A Powerful Chanukah Story - Rabbi Shlomo Landau

[Music] foreign I'd like to share an unbelievable story in 1989 the Russian government as a show of Goodwill invited seven rabbanim from across the globe on an official visit amongst07 was the former Chief Rabbi of Israel rabbis and interestingly oddly enough they arrived there on May 1st which was the Russian day which celebrated communism in the country was bedecked in red flags and red banners as part of their tour they were taken to a poor neighborhood in Moscow called Marina rashtra and in Marina Racha was an old wooden shoe almost 100 years old that Stalin had allowed the poor laborers to construct and because Stalin had allowed it the communist government Had State laid their hands off of it and it still existed it still stood it was and the group went to Davin chakras in this show they honored web Israel mayor Lao to lead the seabor in Hollow but as he approached the Ahmad something strange and odd jumped out at him instead of the traditional engraving she visi Hashem linagdi Summit that is on so many of khazan's across the world scrawled scratched into the Ahmed where the words from Hollow Hashem I beg you Hashem save my nephew save my soul we saw mayor was intrigued and after domini went over to one of the eldest participants and he said to them do you have any idea why this is written on the Ahmad fell said of course I know he says when this show was first started it was such a difficult and tumultuous times and we knew that we had a terrible terrible challenging period of Time ahead of us we wanted to remind ourselves that although the Communists had the ability to take our goof they could take our lives they could Exile us to Siberia but at the same time there was one thing no one could take from us our nephesh our true identity our nishma salakim our Jewish Soul so let's remember that there's one thing they can never take and look the old man said we're still here so our mayor was very very moved but that's not the end of the story sadly a short while later the anti-semitic group palmyat burnt the shul down the show was totally scorched it was torched and over miraculously the Safeway Terrace somehow survived a few years later when Robbie small mayor was actually the chief Rabbi he was invited once again to Moscow for the hanachas Evan apina for the groundbreaking of a new shul on that spot it was a large event with lots of Pomp and Circumstance the mayor of Moscow was there the American ambassador was there and the astrob Israel mayor to address the crowd right before he ascended the podium a few gentlemen came over to him and they showed him something which nearly took his breath away they shared they said you know that although the shore burnt to the ground and nothing besides the secretary survived there was one piece of wood that remained untouched and they showed him a piece of the Ahmed of the khazan's lectern and the words that were inscribed on it were 100 intact Hashem had indeed saved the nephesh he'd saved this symbol so that the generations to come and understand that the robotism continues to save us was so choked up he could barely talk as he stood there in front of the large crowd holding the possum on a burnt piece of wood on a Hashem there wasn't much that he had to say all he had to do was feel that the Rebellion had once again saved claudiusra you know it's the end of Hanukkah we have just two days left what's the message of Hanukkah the message of Hanukkah that we have a little bit of oil we have a small flame but it continues to burn indeed the Revenge of Mount on nafshi he has preserved our nephesh let's internalize this and let's understand the incredible Miracle of Jewish survival foreign [Music]