Chanukah 5779 Day #7: To Live an Oily Life

the yeshiva dotnet oil oil and more oil many of us light the menorah with oil the wicks are dipped in oil and then of course we eat latkes that are fried in oil donuts fried in oil this is the holiday of chemin of oil of course because the miracle of Hanukkah revolves around the oil there was only enough oil to burn for one day and the oil burned for eight days but there is also a profound message here like all of the traditions of Judaism a message to us on how to live you see there are four qualities and characteristics about oil number 1 olive oil is produced by crushing and beating the ripe olives the olive must be severely humbled and pressed in order to emit its oil number 2 olive oil as many other oils extracted from minerals and plants and animals penetrates solid substances very deeply we all know how difficult it is to remove the oily grease that makes its way into our fingers or our clothes various oils have been used throughout history as remedies for wounds and diseases because oil penetrates the body far deeper than its external tissue number 3 oil does not mix with other liquids when you attempt to mix let's say oil with water the oil will remain distinct that will not dissolve into the water number 4 not only will the oil not dissolve into other liquids it will rise it will float atop these four characteristics of oil contain four cardinal lessons and principles in life number one life humbles you sometimes life crushes you never despair the purpose of the humbleness is to turn you into oil and to turn you into a source of light and a source of warmth don't resist if you look deeper into the crush you will extract oil from it number two fear not to connect to others deeply be vulnerable and real let people into your life and allow yourself to connect to others in a deep way number three in your journey of life don't allow yourself to dissolve and lose your identity you have a unique contribution or unique light to give to the world you have a duty to God and to the world and to humanity to share your lights somebody once said the biggest challenge of life is to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else you are born an original don't die as a copy and number four the oil will always rise to the top always remember you can rise to the top because you're an ambassador of the divine and just as nobody can destroy the divine nobody can destroy your soul cherish yourself remember your exaltedness as an emissary of God in this world have a happy Hannukah this class has brought to you by the achieve Annette please help us continue the classes make even a small contribution at triple w dot the yeshiva net slash donate