From: Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>
Subject: Chanuka
Originator: scj@israel.nysernet.org
Reply-To: <Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>>
Organization: Nysernet
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 04:05:12 GMT

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> THE WEEK IN REVIEW
> >From The Works And Talks Of The Lubavitcher Rebbe Shlita
> Vol IV No. 13
> Chanukah 5753
> 12/20/92
> Published by Vaad Hanochos Hatmimim To receive by fax or mail
> contact: (718) 774-6448/ Fax. 774-7FAX /BBS 771-2924
>  
>  
> SYNOPSIS    a weekly essay of chassidic thought
> Chanukah and the Faithful Farmer
> To plant a seed is an act of faith.
> After all,  the farmer  takes a supply of perfectly good grain and dumps it
> in the  ground, to  spoil and decompose.  All in the hope that, many months
> later, the earth will reward his toil and expense with a profitable return.
>  
> It is  for this  reason that  the first section of the mishnah, the section
> which summarizes the Torah's agricultural laws, is associated by the Talmud
> with the  concept of  ``faith.''   The Jewish  farmer, explains the Talmud,
> ``believes in  He Who  Sustains the  World, and therefore sows'' (Jerusalem
> Talmud, quoted in the tosfoth commentary on Shabbos 31a).
>  
> A String of Miracles
> One may  ask: are  there no  atheist farmers?   Aren't  nature's consistent
> patterns and cycles trustworthy enough to justify the investment?
>  
> But this  precisely is  the Talmud's  point.   To the Jew, there is no such
> thing as  ``nature'' per  se.   In fact,  there is  no intrinsic difference
> between the  phenomena we  perceive as  ``natural'' and that which has been
> termed as  ``supernatural'' and  ``miraculous.''   When we witness a direct
> involvement on  the part  of G-d  in the  affairs of  man, we  call this  a
> ``miracle.''   But a  natural occurrence  is exactly  the same  thing.  For
> nothing  exists  or  occurs  independently  of  G-d's  express  desire  and
> involvement, nor  does the  Almighty act  by the  means of any intermediary
> forces or  systems.  The only reason we distinguish between the ``natural''
> and the  ``miraculous'' is  that, on  the whole,  the Almighty  chooses  to
> affect our  reality in a systematic and patterned manner, resulting in what
> we call the ``laws of nature'' and the illusion of predictability.
>  
> The ``laws''  of nature  are illusory  because any prediction that is based
> upon them  is validated  only when  G-d chooses  to continue to sustain the
> world in  a manner that is consistent with a particular pattern.  In truth,
> however, if  tomorrow the sun were to rise in the west and water were begin
> to flow  uphill, this  would be no more or less ``miraculous'' than today's
> natural reality.   The  fact that G-d has consistently chosen to create and
> sustain a  world in  which the  sun rises  in  the  east  and  water  flows
> downhill, in  no way  compels (or even makes it more probable) that He will
> continue to do so.
>  
> Thus, one who plows his field and scatters his grain because he trusts in a
> set of  ``proven'' natural  laws is relying on an empty illusion.  The Jew,
> however, knows  that nature is simply a sequence of ``miracles.''  He knows
> that in  every instant of time the Creator brings the entirety of existence
> - including  his field and grain, the very substance of time and space, and
> the ``laws''  of nature  and logic  - into being.  He knows that G-d is the
> exclusive Cause of every phenomenon, and that the sole relationship between
> a natural  ``cause'' and  the subsequent  ``effect'' is that G-d chooses to
> first cause  the one  and then  cause the  other.  So why does the Jew sow?
> Because he  trusts in  the Almighty  as the  ``Sustainer  of  the  World.''
> Because G-d told him ``you shall sow your field... prune your vineyard, and
> gather its yield'' (Leviticus 25:3) and that these activities will serve as
> the conduit  through which  he receives  his sustenance  from  the  Supreme
> Sustainer Of  All.   The same is true of every act and decision in which he
> ``relies'' on the precedents established by the natural order.
>  
> Three Modes of Involvement
> G-d employs  a ``natural''  pattern in creating and sustaining the world in
> order to  conceal His omnipresent truth, thereby creating an environment in
> which free  choice is  possible and  the attainments of man are challenging
> and  meaningful.    In  fact,  the  Hebrew  word  for  world,  olam,  means
> ``concealment.''   Our world  is a  system which  is governed  by laws  and
> axioms whose  apparent consistency  and predictability  conceal its  Divine
> essence.
>  
> The challenge presented by this concealment is that we should penetrate it.
> That we  should  discern  the  guiding  hand  of  G-d  in  the  events  and
> experiences which befall us.  That despite the obscuring veil of nature, we
> should learn to recognize the Divine purpose in everything we encounter and
> to develop and utilize it accordingly.
>  
> To assist  us in  this task, G-d, at certain points of history, temporarily
> suspends  the   concealment:   suddenly,   we   are   confronted   with   a
> ``supernatural'' event,  an event  which demolishes  the illusion which has
> numbed our  spiritual vision.  On a lesser scale, each one of us is blessed
> with  wondrous   and  amazing  experiences  in  the  course  of  his  life;
> experiences which,  although the  committed skeptic could attribute them to
> chance and  coincidence, are virtual eye-openers to the Divine guiding hand
> in our lives.
>  
> Ultimately, however,  if we  probe and scrutinize each event and phenomenon
> we encounter,  the concealment of nature will dissipate entirely.  Also the
> most ordinary  and commonplace  aspects of  creation will reveal themselves
> for what  they truly  are: each  a powerful and poignant attestation to the
> all-pervading truth of its Creator.
>  
> Miracles, Wonders and Salvations
> For eight  days  we  celebrate  the  festival  of  Chanukah,  reliving  the
> miraculous events  which befell  our forefathers some 23 centuries ago: the
> victory of  a handful  of loyal  Jews over  the mighty  Greek  armies;  the
> discovery of  a single  untainted cruse of olive oil for the menorah in the
> recaptured Holy  Temple; the  burning of  this oil,  sufficient to keep the
> menorah's lamps  alight for  but a single day, for the eight days needed to
> obtain new, pure oil.
>  
> To mark  these miracles,  we kindle the our  menorah's every evening of the
> festival.   After the  lighting, we proclaim: ``We light these flames... in
> order to  thank and  praise Your Great Name for Your miracles, Your wonders
> and Your salvations.''
>  
> The miracle  of Chanukah  included displays  of Divine  power of  all three
> above-mentioned categories.   There  were, of  course, the nature-trouncing
> ``miracles'' -  a small  band of  Jews defeating  the mightiest army of the
> time, a  small amount  of oil  burning eight  times longer than its natural
> properties allowed.   On  Chanukah we  also mark the many ``wonders'' which
> occurred at  that time:  for example,  after the  Greeks  had  contaminated
> everything in  the Holy  Temple with their pagan activities, a single cruse
> of oil  was found  in a  niche in  the ground  with an  unbroken seal  that
> attested to its purity.  Many other ``wondrous'' events are recorded in the
> story of  Chanukah -  events which,  although  a  supreme  stretch  of  the
> imagination could  describe as  coincidence, clearly  point to G-d's active
> involvement in history.
>  
> Thirdly, the  story of  Chanukah includes  purely ``natural''  events.   In
> fact, the  entire Maccabee  rebellion began with one such event: a group of
> Greek soldiers came to the Judean village of Modi'in, built an altar in the
> village square  and ordered  the Jews  to offer  a swine  to a  Greek idol.
> Mattisyahu the Hashmona'i and his sons attacked the soldiers and drove them
> from the  village.   They then  took to  the Judean  hills where, joined by
> others, they  began the  battle to free the Holy Land from the Greek tyrant
> and the enforced hellenization he had imposed upon the Jewish people.
>  
> There  was  nothing  miraculous  or  even  ``wondrous''  about  this  brave
> resistance on  the part  of the Hashmona'i family against a few soldiers in
> an isolated  mountain village.   Obviously,  the skirmish  could have  gone
> either way,  but can't  one say that they ``happened'' to win?  But the Jew
> knows that  this, and  the countless  similar events  which occurred in the
> course of the Maccabees' battles with the Greeks, are G-d's ``salvations.''
> That  they   succeeded  because  the  Almighty  saved  them,  although  His
> involvement came cloaked in the garments of natural occurrence.
>  
> Look Thrice
> Therein lies  the deeper significance of the words we recite after kindling
> the menorah on Chanukah: ``In order to thank and praise Your Great Name for
> Your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations.''
>  
> ``Miracles,''  ``wonders''   and  ``salvations''   describe  a  progressive
> recognition of  the Divine reality by man.  First, we are to contemplate G-
> d's ``miracles,''  remembering and  marking those  open displays  of Divine
> power which  have occurred  throughout history  - events  with the power to
> transform the  thinking and  behavior of  the most cynical skeptic.  A more
> demanding task  is to  properly assimilate  G-d's ``wonders'': not to close
> one's eyes  to these amazing occurrences, not to squander these glimpses of
> Divine Providence.
>  
> Finally, the  message  of  Chanukah  is  that  one's  every  success  is  a
> ``salvation'' from G-d.  That the sprouting of a stalk from a decaying seed
> is not  ``nature'' but  a  specific  display  of  the  Almighty's  infinite
> kindness and  His constant  involvement in  our lives as the ``Sustainer of
> the World.''
> Adapted from an address by the Rebbe shlita, Chanukah 5724 (1963)
>  
>  
> The Quality of Light
> For the mitzvah is a lamp, and the Torah - light.
> - Proverbs 6:23
>  
> The  Torah  outlines  the  Divine  purpose  of  creation,  detailing  G-d's
> blueprint for  life on  earth.   Without Torah,  life  is  an  exercise  in
> darkness, a  directionless groping  for purpose and meaning.  Without Torah
> we are out in the cold, disconnected from our own essence and function.
>  
> So each of the Torah's precepts is a ``lamp,'' a source of light and warmth
> for the soul of man.  Each time we perform a mitzvah, another crack appears
> in the  walls of incomprehen-sion which enclose our reality, another ray of
> light and warmth penetrates the chaos and aimlessness of life.
>  
> Each mitzvah  involves a physical act on the part of man - be it the giving
> of a coin to the needy, or the engagement of the brain in reflecting on the
> greatness of G-d.  The ``light'' it emits is spiritual and conceptual - one
> hardly sees a halo of light hovering about the performer of a mitzvah.  Yet
> there are  exceptions to  this rule,  mitzvos whose  luminary nature  finds
> expression and embodiment as physical light.
>  
> One of  these special  mitzvos is  the kind-ling of the Chanukah lights.  A
> flame in  hand, we  stand before  the menorah and say: ``Blessed are You G-
> d...   Who has sanctified us with His com-mandments and has commanded us to
> kindle the Chanukah lamp.''  As flame touches wick, a mitzvah is performed:
> the soul  of man  is enveloped  in light, and the mitzvah's light fills the
> room and radiates to the darkened streets outside.
> Adapted from an address by the Rebbe shlita, Chanukah 5751 (1990)
>  
>  
> A Telling Story
> ``My  Lubavitch''
> Every year,  Reb Shlomo,  a school-teacher  from the Russian town of Nevel,
> would walk to Lubavitch to spend the Simchat Torah festival with his Rebbe,
> Rabbi Sholom  DovBer (1860-1920).   In  his later  years, when his strength
> failed him,  he was  forced to  reduce his  trips to  once every two years;
> nevertheless, he  refused to  climb onto  a wagon  for even a minute: every
> step of  the way  was taken  on his own two feet.  ``In my Lubavitch,'' Reb
> Shlomo maintained, ``no horse will take part.''
>  
> ``You see,''  Reb Shlomo  would explain,  ``there will  come a  time when I
> shall stand  before the Supernal Judge to account for my life.  What will I
> have to  show for  myself? What  have I done with the years which have been
> granted me?  We both  know that  the life  of Reb Shlomo the melamed leaves
> much to be desired.
>  
> ``But there is one thing that no one can take from me: My Lubavitch.  Every
> year I  came to  the Rebbe.   But  imagine that when I present my Lubavitch
> before the heavenly court, along will come a horse claiming partnership; it
> was he,  after all,  who schlepped  me to Lubavitch.  The truth is, I would
> probably win  my case  against the  horse.  But I have no desire to have it
> out with  a horse over my trips to the Rebbe.  No horse will be involved in
> my Lubavitch!''
> Told by the Rebbe shlita, Shvat 10, 5717 (January 12, 1957)
>  
>  
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