When faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, man usually reverts into hopeless morose. When the darkness seems to be so overwhelming, man inevitably loses direction or purpose. When confusion reigns, then evil begins to control the day. The festival of CChanukah represents the ever-present battle against this darkness of confusion and hopelessness.
Our Sages teach that the Jewish People will experience four exiles. The second verse of creation says, "And the land was desolate and void and darkness was on the face of the deep." The Midrash says these four expressions, "desolate," "void," "darkness" and "deep," correspond to the four kingdoms that exiled Israel: Babylon, Persia/Medea, Greece and Rome, respectively.
The Greek ruler, Antiochus, was not trying to physically destroy the Jewish people; rather, he attempted to disconnect them spiritually and to thrust them into darkness. Hellenism, the prevalent political correctness of that day, was intent on clouding spiritual vision and on darkening the light of the Divine. It is for that reason that the Chanukah celebrations focus on the miracle of the lighting of the menorah, rather than on the victory of the small army of Maccabees over their Greek overlords; the victory of light against darkness.
Yet, this battle begins with the lighting of a single candle. The following day, that candle is joined by another and then another. This is the essence of the secret of fighting evil. The large picture seems overwhelming, yet the victory begins with the small picture, the single candle; each candle lit in the personal domain of each individual. Those are single candles intimately linked with all the others, growing in strength from day to day.
We must learn to begin by bringing that little light into the fearful part of our soul and, by so doing, bring light into the rest of our family and home. Then this reinvigorated light, will begin to brighten the darker corners of our relationships with others .The following step in the process brings healing light into our communities and neighborhoods. Originating as a single candle in a small spot in our hearts, this ever-strengthening light will dispel the deep lingering darkness of insecurity in our nation's soul. Only then will this people rediscover the courage of the Maccabees to battle the enemies that gather around us.
Yesterday, a young man came into my shop and related how he had decided to buy hundreds of winter coats for the forgotten refugees of Gush Katif. A simple act and a little more light spilled into the darkness of the forgotten.
Young people who were brutally manhandled in Amona and in the pre-expulsion demonstrations gathered and healed their bruised spirit and went off to volunteer in the beleaguered city of Sderot, bringing more light even into the darkness of fear.
Two Yeshiva students armed with a bottle of wine went knocking on doors in Tel Aviv's bohemian section, offering to make Shabbat Kiddush for anyone who would be interested. One young woman burst into tears and the two boys mumbled an apology and turned to go. She called out to them, inviting them in, to explain her reaction. She explained how she turned from her religious upbringing and had been living as a secular woman in Tel Aviv for several years now. This Shabbat, she suddenly felt a need to light the Shabbat candles; and ten minutes after lighting them, the two young men arrived, adding more light to dispel the darkness of abandonment.
And so it goes, one candle after another. There will be those who will cynically decry this "small picture" approach as offering "too little and too late" to deal with the ominous dangers that surround us. They must be reminded that the collective soul of this country must be healed for it to garner the strength for the battles before us. Furthermore, for those who are deeply anchored in spiritual moorings, it is clear that it is those small acts of caring and chesed that will ultimately open the Heavenly gates above. In order to do what must be done and to prepare for what is yet to come, the people of Israel must develop a healed collective soul and strive for the opening of the Heavenly gates.
One of the candles that refuse to be extinguished and continues to burn brightly in the darkened firmament has been the Arutz Sheva Internet radio, print and television services. They have continued to strive to throw illuminating light unto some of the corners of our people's world that have been forgotten or darkened, in spite of all the attempts to extinguish their flame. What began as a small voice coming out of a ship floating on the Mediterranean has become a loud and clear voice to be contended with and responded to. May HaShem give them the strength and courage to continue to light the darkness and warm the hearts of those coming in from the cold and cynical world around them.
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Throughout the year, Arutz-7 gives you the news
you depend on, from a perspective not found elsewhere.
This Chanukah, we ask our readers to give back.
Click Now to Pledge Your Support for Arutz-7.
or call-in to our live radio Arutz Shevathon
Thursday December 21, 8am-Midnight EST.
Our Sages teach that the Jewish People will experience four exiles. The second verse of creation says, "And the land was desolate and void and darkness was on the face of the deep." The Midrash says these four expressions, "desolate," "void," "darkness" and "deep," correspond to the four kingdoms that exiled Israel: Babylon, Persia/Medea, Greece and Rome, respectively.
The Greek ruler, Antiochus, was not trying to physically destroy the Jewish people; rather, he attempted to disconnect them spiritually and to thrust them into darkness. Hellenism, the prevalent political correctness of that day, was intent on clouding spiritual vision and on darkening the light of the Divine. It is for that reason that the Chanukah celebrations focus on the miracle of the lighting of the menorah, rather than on the victory of the small army of Maccabees over their Greek overlords; the victory of light against darkness.
Yet, this battle begins with the lighting of a single candle. The following day, that candle is joined by another and then another. This is the essence of the secret of fighting evil. The large picture seems overwhelming, yet the victory begins with the small picture, the single candle; each candle lit in the personal domain of each individual. Those are single candles intimately linked with all the others, growing in strength from day to day.
We must learn to begin by bringing that little light into the fearful part of our soul and, by so doing, bring light into the rest of our family and home. Then this reinvigorated light, will begin to brighten the darker corners of our relationships with others .The following step in the process brings healing light into our communities and neighborhoods. Originating as a single candle in a small spot in our hearts, this ever-strengthening light will dispel the deep lingering darkness of insecurity in our nation's soul. Only then will this people rediscover the courage of the Maccabees to battle the enemies that gather around us.
Yesterday, a young man came into my shop and related how he had decided to buy hundreds of winter coats for the forgotten refugees of Gush Katif. A simple act and a little more light spilled into the darkness of the forgotten.
Young people who were brutally manhandled in Amona and in the pre-expulsion demonstrations gathered and healed their bruised spirit and went off to volunteer in the beleaguered city of Sderot, bringing more light even into the darkness of fear.
Two Yeshiva students armed with a bottle of wine went knocking on doors in Tel Aviv's bohemian section, offering to make Shabbat Kiddush for anyone who would be interested. One young woman burst into tears and the two boys mumbled an apology and turned to go. She called out to them, inviting them in, to explain her reaction. She explained how she turned from her religious upbringing and had been living as a secular woman in Tel Aviv for several years now. This Shabbat, she suddenly felt a need to light the Shabbat candles; and ten minutes after lighting them, the two young men arrived, adding more light to dispel the darkness of abandonment.
And so it goes, one candle after another. There will be those who will cynically decry this "small picture" approach as offering "too little and too late" to deal with the ominous dangers that surround us. They must be reminded that the collective soul of this country must be healed for it to garner the strength for the battles before us. Furthermore, for those who are deeply anchored in spiritual moorings, it is clear that it is those small acts of caring and chesed that will ultimately open the Heavenly gates above. In order to do what must be done and to prepare for what is yet to come, the people of Israel must develop a healed collective soul and strive for the opening of the Heavenly gates.
One of the candles that refuse to be extinguished and continues to burn brightly in the darkened firmament has been the Arutz Sheva Internet radio, print and television services. They have continued to strive to throw illuminating light unto some of the corners of our people's world that have been forgotten or darkened, in spite of all the attempts to extinguish their flame. What began as a small voice coming out of a ship floating on the Mediterranean has become a loud and clear voice to be contended with and responded to. May HaShem give them the strength and courage to continue to light the darkness and warm the hearts of those coming in from the cold and cynical world around them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Throughout the year, Arutz-7 gives you the news
you depend on, from a perspective not found elsewhere.
This Chanukah, we ask our readers to give back.
Click Now to Pledge Your Support for Arutz-7.
or call-in to our live radio Arutz Shevathon
Thursday December 21, 8am-Midnight EST.