Modern Masters: Chanuka, Preparing for Moshiach | Rabbi Sam Shor | December 4th 2025

agree. >> Uh this morning we know we're in the the zone of Khaneka. Those those that have learned together both here as well as in the other locations the past couple weeks. Um we've been delving into already delving into Kaneka. And today we're going to take a deep dive into trying to understand what many mafarians say is really the essential message of Kaneka that often often often gets overlooked. We're going to begin every single morning at the end of of Shakaras many of them the practice to recite the yogimar the Rambam the Ram's 13 you know precepts of of faith of amuna and of course the perhaps the most familiar and most famous of those precepts is the one that we see as text number one on our sheets the 12th of those precepts I believe wholeheartedly fully in the coming of Messiah. And even though he he may not come so quickly, right? We've been waiting for so long. Despite the fact we've been away for so long, every single day I anticipate his arrival. So what does it mean? We're going to begin with this question. What does it mean to anticipate the coming of Mashiach? How many of us and and not only that to anticipate the coming of Msiah every single day? How many of us wake up in the morning, okay, when we think about what we have to have in our mind, what we have to accomplish during that day, the lies ahead of us. How many of us have on our radar screen? Let's be honest. Okay, you're smiling, but let's be honest. How many of us have it on our radar screen? You know, Mashiach's coming today. I'm ready to greet Mashiach. So, I'll share with you a story about the great the illustrious Rashiva Ro of Legend, the dean of the of the Shiva. It's a story. It's an apocryphal story that I've seen written up in a number of different places. The story goes something like this. one of Shabas is not sitting in B. She's sitting in his study at home. It's of Shabas. It's a few hours before Shabas and he's got spread out in front of him on his desk in the home study. And his wife comes into the study and says, "Kayen, I'm going out for uh for a few minutes. Had to get a few more things from the from the marketplace for Shabish, but I have a pot of soup that I'm leaving on the stove boiling." Just do me a favor. keep an eye on the pot. It should shouldn't boil over, shouldn't get burnt. So says, "Okay." He goes back, of course, goes right back into his learning. All of the sudden, as he's re-emerged himself in this farm sitting before him, all of a sudden he hears a great commotion coming from the streets. And he goes out to his balcony and he looks out at the street below and he hears the the announcement coming from the streets. Mashiachu has arrived. Mashiach secu was here and of course who every single day lived this principle of the ra and he anticipated that that mashia come at any moment. He immediately runs to the his closet and he goes to pull out his long shabas cloak, his proper shabas kapato and he puts it on very excitedly and he looks down he sees it's missing a button and he begin he's frozen and he's devastated and he begins to cry and he's thinking to himself how could I greet Mashia Senu with a with a damaged beckasha wearing a damaged beckha how could I stand before Mashiach that we've longed for for every single moment for so long. Okay? And I look disheveled. I don't look like a bentora. I don't look like a rasha. And then all of a sudden, all of a sudden, he hears his wife's voice screaming at him. What happened? The soup is ruined. What happened? Obviously had gone into a deep daydream. Okay. A days. He was so Mashiach was so on his conscious every single moment of every single day that he went into a daydream. Okay? And literally thought that he was seeing Mashiachu be revealed before his very eyes. So again, I'll ask the question, what does it mean to anticipate Mashiach every single day? To long for Msiah every single day. How can we who maybe are not on that same at least in some way tap into this concept of of longing for Msiah. So it's very interesting. It's very interesting. There's a PK you'll see in text number 20 sheets. Okay. that the there I will make the the rebon says there I'll make a a horn sound or or be ready to gre for for for David and I have prepared a lamp from nare for my mashiach for my anointed one. So what does it mean that Hashem has prepared a nare for his mashiach? So Ramosha Wilson gives us a little bit of a clue. Take a look at text number three. Wilson in his beautiful state for he has this little oneline gem. He says the word mashiach is fork during the eight days of Kaneka. The concept of Mashiach [snorts] is revealed to the Jewish people. Okay? We are meant to we're meant to long for Mashiach every single day. We're meant to anticipate Mashiach every single day. So Rasha Wilson says, you know, realize that that might be an idea that might be difficult for us. Okay, it's an abstract idea that might be hard for us to grasp. But says Wilson, the word Mashiach is a that there are eight days a year where we can tap into that that that energy, where we can get into the headsp space of of of focus and being ready and preparing ourselves to greet Mashiach. And those eight days a year or when during the eight days of Kaneka Khan the purpose of Kaneka says Mosha Wilson is meant somehow to reveal to us and prepare us to be able to greet Mashia. It's very interesting you know one of the most common minhagim or practices or things that we get most excited about when it comes to the Y of Kaneka is that at least when we were kids is the concept of of spinning the drrele. Okay. And it's very fascinating that we tend to think of drreal as being child's play. Okay. Ever since we're this tall, we we've been told that why why do we have this min of of a drreal is that that in the time of the gazer when the Greeks prohibited us to teach Torah to our youngsters, to our children. So what would do? They would go out into the into the forest and they would sit with their with their with their tamidim. And if a Greek soldier came, they would break out a top and that he would spin that top and it would be therefore appear that this was a play group, not a study group. That's the story of that that I remember in terms of being a youth because of why we spin the dre why specifically kids spin the dre on on on Kaneka. It's very interesting. Ra Rabbi Gaml Rabanovich, one of the great Mikubalim in the world today, Rishik Mikubam in his beautiful he says the most powerful thing. He says that a drreal is not simply child's play. That a drrele he says as a matter of fact in every generation whenever we faced turbulent times whenever we faced we're on the brink of of despair of war warfare despair and pain that sadikim of every generation would spin the drrele. This is his words nephesh with incredible spiritual fervor and as a matter of fact every single year my brother-in-law who's a videographer every single year he's invited to film one night of kaml lighting his kanukia inim and afterwards the the rav after he sits and watches the candles the rav sits and he has all these drreidles made out of silver and gold and he sits and spins dozens of drreidles at a time and he's clapping and singing and he's got his eye with incredible incredible passion. So what is spinning drele really all about? What's the message inherent in the drrele? So take a look. We're going to learn this short teaching from of course is one of the early first early masters of one of the disciples of the bash of himself and tells us two things related to the drre. And this is the first thing. This is text number four. Who's the rav? He's talking about the okay says in the name of the bashento that why do we put the word the letters nunim hey and shin on our drrele? We think it means what? It's a roshos. We always always are taught since we're this tall. It's a ros for that a great miracle happened there. Okay. But no, that's not what the Bashento said. The Bashto says what that actually these these these letters are an illusion to the mitzvah. What are the mitzvah of that is to light the candles and to recite the the hollow the the song the psalms of praise and thanksgiving. And now he explains this vet. Okay. Nun shin. Nun and shin are the letters nmona the eight candles of kaneka and h gimmel hal gamur and hey giml are meant to teach us what that we recite the full hal on each of the eight days of kaka. So says the baltov the letters of on the drrele the on the drreel are not just a roshi but rather it's to remind us of what the two mitz associated with but then takes it a step further he says there's another that we learned from the bettes and his the the great light of the said something Just as we say our khazal teaches that the minhagim of the Jewish people are sacred like the Torah itself. Therefore there are 70 faces 70 ways to understand and approach the Torah. It must be what that there are 70 ways to understand the various of the Jewish people. And therefore it seems to me that this there's something that could be alluded to here in accordance with the words of the BMP of a blessed memory who said that all the miracles that the Jewish people experienced throughout our life the the history of Jewish history they all come from the same zone the same realm of the energy of Mashiach theorid Mashiach and even in the miracle of the story of Kaneka it's uh we're getting a glimpse of what the light of Mashiach and therefore it seems to me that this is what's being alluded to by the drreal shallot those four letters of nun giml shin and equal gamatria the word mashiach so says the bashto Two reasons why we spin the drrele. The drre to remind us of two important ideals. Number one, the first is what what are the mitz associated with kaneka nun shina eight days of candles eight candles and hey gimmo as well as that those four equal gamachia mashiach and the kaneka is ultimately all about mashiach. As a matter of fact, you can see the anecdote that's that appears as number five on your sheets that when the belli of came ali in 1951, he came to Isel, he purportedly sent an sentash to find a drreel that had a shin and not a pay, right? Because the drreidles here in they all have a pay inside the shim. Why? because of the acronym poe but the beli sent his shamasha he even though he had been z to make aliyah he sent the shamash to look for a drreal with a shin instead of a pay purportedly one would assume that that's associated to this idea that the drrele represents and is meant to remind us of the the that these days are all about what getting ready for mashiach As a matter of fact, if you turn your sheets over, if you turn your sheets over, you'll see we're going to learn a Torah now from the and the says the following. This idea of Kaneka being somehow associated with connected to Mashiach. This is why the is called is related to what the language of which means education preparation to prepare oneself. Okay. Just as we teach children, we give children an education about mitzvah even before they reach the gill of mitzvah in order. They should be ready to be able to fulfill the mitzvah when they become oblit obligatory to them. So is what? Therefore, it's the same language to prepare ourselves is a preparation for the comes after what? The fall of our enemies. Okay. is meant to prepare us for the ultimate that will come at the conclusion of the falling of all of the enemies of the Jewish people. That's why the miracle of is related to what that light or the hidden light that's the idea that's why the and we'll talk about this in a moment had to search for that for that jar of oil. What what does it mean that it was hidden? It's a reference to the hidden light. What's the hidden light? It said, "What glimpse of the hidden light?" The light of the future, the light of Messiah that please God will be fully revealed speedily in our days. So, let's take a look the Kaneka story. Those of us that have learned together the past couple weeks, we know that the Kaneka story that there we spoke with us yesterday, right? Right. That there the story that we as it appears in the Talman there are lots of questions to be asked about that story. What does it mean that the Kashmai who themselves were kohanim the children of the co that they had a search for a hidden cruise of oil. So the answer is here it's all allegorical according to what we learned from Rafuk yesterday. We're going to see that same idea from RV cook in just a moment just to reiterate this. The idea is that theashim were searching. Why? Because the light that needed to be revealed at that moment was what? The light of mashia. The h the oragan news the hidden light. So the whole the whole imagery of searching high and low of trying to reveal that which is hidden away. Okay. It's all about what? Bringing forth the faith and the coming of Mashiach. And that's what this is all about. of the saskar. It's that these eight days are meant to what? To prepare ourselves to get in the headsp space to be ready to greet Mashiah. Okay. And therefore, this idea of of finding that which is hidden, of revealing that which is hidden, of bringing forth a light that comes from a hidden source, that's all connected to this idea of the origamuz, the hidden light, the light that's tucked away in the future to be revealed. the light of Mashiach. Okay. So then jumps on this where the dine leaves off and he takes it a step further. Let's take a look. Let's learn text number seven now in our sheets. Okay. Right. So he says as follows and just as the lights are an eternal eternally relevant concept that will burn and shine for us, okay, that shine for us the light of okay that have enlightened and will enlighten the Jewish people for the entire time of their dispersion in the go in the diaspora. Okay. Until that great moment when they a new light meaning Mashiach will be revealed to. So to the idea of the the proverbial jar of oil. So to that idea, that concept of the cruise of oil, the hidden jar of oil that the search for high and low and that they had to find with the insignia of the coal, this concept is also eternal. Now he's going to explain this wrote in all generations in all time. We the Jewish people have been blessed by what? The capacity of the power of the proverbial pakan. Okay. That jar of oil which and the message of that power is what? That in all circumstances a little bit of light can outshine so much darkness. Whether it be collectively throughout the generations in every generation that have been a source of light and encouragement and hope even in the darkest times for the Jew whether it's through just the simple the simple pure faith of of a Jew oh or the longing for salvation all these concepts are the spark sparks of light that have enlightened that that provided light for the Jew during all the days and dark periods of Jewish history. And the essence says the shalom is faith that a Jew always has to believe that within every single one of us is what? A proverbial jar of oil. The belief within each of every single one of us that there is a hashem. So what exactly does that mean? What is it exactly is the Sham alluding to that what has kept the Jewish people alive in all the darkest periods that have provided us with light with spiritual strength in all the darkest periods is the reality of of knowing that within every single one of us is a hashem. So Rook if you take a look at text number eight this idea we shared yesterday says the following explains this idea. Israel within within every single Jew, there is a side of priesthood, a piece of priesthood, if you will. There is a spark of priesthood because collectively the Jewish people are called what? A priestly nation and a holy people. and the inner desire for the sanctity of life and the Torah's wisdom that is hidden tucked away safely within the heart of every the depths of the heart of every single Jew and that's the that it's that little jar of oil the inner hidden world of a Jew it's sealed with the insignia of the ultimate calling god meaning himself this Greeks can never render impure it's very interesting many take this a step further and explain this concept the word hashem is the same as the word nama okay innate within every single Jew is a nama okay the nishama is the cook explains is the proverbial okay the hash is within every single Jew there is an a spark of divinity a spark of holiness that no matter what the yanim or any of our enemies okay throw our way it's that can never be rendered impure innate within every single one of us is an okay rah Wilson says, "Okay, so what does that mean?" And what does that what does that realization come to require of each one of us or comes to encourage each one of us to make manifest? Take take a look at text number nine. Every single Jewish in the moment when he lights his candles Cohen, it's as if he becomes a cohen. It's as if at that moment we are the proverbial cohain standing in the mikdash lighting the minora and this is alluded to by the word which is comprised of the letter and the letter for the word letter for the word cohain. eight days throughout all eight days of Kaneka. Every single one of us throughout the entire eight days of Kaneka, each one of us becomes a khain. Each one of us becomes a leader. Each one of us becomes the conduit to kindle light to bring the light of Amuna back to the Jewish people to enlighten and remind every single Jew that every day we're meant to anticipate what Mashiachu that every single day we're meant to long for and desire that we should experience the revelation that great light the oragan news the light that remains hidden for us from us the light of Mashia. Okay. So, these are all beautiful ideas, beautiful concepts. I want to close with one last teaching what we may have learned together outside, not inside. Um, in uh just a few weeks ago, but it's worth learning together inside because it really brings us all together. We're going to learn a short teaching from the Ohale Yakov, Rabbi Yakov Freeman. Rabbi Yako Freeman is the rebi of Hayatanusagi in Elenu. He's buried in the uh in the cemetery in Tavaria. Rabbi Yakov Freeman, the Ohal Yakov, came on Aliyah in 1938 and live lived the last 19 years of his life in downtown Tel Aviv from 1938 to 1957. Um, and if you think about those years, those 19 years, you're talking about a very, very turbulent period in Jewish history. You're talking about the Shawah. He narrowly escapes the the rise of Nazism in Poland and makes it to you're talking about the battle both diplomatically as well as in terms of actual warfare for the establishment of the state of Israel. And you're talking about the early years of the state of Israel where the the the the Matav Kakalipo the the fin the the the fiscal reality the the the the commerce the the economic status here in for the Jews living here in Eric Israel was was that of almost extreme poverty for almost everyone. Okay. People were living in 10 cities still. And this is the 19-year period that he comes to Israel. And it's very fascinating because he's anidi. He's aidic master. He's lovingly referred to as the admiration as a the Zionist Admir because in many of his Toras many of his Tors not only does he give us a glimpse of what's unfolding during those 19 years those you know difficult 19 years a formative 19 years of Jewish history but he also often speaks very positively with tremendous hope and amuna in terms of the the state being built and those involved in building the So we're going to learn a short piece from Kaneka of 1949. Okay. 1948 actually 1948. It's the first Kaneka after the first Kaneka after the establishment of the state of Israel. And this is the Torah. This is text number 10 in our sheets. So the first thing that the rabbi tells us is that what practice to wish one another. So when is that expression familiar to us? Our practices use during the okay some even say but he says amongst the even he brings a few sources for this he brings a okay he brings the he was of the rabbi okay and he brings others and and they say until it's as if it's still because ultimately what the the the completion of that sealing in inscription. He says when we wish one another this he says we could we could have it could we could have in mind a double antandra. We're not just the standard of saying because it's Khan. But there's a dual reason that we should really have in mind this Khan meaning Khan 1948 when we say and now we get a parenthetic note that his son who the the Rebi Rabitak who edited the Reb's writings and put together this inserts in this in this um in this teaching and he says the following. People came, men came from a delegation came from to visit my father meaning the rebba in his other resident residence in Benabra. Okay. And because he split his time between and he says they came to ask him the reby's opinion. What is his opinion of what of the new state of Israel that's been established? Okay, just there's a first khan after listen to what the rebi answered. The rebi answered that the state of Israel is the beginning of our redemption. Cain now comes the end. Now, back to the Reby's words. If it's true that indeed we've merited to see the beginning of the okay, through Hashem's help, that's only in terms of our physical reality. We've got a we have a physical homeland. It's not enough to that we return home physically. We need what? The gamar to the complete um goodness. Okay. That will come speedily in our days. And that is the spiritual salvation. And that is the complete gula that will come as we greet mashu. and to greet one another with this when we say okay with that that we we intend what not just that it's the end of the whole period of the ocean of the continuation of that but also that we mean that we want to be blessed to see Msiah he says this idea is also connected to As we learned from the writings of we learned from we learned from just a few moments ago every single throughout the entire Kaneka when we light our the moment when we light our candles the hidden light of Msiah is revealed to those that hidden light is the light of mashiach and the chernobla rebi returns to our that we began this whole year with I prepared a candle for mashiach through lighting the lights okay the lights prepare us to be able to merit to see the lights of mashiach theas of tells us is from the language of which means preparation. The these entire eight days is where Mosha Wilson tell taught us as meant to instill within every single one of us revealed to every single one of us that the light of mashiach is there as reiterated by this beautiful teaching from the oh Jacob that on Kanek we say with dual anticipation not only that we should be all the goodness that hopefully we were promised from Russiper and Hosana Rabba that indeed that goodness should come true, but also that we should be za to see that great light that through the kanaka candles that will light that we should be reminded to long for and anticipate at any moment the coming of Msiah and that during these eight days here at some may we indeed be blessed to experience that revelation to finally greet Mashia Senu and to be able to truly wish one another a gamarima tova have a great chabas