8 Days of Chanuka #4

How could Bnei Yisrael have been yotzei for lighting the menorah with shemen shel nes? Lighting the menorah can only be done with shemen zayit from a tree! R' Chaim Brisker writes that really, the miracle was not in the quantity of the oil, but in the quality. The Maccabim poured in all of the oil on the first day, and rather then new oil miraculously appearing, the same oil was able to last for 8 days, burning up only 1/8 every day. Following this, the nes also occured on the 1st day, resolving the Beit Yosef's kashya.

An apparent message in the words of Reb Chaim is that we should try improve oursleves, not just by increasing the miztvot we do, but the quality of the ones that we already do. That is a real task! As the days of Chanuka come to a close soon, we should not forget how the candles represent not just a physical light to remind us of the nissim Hashme does for us, but a spiritual light which should help light our way through the darkness of this world (maybe i'll write more about that next Chanuka iy"H). B'ezrat Hashem, we should be zoche to keep this flame with us throughout the rest of the year, to light the path when we might be drifting off into the dark.

I hope you enjoyed your Chanuka 5769!

R' Nosson Tzvi Finkel shlit"a Lighting Neirot Chanuka

If you don't know, Rav Nosson Tzvi is the Rosh Yeshiva of Mir. He has Parkinsons and is always shaking terribly. If you have ever heard him speak you know that it's difficult for him to talk. (He doesn't take painkillers because he doesn't want them to affect his memory and cause any of his Torah to be forgotten.) This is real ameilut.

Celebrating the Pach Shemen

The Gemara in Shabbos (21a) teaches, "מאי חנוכה?- What is Chanuka?..." Basically, the Greeks came and took over. They entered the Mikdash, desecrated it, and ruined all the oil. But the Maccabim fought back, and when they entered the Beit Hamikdash they found but one pach shemen with the seal of the Kohen Gadol that had enough oil for one day. Hashem caused a nes and it lasted for another 7. Later on, Chazal established these days to be commemorated for praise and thanks; להודות ולהלל. It would seem from the Gemara that the basis for the establishment of Chanuka was the finding of the oil and its miraculous burning.

It appears odd then, that Chanuka should be based off of this when in על הנסים we commemorate the great victory Hashem granted us over the Greeks and the Mityavnim.

כשעמדה מלכות יון הרשעה על עמך ישראל להשכחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחקי רצונך...מסרת גברים ביד חלשים ורבים ביד מעטים וכו

The evil Greeks tried to destroy our Torah, but Hashem handed over the mighty to the weak and the many to the few. It would seem that we are celebrating the great triumph of Am Yisrael over the enemies. Also, how could the finding of some oil, and even its lasting for 7 days, compare to such a great victory that saved Torah for all future generations?

When Yosef was sold to the caravn which took him down to Mitzraim, the Torah tells us that it was carrying good smelling spices. The Midrash tells us that this is specified since it was not the way of Arabs to be carrying anything other than bad smelling things, such as petroleum and resin. But HaKadosh Boruch Hu was with the tzaddik and provided scaks of bsamim instead of the usual bad smell.

R' Chaim Shmuelevitz tz"l asks (Sichot Mussar, Maamar 16), if Yosef was being taken down to Miztraim, the most unholy place in the world; from ben zkunim shel Yaakov, from his home where Yaakov Avinu taught him all that he had learned from Shem v'Ever; what difference would it have made whether the trip down smelled nice or not. Yosef was forced into a dark situation with no hope of freedom by his own brothers; would it have really affected anything if it smelled good?

At that time Yosef could hvae come to despair. It might have seemed to him that Hashem had turned away from him and that he was lost and forgotten. Hashem sent him this bsamim in an unnatural way to show him that this was not true. Rather, He was going down with him to Mitzraim, hand in hand; as Hashem promised Yaakov: אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ואנכי אעלך גם עלה. It was meant to be a ray of light in the dark.

This nes was not in the spices themsleves, but in the act through which Hashem told Yosef that he is not being abondoned and that he should have hope. It was meant to be mechazek him that these yisurim were coming from Hashem's love for him. It may have seemed insignificant, but it was in truth a "neshika pratit." Through this we can understand why the finding of teh pach shemen was so significant. It was a "neshika pratit" from HaKadosh Boruch Hu! After all, what shows a father's true affection for his son? When he does something extra to show his love. We know the famous maxhloket between R' Akiva and R' Eliezer in Masechet Succah, whether we sit in a succah in remmebrance of the actual succot that Bnei Yisrael sat in or because of the Ananei HaKavod. It it is becasue of the Ananei HaKavod, why would we celebrate that miracle of the midbar in such a way but not do the same for the other great miracles: the mann and the Be'er Miriam? The mann & the be'er were a source of food and water for Bnei Yisrael, necessary for survival. But the ananim were extra. They leveled out the terrain, they protected against snakes and scorpions... They weren't there to insure survival! Rather they were there to provide extra comfort, as a sign of love from Hashem.

The victory of the Maccabim was certainly a great miracle from Hashem, but it was necessary for survival and for Torah. Hashem promised us that we will never be destroyed! But this didn't show that Hashem still had for us. But through the shemen and the lighting of the Menorah, a nes that was not necessary, that was above and beyond, we saw that Hashem still loved us! There was a light shining in the dark times for us to look to. It was because we were zoche to this He'arat Panim that Chazal established the 8 days of Chanuka l'hodot u'lehallel.

Nosai B'ol Im Chaveiro

Great shiur by Rav Aharon Kahn on Nosei B'ol Im Chaveiro from this past Tuesday. Definitley listen!
CLICK HERE

Yahrzeit- The Alter of Novardok

17 Kislev is the yahrtzeit of R' Yosef Yoizel ben R' Shlomo Zalman Horowitz(1849-1919), the Rosh Yeshiva of the Novardok Yeshiva. He was a talmid of Rav Yisroel Salanater and was famous for the intense fiery mussar style which he employed in his yeshiva. Many yeshivot were set up by his talmidim under his teachings during the difficult times of WWI. Among the talmidim of the Novardoker yeshivot was the Steipler Gaon tz"l.

8 Days of Chanuka #3

We mark the 1st day of Chanuka in remmebrance of the spiritual battle of the Jews. They were unfortunately very preoccupied with the battle against the Greeks. But nissim were done for them and they did not forsake the Torah or mitzvot.

(Divrei Yoel)

The ikar nes on the 1st day was the finding of the pach shemen. And through finding the pach, the Samech Mem (the satan, ס"מ) surrendered. פ"ך has the same gematria as ס"מ, and through the finding of it, the strength of the satan was detsroyed and he was subdued.

(Bnei Yisaschar)

Aish Kodesh on Hastarat Panim

The Piaseczner Rebbe HY"D brings down the Zohar (ח"א נח.) which says that every Jew must realize and believe that everything comes from Hashem, and that He does not do anything without cause. Besides for that, it is also one of the 13 ikarei emunah: "אני מאמין...שהבורא יתברך שמו גומל טוב למי שישמור מצוותיו ויעניש למי שיעבור על מצוותיו." Through this, one can come to chizkut and joy, even during times of suffering. The Baal HaTanya writes (Iggeret HaTshuvah 12) that when a person comes to recognize his aveirot and the flaws of his heart at a time of yissurin, and sees why this punishment has come upon him, then he will not become upset and think these yissurin are bad. He will have bitachon in Hashem, that just like He has punished him, so too He will do good with him. This person will realize that Hashem desires him like a father to a son, and through this he will be mechazek and mesameach himself.

Aside from that, yissurin are a form of hastarat Panim. Therefore, when a person can see through them and realize the Yad Hashem in everything, that everything is His righteousness and truth, he removes the hastarah! And when a person removes this hastarah and reveals Hashem, it is a chesed and a hitgalut Or Panav Yitbarach. But how can yissurin be hastarat Panim? It says in Tehillim (91:15) "עמו אנכי בצרה"! Kivyachol Hashem suffers with us! Rather, it is when the sufferer himself is not mekabel yissurin with submission and reckons them unjust, that the hastarat Panim is created, chas v’shalom. The person creates the hastarah! It is like he is turning away from this notion that Hashem suffers with him.

(Aish Kodesh Re'eh 5701)

Yahrtzeit of Reb Baruch Ber Leibowitz tz"l

The 5th of Kislev is the yahrtzeit of Reb Baruch Ber Leibowit tz"l (1870-1940). He was a great talmid chacham and a main student of Reb Chaim Brisker. Reb Boruch Ber headed the Kaminetzer yeshiva for many years. He wrote the sefer Birkat Shmuel which is highly regarded by yeshivas. He was very great and had tremendous anavah:

Reb Boruch ber once came to America to raise money for his yeshiva. When he was introduced to the crowd of people he would speak to, he was given a nice introduction with a few compliments to befit Reb Boruch Ber. His face immidiately began turning all sorts of colors and he stood up objecting! Afterwards, when some fish was brought out, the ba'al habayit went over to Reb Baruch Ber and suggested that perhpas he shouldn't eat the fish because it might not be so good. However, he ate it anyway. Later that night, the ba'al habayit found Reb Baruch Ber sick. He said to him, I tried to warn you about the fish Rebbe! To this Reb Baruch Ber replied that he was not sick from the fish, he was sick from all the compliments he recieved earlier.