Chanuka: Soul over Body - Beautifying a Mitzva - Going out to light Menoras - RC Dalfin

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