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 03:50:32 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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