Vayeishev/Chanukah 5786: Beis Shammai, Beis Hillel, and Yosef

Welcome to the shaman on all para for parasv but we're going to focus on kaneka which begins this week and we'll tie it also into the para and yadik there's a well-known and the garra between shama and b regarding nos the gabist says that the mahadrin mahadrin light not the same candles each night but rather a different number and of course we know that we carry out that we light one candle on the first night and we add one as the nights go on. That's the opinion of Bah Shami as many certainly know holds that we light eight candles on the first night and as it goes on we're we reduce by one each time and the GRA asks what is the underlying what is the rationale for each of these opinions Shami says that we reduce the number of candles in the of Kaneka because it is similar to the the bulls that are offered on sukus that begin with 13 and are reduced one per day until we have seven on. So it goes from 13 to 12 to 11 and so on. And B holds that we go up in sanctity and we add and we do not go down. And the rabbi asked the obvious question which many ask which is what is B Shami talking about? What is the underlying sor of each one? Good there's a concept of we do more but why is that compelling? And good, there's something similar to the parag the sukus offerings on on the misbeh. But what does one have to do with the other? So what's really going on here? And the Reb explains as follows that there are two miracles in Kaneka. And we all know this. There's the miracle of the overcoming of the great victory of Israel over its enemies. the miracle of the war and then there's the other miracle which is the miracle of the pmen of the light that kept illuminating not just for one day but for many days the Reb explains that the miracle of the war is a miracle of surra of getting away from evil now I just let me in explain in an interlude here and the reb speaks about sura that famous hill many many times times that we have to get away from the bad and do good. This is essentially Kaneka's role as the yeid walks through the gulus. We are supposed to get away from the bad of the exiles, the temptations, the different causes that could allure could could lure us in in the various exiles, the various temptations of all of the gullis. And of course, we have to fill the world with our light, the light of Torah, the light of mitzvah. So the Reb says that the getting rid of the yunin is surra getting rid of the bad but when there will be more light when they when the miracle happens that there's light on the first day and there's more light second and third and so on that's not that's can be compared to filling the world with light doing good simply we could talk about not doing a and indeed performing mitzvah learning Torah and performing hashem's Simply get away from the bad and do good is the instruction for life and the Reb speaks about this in many places. [snorts] If we understand that the the primary nace is surra the primary miracle was getting rid of the evil of the Ivan. Then reduction getting rid of something would be the mahalak. And this is exactly why B shama says that we are supposed to reduce to demonstrate how Kaneka is the time that evil was reduced in the world. Now this can be compared to the parad the bulls of sukus because the tells us that the bulls of sukus correspond to the 70 nations and those are the kipos those are the influences of negativity in the world that on sukus through our carbonus their influence becomes less and less and less and so there's a reduction of the number of carbonos on sukus corresponding to the reduction of the 70 nations and so here says b shame that's the ikar miracle of kaneka and so we have The reduce we liked ate on the first night and reduce 7654. However, Basill holds that the icker is the nare. The ikar is the mitzvah. The ikar the main miracle is the ongoing light the contribution of kalisrael the and therefore we did a little bit at the beginning and then there's more and more and more and more. If it's a matter of getting rid then we reduce the number. If it's a matter of filling the world with more light then we increase the number. And of course we pass like basus of sura goes on and on and the reb expresses it particularly in paras in a share that we offered in uh the first year of all para regarding Jacob and Yoseph in par about and we hope we'll learn that together again soon. But one thing is for sure and here the rebel points out that everyone agrees about the order of the matter. The zora says the first thing that one has to do is to increase his fear of hashem get away from the bad. And therefore we could say that basill also agrees that surra comes first. So then why does bh say that we should light more candles corresponding to doing good corresponding to that miracle of light that kept on increasing during the eight days of the original kaneka. Here the Reb says something so fantastic that even if the order is first get rid of the bad and then do good. We've already accomplished that with Rashiper. It's a well-known idea in that the Y season of Rashaship continues all the way through Kaneka and through Khan. And therefore we already experienced the holidays of Yera of trembling and we began the process of getting rid of bad way back on Rashaship and we accomplished it and therefore now even if you'll tell me that that's the order says that the of Kaneka is the is the filling with light is the miracle of the ongoing minora the ongoing and that's why we are increasing each and every day to increase in the world the influence of kalas. But listen to this. The rebba says he says as follows. Excuse me. The says and we know this. We said it when we blew the show for our happy is the nation that knows the trua that Hashem in the light of your face they go says the rebba in the name of earlier the idea of yua is barzel that there's a destruction that goes on here means breaking that means means that we get rid of the bad. And so we began with that's the breaking away from the bad. But where does it lead to or that we're going in the light of Hashem? That's and so whether you hold like B shi who says reduce we have to learn that lesson or if you hold like that the is we have to learn that lesson of doing more good that it's like the went on and kept increasing light and even if you'll wonder about what's the order we already experienced the order of getting away from the bad of breaking away from the negativity and now we go in the light of your face That's Kaneka. This can be compared to Yoseph himself because Yoseph is kgris kesh. He's kg. He corresponds to the mitzvah of circumcision. And the mitzvah of bris is a mitzvah a positive command to perform this right to perform this mitzvah. But it also creates an obligation upon us our whole lives to get away from negativity to not fall into the temptations in the golio of the various things that want to draw us down. the tyos, the negativities that Yoseph was tempted by but overcame in Mitzim. And so Yoseph the hero of our para is indeed both surra and he was the source of this very reality that becomes a frame and mana a frame who is getting away from the bad and mana who's running towards the good that's the getting rid of the yanim that's surra and the increasing of light that's the miracle of the pak and even if we'll believe that the order should be for surra We experience Kipper. We're still in that season that began all the way back in Tuba of the season of closest to Hashem. And now we're ready for Hashem to increase the light in the world as we walk in the light of Hashem's face. I wish you all a great Shabas and a wonderful