. Ten of Joseph s brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; the youngest, Benjamin, stays home, for Jacob fears for his safety. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him; he accuses them of being spies, insists that they bring Benjamin to prove that they are who they say they are, and imprisons Shimon as a hostage. Later, they discover that the money they paid for their provisions has been mysteriously returned to them. Jacob agrees to send Benjamin only after Judah assumes personal and eternal responsibility for him. This time Joseph receives them kindly, releases Shimon, and invites them to an eventful dinner at his home. But then he plants his silver goblet, purportedly imbued with magic powers, in Benjamin s sack. When the brothers set out for home the next morning they are pursued, searched, and arrested when the goblet is discovered. Joseph offers to set them free and retain only Benjamin as his slave. Seasons of the Soul Parshah Week at Glance 50