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Chanuka: Soul over Body - Beautifying a Mitzva - Going out to light Menoras - RC Dalfin
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so it's
ofah last night um we eradicated the bad
energy of of nitt of the
Clipper and we're back to uh bringing uh
positive energy into our life Vis um
haneka so haneka reminds us
that the
says the Jewish people rested from the
war the
macbes on the 25th nevertheless the
festival is
celebrated primarily on the oil we like
the Mana The Jug of oil so this is the
question that everyone
asks shouldn't the Yum of kanah be
celebrated more about the victory of the
of
theim over the r the minut the over the
majority
there was so many more and so more
powerful the the Greek armies and all
that but nevertheless we don't make a
big deal about that we just mention it
in the word kanuka which is an important
word of course but uh we don't do any
celebration of of sub of substance
except saying
Hal um so so this is a basic
question has its view and answer
says like this that the jug of oil oil
if you if you put various liquids on
anything mixed together oil will always
rise to the
top
in there's a rule
called which is the same idea oil so
what do oil represents
the in capitalistic terms now this the
first of the 10h known as within the
soul within the neish meaning it's it's
the pristine pure aspect of the
okay what happened over here the the
helist sought to obliterate the Divinity
within God within to
mitz therefore the gar says that the
they said if you want to celebrate
certain Mitzvah that make sense like
and not murdering and not stealing and
have a court of law and all of that no
problem it's logical it's the proper
thing to be a mench to behave to
respect but Mitzvah like shabas Anda
that shabas should be specifically the
seventh day of the week shabas and and
Sunday Monday Tuesday whether you make a
shabas out of it or not it makes for us
it's it's not
shabas or so it has to be specifically
on the shabas so to on the eth day the
circumcision not on the fourth day not
on the 10th day but on the eighth day so
like
that and all those Mitzvah that
are statutes there's no rationale given
in the title for
them this is this my
decree they were against and they said
we won't let you do
that in fact the says they said right
Al a pronounce to everyone you don't
have you don't have a part in the in the
in the god of Israel what does that
mean that God is God they admit it but
that God is something different and what
we call Divine that they didn't agree
with that what that that's what they
were against
so the
miracle of winning a war is not symbolic
it doesn't address this issue we won a
war it's a great Sim no question about
it but it doesn't yet the the war was
about the the
Goof and Yi
the the Festival of KH wasn't about the
Jewish goof it was about the Jewish the
the Festival of puim was about the
Jewish goof H want sought to kill all
the go Jews regardless the Goof the body
but Kana know Kana is about the soul to
radicate the Holiness and Divinity of
the Soul so
emphasizing says emphasizing the victory
in war would not be a proper
memorization and Memorial and and and
and and representation of what really
what is the nuda of what's
the over
Divinity how do you see that in oil
because here was one jug of oil which
had enough to last for one day to last
the whole time but besides that it that
that the timing of how it lasted it's
more about the essence of o oil the oil
represents the the the aspect that
always Rises to the top it's always
complete and and pure that's the point
that's the the so the the the the the
the finding of a sealed jug of
oil meaning that the the H the Greeks
couldn't contaminate it because it was
beyond
contamination what can what can you
contaminate you can contaminate
you could hurt the Goof but the the they
couldn't get to that's what they so they
sought to eradicate the Thea so what do
we celebrate we celebrate the Thea Vis
the oil so the fact that they found a
jug of oil wasn't just CU there's many
many questions on that as you as you as
as you've learned on that finding of the
oil eight days seven days why what's the
big nest that you could have filled up
it's the of oil that was celebrating
that's the of and that's why another
point this MIT
OFA we we
emphasize we we pass right like that we
do M and each day we
increase although technically you could
do one candle each day we go and we do
one two 3
so there's already many many much
conversation about this in the the holy
and the idea
is now what's the what's the point of
beautifying something the beautiful of
the most of the beautiful the idea is
mmers the idea is that we don't
suffice with just doing something that's
right and doing it prop properly
Mah and this explains a lot of
things in in
y okay a Jew a ye should not seek just
to do what's obligatory the bare
minimum that's my that's in yish we say
the
expression Hebrew but the expression
means I do it so I get I get it done I
get it done I did it went to sh this
morning I heard the kades I did
it that's that's what hasem wants of
course he wants that but he wants much
more he wants there should be a Gish and
a pleasure and a and slav so that the an
excitement
enthusiasm so that's emphasized when we
do Mah madrin and that's the idea of the
oil of the Nish the Nish doesn't suffice
just doing it and doing it right and
legalistic legally I did
it but there's no there's no life to it
it's it's empty it's like you know
without enjoyment without so that's why
specifically the Yum it's a rabic yump
not a Biblical one the Yum of this yum
isn't
just isn't just doing the mitah m m
because that's the of of oil that's one
one thought that you could think about
and share as you go through the Y it's I
think a very nice
concept the other the which we've
mentioned but it's worth mentioning
again is the language in
the that we
say
um we say
why does have to
say of course it's
God's why the
emphasis that that they sought the the
Greek sought to make us forget your
Torah make you
desecrate your will if self OD so again
here we have this explanation brought in
many this as well and that is that it's
the same idea that we mentioned and
those what I'm showing you is that
there's
an there's a general uh thread and idea
that goes through different ideas both
in
our of Kan and in our observance of Kana
that we find this nuda and that is that
they had no problem with t and mitv as a
whole because if it's a cultural thing
no problem they had a problem
associating
it that you do it because God said so in
other words keep shouldn't be done just
because you know uh Tom mlin in North
Dakota gives respect to his parents very
nice it's it's very nice Tom but why
should a ye give respect not because
it's nice cuem says so
in so
our isn't just a nice thing a proper
thing our needs to be predicated on the
the Creator and and and and as we think
about this there are times when you
don't want to do K
I'm just using that as an example or
have or another mitvah that's logical
right you just don't want to do it or
you're not interested or you say I find
reasons not to do it guess what you have
to put yourself aside and say since the
entire reason why I should do it is
because God said so hasem said so so the
fact that I feel this way I feel that
way who
cares and if and if we if we don't do
one the is because we don't feel this
way or that way then we're like Tom mlin
in in North
Dakota who decided today to honor his
parents and tomorrow he might shoot them
because he feels they're they're
evil no you're laughing MERS it's not a
joke it's real in other words the whole
idea of of I I don't mean you're
laughing at me I'm just saying the whole
idea of mitzvas is because of a
so that's why you come you know you're
in the world of Torah we're right 7 48
ways to be happy never pushed that and
I'll tell you as I thought I thought
about it a lot mute yourself
please happy and if I'm not happy and if
I'm not happy I shouldn't do the
Mitzvah okay I understand it was a
gimmick to get people in I I I know that
I'm just saying the the the point is
whether I'm happy or not happy
says do this Mitzvah and and I and I
want to listen to him I do it I I woke
up on the wrong side I am angry I have
reason to to say
to you're you're you know you're really
you're messing me up for no reason and
what are you doing and I don't like you
you know what I'm saying who are you who
are you so all of this is
encapsulated in those two words who
Torah it's your Torah that they were
against the Divinity of Torah that's
what they were
against they made they wanted us wanted
us to forget that it's God's Torah and
they wanted us to desecrate
God your will yes the emphasis is
specifically
yours this is the nuda that's brought in
and see this on these two
concepts now there's also important to
mention the this brought down the the
importance of adding ined
during's eight days so it's it's
mentioned in many that the eight days of
Hanah is associated with the eight days
of sukus and in a way it's still it's
like the finale for The Young
the so that's one idea and
simultaneously is the idea
that it's brought down in I believe even
increas sud but
also also there is a tradition by inad
as well and others that the fifth night
of
haneka you Tred to have a lka servant
again if if you could afford to eat lus
but to gather people together to make a
k and to
give um and the question was always
asked why the fifth night and some say
cu the AL went out of jail that day
that's why they do
it and there are other other ideas
there's a famous story with the Reb but
but regardless the idea this is what I
want to say everyone here probably has
or goes
to Misha Myers please mute yourself
everyone goes to I have a wedding
someone made a wedding is that also a
good day for a wedding the yes AB
absolutely
absolutely so the the
theas sometimes get out a hand where
it's just about chatting and hacking and
and drinking and eating and let let let
us do that but imbue it with you know
and if you see if you're at a party or
or H or anyone and say say take two
minutes a minute say something you know
you don't need to be a rabbi and a
scholar to you know Moses to to say
story make make it make it make it
significant let people people know that
it's not just a a party this ideas of
parties and parties and parties the
whole idea of a party is just to entice
the
yinin would say if you tell the
Yahara come to a sheer he says go
somewhere he tell the Atara come to DAV
and he
says I got to sleep in bed he tell the
to come to a party we're going to drink
a Kentucky bourbon or whatever and and
then have good the Stak yeah right oh
I'm coming to a good party once he comes
to the party the Y you drag him in you
give
him and you sing a you say and you get
him excited and you bring out his
passion should be for hasem too so the
whole idea of the party is a
hook a hook but it shouldn't be more
than a hook when it becomes a cook not a
hook where you're cooked up in the party
with 65 different meats and then you
forget about the purpose of the party
it's uh whatever it's it's empty it's
rake it's
rake yes it's yeen getting together I
understand and again there are certain
circumstances where just getting
together as Jews is is is important but
um for us who know better and we're in
different commun unities and different
shoes and all of that um make make your
your party a a
a so that's another I know we're going
to go into having parties now for eight
days it should be it should be imbued
with
the another
of
is and this as you know made a big point
of lighting Manas in public
everyone whether you participate or you
light
is okay and to publicize the Mitzvah of
when I was a younger man going back to
the 70s Yi this is I think before stared
City or maybe stared city which is on
the way to JFK was just going up already
just it was brand new I remember and I
went there where Kaneka those build at
that time there was full of Russian Jews
the 70s full in those buildings it
wasn't what it is today which you know
you know what I mean um it was full of
Russian Jews and it was it was great
hundreds of people lit them ano just by
walking on the floor knocking on the
door come in I have very warm memories
of being welcomed in by these Russian
babushkas and and others and and lying
the Mana so listen every you know if you
think and that everyone in in in in raat
is lighting man uh I did I doubt it I'm
sure there are others some that don't so
you know think about who that is that
you know and you can knock on the door
and said like would you like to like the
manura with me I'll help you you know um
kabad gives out Manas you know and all
that so the idea is pum to publicize now
the
Reba I recall I don't know was towards
the end of the 70s or in the 80s they
started to make
these public malora lightings in world
over at in Paris and the Eiffel Tower in
at the Kel and um in New York in 770 and
in different in Los Angeles and
different places and they hooked it all
in on screen and uh they had a that was
able to see it with with everyone and it
it was um a big idea of
pum in what sense in the sense that we
see that yeen from world over are
recognizing and
publicizing the uh the message of Kaneka
and the message of Kaneka is freedom
which is an easy
one uh to to explain and I would say a
large part not going to say complete a
large part of the opposition by members
of the Federation the reform movement
that we had going back and I've
documented that some in my one of my new
books um is dissipated I'm not going to
say it's gone you know but um it's less
and less um so so what we could do and
what we should do y is take our kids or
grandkids if and go sometime to a
building to a place or to the or to the
maraz and stand there
it's called in it's called not
mitvah kanuka which is the Kana
campaign and um lots of people you'll be
surprised are today from because of
Manas I also remember I don't know if
any of you ever saw the the first large
man was at Union Square in San
Francisco and and uh Bill Graham not
Billy Graham Bill Graham was a Survivor
and he lived actually Marin County which
was my turf but years later in corner
Madera I think he lived somewhere out
there he had a whole estate and he
sponsored the first manora in Union
Square and it was amazing there's a
whole story how it got there cuz first
the the rabbi did it uh in Union Square
and it was a great success Rabbi drizen
then the reformed Rabbi Rabbi Asher came
running to the Federation how could he
allow them to do that on public uh
property so the next the Federation said
do us a favor we'll give you a beautiful
spot with Gardens elsewhere and if you
don't have such a successful event then
we'll go
back uh to Union Square
so he wrote to the reab RAB driz Reb
said ask people on the spot who you who
know you respect
and so he was that day two Rabbi raichik
and Rabbi Fus mendle were in San
Francisco I think raising some funds and
a mendle told him that sometimes you
have to go back just like an ax before
it GES it goes back and then it goes
much stronger so mendle said sometimes
you have to go back for the purpose of
of of more so that year hea went
elsewhere the second year when the man
was lit in public he had 50 people was
very he was very upset but the
Federation the San Francisco Federation
lived up to its word and the next year
he came back and they had a thousand
people again so that was the first babad
put up in public in 1975 in un Square so
the idea is to to do the the the Mi to
reach out to help others with the uh
lighting of the KRA we're taking a break
from tomorrow to Monday or Tuesday
January 6 or 7th depending if I go to
Florida or not I'll let you know mem um
so because of daving and and the
schedule so I'm just going to you know
leave it and everyone should
have if you need anything I'm available
on the WhatsApp whatever and let me
know byebye