KLM: How to Celebrate Chanukah in the Midst of War with Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit

[Music] I would like to um begin as always by welcoming the members of uh yiben to the km series and for all the other listeners on YouTube um I'm really hoping that this um this sh is going to help a lot so let me let me begin and explain all right Hanukkah in the middle of a war uh suffering all around uh fear anxiety suffering uh um for the soldiers for the captives uh anti-Semitism all over the place so this doesn't really feel like the spirit of Hanukah right like how how are we going to celebrate H celebrate right this holiday when everybody's in in pain and suffering I am going to deal with that I have some help from very special rabbis on that point but I'm saving that for the end okay before we discuss celebrating Hanukkah now before we do that let's learn how to approach Hanukkah in a way that will significantly contribute to what we're looking for salvation uh relief of suffering Etc okay now you know what my Approach is my Approach is let's do the Mitzvah really well and doing them really well requires cavana having intentionality and focus on what we're doing so that's what we're going to do but before we get into that I want to explain I want to give you it's my job to tell you many times about the value of this because I mean few seconds thought what's that doing this action over wherever you live what's that doing so I need to go over this but I want to give you a new angle all right um one of the greatest uh holy books of all time is duties of the Heart by and and he says there he gives a a wonderful metaphor that I hope will'll get the point across why m are so important okay he says like this um to understand causality right um takes maturity okay it takes perceptual maturity he gives the following example let's say you have a newborn baby and the newborn baby uh needs to survive and exist how does the baby uh um you know what's his initial sustenance it's the mother's milk right so at the very beginning what does the baby see as where his sustenance is coming from the baby sees it from the mother's breast okay now let's say gets older maybe he's two years old three years old I I can't tell you I'm not P but he gets a little older and he goes it's Mommy right then the baby goes from the breast to Mommy okay then the baby gets a little older and realize you know who paid for this home we're in who's bringing in the money now it could be mommy also but it's there's a daddy so daddy is the source of his sustenance right then he realizes Daddy has a job and a boss an employer and then he realizes work can bring this so what do we see here the uh it takes maturity to realize that the immed the the the um what you call it the um iMed the immediate upfront cause is not the primary cause Okay in other words uh the it's the milk from the breast the mother has to pick up the baby Etc the mother there's a lot has to go on right and then so the the at first we tend to react what the most um Direct in front of us cause is the important one but if you trace it back it's usually the more significant cause is more distance a very important point now what do we know is the primary cause is really the most distance cause uh from what we see and that's a Shen in other words so look you know someone shoots a gun so did the gun kill the person right there was someone holding the gun right there was something that got the person to do it a lot of steps but if you go back we we as believing Jews Divine Providence says that hasem is the primary cause if you will okay there's free will I don't want to get into that but so here's the point why are Mitzvah a very powerful um uh very powerful if you will military strategy to to defeat the enemy to uh to help um people be safe and in welfare okay so first of all by the way let's keep in mind that the Torah and its mitzvah the tomet explains they're Manan and matlet they protect and they save Now who is the real General it says Hashem is is Hashem is the if you will he's the master of War okay now probably speaking if I do something that is really what the General the is mohama the master of War what what he wants that is going to have a tremendous uh impact um and help all the military strategists and the courageous uh soldiers and all the the the their success is when uh we if we have the if we have the favor of the one who's going to make this all happen huge impact it'll Empower everybody there you know one person shared with me and then we're going to get into it one person shared with me uh that you know over in the United States they feel so you know I wish we can do more what what do we have and and and they and they have prayer but we also have the mitzah so let's dive into Hanukkah I my point is to say that don't underestimate the impact of doing a Mitzvah well doing a MIT with intention and connecting to the holiday all right don't underestimate that because it's so influential so influential all right so what I want to do for this year is the following I want to focus on the main Mitzvah of Hanukkah lighting the manur hlus Nar of hanuka I want us to really get clear what exactly we have to do we have to think and what we have to feel that's going to be the focus huus Narrows I want you to really have wonderful cavana for that then then I want to um deal with the second thing I'm going to do which will be basically um uh towards the end what I want to do then is tell give you a strategy of of a certain miss that we can do that can keep our momentum because Hanukkah is eight days and we're all excited tomorrow night but how are we going to be later so I have a strategy for momentum and then we'll discuss like I promised uh how do you celebrate Hanukkah in the midst of this war and strife okay let's get down to business we're going to work on the main Mitzvah which is hlus Naro so let me share screen how are we doing Rabbi Michael is it uh is it up can you see yes it's loading tell me when it's up okay good okay all right so what do we have here we have uh uh before we do the main Mitzvah we have uh making blessings right we have three bras to make on the first night of Hanukah and then two bras every night okay I'm sure people know what they are but also for for the listeners who don't understand what a blessing is you know uh there's different types of blessing one uh one type of blessing let's say a rabbi gives you a blessing so he's really praying to Hashem uh that you get something good all right that's one type of blessing but there's blessings for Mitzvah right and the blessing for Mitzvah is really thanking Hashem for doing an act that sanctifies us that has a um spiritual impact and of course it has an incredible impact on the world that's a privilege that's a privilege so the first thing is a biras a Mitzvah right we thank Hashem for doing the mitzah then we have two um blessings again these blessings are thanking Hashem really right we're thanking Hashem uh for the miracle that occurred during Hanukkah and we're thanking shim for on the first thanks for letting me be here for another Hanukkah for another chance to do Mitzvah that can have such an incredible effect okay so those are the three bras first Mitzvah when you make a blessing the first cavana have is and this is all can be in your mind I'm fulfilling a Mitzvah dur to make the blessing on the can on the Mitzvah to make the thanking for the Miracles and to make a sh meaning you're doing three mitv so have that mindz according to they need cavan as well so get off to a good start before you recite these blessings make have a sacred pause that's what we call it have a sacred pause and have in mind I'm fulfilling these three Mitzvah dur now here's the good news every time you do any Mitzvah Duran you're simultaneously doing two separate Torah Commandments right there's always two Torah Commandments in every rebant those are separate things you you're being drenched in sanctity by this okay so the first is when you fulfill a Mitzvah the rebant you're fulfilling the T a commandment to follow what the rabbis enact that's number one and you're fulfilling another Torah commandment from Hashem don't depart from what the rabbis instruct you okay so uh let's see we have three rebant and according to that we have six Torah Commandments when we on the first night we make the blessings one more this is a bonus if if if you can remember it great but the most important is every time you do rund and have in mind the Mitzvah to fulfill the Mitzvah the rabbis as hem commands and then because you're doing a Mitzvah rabbis the two devices but also we have a Mitzvah some say it's daisa some say it's deab that means it's very significant we have a midst to make a 100 blessings at day so every time you make one towards the 100 you're doing you're with that intention I in 10 to to hit 100 bras and this is my path to it okay that's the first step and I just remind you Hashem is the ish and we are doing what he wants so much when we fulfill these Commandments and when we have intention to do it beforehand okay that's number one it's huge now let's go to the Mitzvah of which is I think safe to say is the main Mitzvah it's certainly the main what we call mea Mitzvah the main Act of a Mitzvah okay here we go so let us go through the Mitzvah that you fulfill in lighting and this if you can get this down and you have eight days to improve it each time and make a big impact if you can get this down you're having such an influence because you're saying why am I doing this ultimately I'm doing this because the I want to bond with the Creator and He commands me to okay so uh I think it's rev pal all right this is the this is what I'm about to tell you rev garfinkle said this nebor pal he says you know uh we have all these beautiful thoughts attached to the miracle of the candles and Han and it's so sentimental and beautiful and and you can really put your heart into lighting the candles and the experience right but he says if you don't have in mind to fulfill the Mitzvah dur to light the candles he says you didn't accomplish much at all I've used a metaphor in this before which is think of a check you have a check it has a one and then the more zeros you add the more money you're making okay but if you don't have that one in the beginning Z Z zero I mean I don't even need to ask Rabbi Michael the math on that okay so here's the thing um be sure and here's something else I want to point out to you I'm going back for a second the Mitzvah to bless on the Commandment does not equal for the Mitzvah if you rely on the fact that you said believe it or not this is the Same by be Torah and learning Torah it's only bitty evid you must have look at number one on the top before lighting But after those bras you hear that you made those three bras with all the pre intentions and before lighting what you need to do is have in mind the Mitzvah runan to light uh Hanukkah candles okay ROM says that's the one all the other we're going to talk about are are adding amazing value and zeros but let's get the one don't forget even though you made a sh shanu make sure you say the Mitzvah I have in mind or think I have in mind the Mitzvah to light luus Narrows okay very important a few seconds of thought it's going to gain a lot of divine favor and we need it desperately number two purum Nissa your public izing the miracle that Hashem did right that's why you have to follow the you put it in the right place all that you can think about putting in the right place using the oil all which was the same as the miracle these are things are publicizing the miracle all right so have in mind also right this is like you made the bras and before ideally before match uh before the wick whatever match hits the Wick all right you have in mind I I have in mind to fulfill the Mitzvah the re to light Han panels and the MIT next now these are the heart okay once you put the one before the zeros here comes the zeros here comes the heart of it what's the point of it and this is important to realize when the when when it comes to certain misses in the Torah like not eating pork and not wearing uh wool and linen so there's no the reason is because Hashem said so okay and with Torah Commandments that's always the primary reason Hashem said so okay now there are other mitzah like chabas and um let's say cus that you are supposed to reflect on the meaning it's an important part of the Mitzvah when it comes to rinic enactments I'm not talking about the Crees okay but when the rabbis enact something they have a reason that you should know and you should reflect upon so why what are you why do we do the Mitzvah ofas Naros so I am gonna surprise you and tell you the view of rev SCH or and then what I would call the more standard view both are correct okay but but listen to this re says most people would think that what is the why the rabbis in light uh enact lighting the Hanukkah manur the main Mitzvah of Hanukah you come on the the the oil burned eight days it's a no-brainer and um R schom says wrong that's not the reason it's CA Hashem saved us he did a Salvation in a military Victory that's the reason he says that even enacted the Mitzvah okay you hear this it's a shocker okay but what Mitzvah is it to appreciate that Hashem saved us right and now we see we're hearing a lot of Miracles right this um but even not Miracles you know um uh just the fact that people like hostages are released okay let's take that right we have a Torah commandment to um most people are are not totally aware of this if you're part of KM you're very aware but there's a mitzah to remember all the acts of kindnesses that is Hashem has done since he took us out of Egypt gave us the Miracles of the man and the water and all Jewish survival and salvation and the fact that you're breathing and you feel good okay it's everything but anyhow you have a special here's what you should reflect on while the candles are burning I want to fulfill the Mitzvah of to recognize and recollect the kindness that we we defeated them we got our our our true life our spiritual life back right from the Greeks and we were able to go back in the Bas all that reflection right about the victory you you should have in mind remembering his kindnesses now we can't ignore the Eight Day miracle after all I what's the why are we doing one two three to eight it's Crystal Clear that that we also we also with hakus man monora it um the other the most of the commentators will say it's to remember the miracle the above nature Mira the open miracle that that's a different Mitzvah okay they all they can overlap but when you remember uh nature not functioning normally but functioning on the behalf of the Jewish people and the coim ETC that's a Godless hem okay remembering the greatness of hem and his those are the Mitzvah okay so that's uh that I all I want you to concentrate on is the blessing I mean this is your main part of concentration I really want you to hit uh do this well uh tomorrow night in particular right have in mind the Mitzvah is involved with the blessings and then the Mitzvah before after the blessings before your light on the act of lighting and then the reflection mitzah that's going to that's going to put the heart into your Hanukkah okay now okay we finished the main thing what I want to do in just the remaining few minutes what I want to discuss is what I promised you uh I always try to deal with the following Hanukkah is eight days and if there was ever a time to be on fire okay pun intended it's these eight days all right so um I thought what Mitzvah can we kind of do to push us to do to pray well to thank AEM do do Hal you know what can to learn Torah there I'm going to show you all the minutes see this is the the eight day program right and by the way for all listeners um if you would like to get um for each day of Hanukkah a you know um guidance on how to maximize and connect through mitzah please email me at Rabbi webite @gmail.com or uh our WhatsApp group if you're a part of the WhatsApp group Etc so anyhow here's the this is a acronym that has uh eight letters Believe It or Not Hanukkah comes out to be eight if you spell it this way and the these are the things we have to do we get to do right there's the mitah reflecting of the candles as we discuss there's there's a lot of beautiful mitzah in Hal okay the Allan you know the the the way the gamar describes it we have praise and thanks H Hal and hod right so H is done by Alim so we have Alim in the we we have we're supposed to be learning more than normal which is sometimes hard on Hanukkah uh so we're supposed to be really and if ever there's a time for us to have a Hanukkah where we're learning really well or more Etc it's this Hanukkah amidst the war we have the meals the sudas which we'll discuss in a second we have cavana for the Mur and the Hanukkah songs we have Al and Bening and we have just hod and Hanukkah okay so my point is that we have eight things to do for eight days well what mitsa can we do to really um uh push us and remind okay here's the MIT let me just uh set it up like this um uh the the poim even say that we have to realize this I don't want to get into it too much but you know whe When Jews are in trouble uh it's not a shem's fault it's usually it is our Behavior individually collectively we're respons responsible Hashem doesn't uh make decrees against Judaism and Jews unless there's things that um were not doing well enough okay so they they traced it back that one of the main reasons we suffered at the hands of the Greeks was that the on their level in the time of the Bas ndash it was a little road if you will they it was they were mitt relle they were little lack I a lot of people know this and once um Y and Yehuda makabe when they realize where this is because we've been laxed they did what's the ultim what's the ultimate other side The Other Extreme of being LAX is going so far beyond your limits that you're willing to sacrifice your life okay Miss we call it misus neish right misus neish what they did because the odds were against them obviously in that war to defeat the Greeks odds were against them so they were Moser neish so I want us to be Moser neish what Mitzvah is M neish I'd like to say it's this one okay wait you see oops okay a loving AEM with all your being being it says neish means being okay so that means if we I want us I want as much as possible I want go P you have eight days and and I can tell you that the soldiers okay and the generals and everybody they're pushing past their limits right now entirely okay entirely their life is on the line they're pushing past their myus neish they're giving they're pushing themselves beyond for the Jewish people we should too okay eight days eight days but remember there's no there's no comparison when you have conscious intention so when you push yourself saying Hashem I love you and I love you with all my being and I'm willing to go past my normal Li limits that's myus neish okay the ultimate sacrifice and pushing is to give your life but but as re noin itself it's absolutely loving a when you push yourself you're tired you you feel ornery but you control yourself so we had you saw we have eight days to do eight things primarily we want to do with everything we got okay so that's the uh game plan so I want you have in mind a when you try to persist and have a continuous momentum now good we're basic we're done and just in we're gonna have a a five minute discussion session but I want to start it by fulfilling what I promised you at the beginning of this year and that is uh um let's deal with this question it's very important is how do you uh celebrate uh Hanukkah uh celebrate I'm talking about it's a holiday it's you know you're supposed to be Joy the question is how do you celebrate it when so many people are suffering people are mourning people are suffering every you know all over the place all right so does does it feel right to um you know be joyous and happy and Hanukkah parties so I asked rev btz r it's like brigh a witz uh uh and I just want to share with you what what the RV said okay and then I I'll make a little point then I'm opening up for discussion okay so I I I I asked him um uh you know this question I said I'm giving a share Etc so he his first response to me can can you see the screen but Daryl yes everybody good okay but you know I don't know if people should see his email no I think I think he's okay he's such a great but here don't pay attention to his email please okay anyhow he said in response to me he says I think it's very important to have Mitzvah that I'm gonna we'll discuss in our discussion group we should have SIM mitvah even in times of Sor of difficulty this itself is a for the Jewish people okay but it's still you should say to Hill Etc okay so I said Rabbi good I hear you I believe you but I said why isn't it's still um what about some people might feel it's like in insensitive on some level so let me share with you what he said okay he says even in times of suffering and distress Hashem wants us to serve him him with happiness and joy now listen to this next part it's like a s such a beautiful validation of what we're focusing on mitzvos are beautiful they connect us with infinity and the strength of that um of that connection very much depends on the attitude and cavana we bring Hanukah is a time of great light that dispels Darkness we need that light we need we connect to that light with joyous aod if we do the Mitzvah with love and joy okay so uh I'm hiding behind one of the um most wonderful rabbis in our times and I think what he said is uh quite valid okay so I want to thank everybody I want to remind people if you want to get the um 8 Day program uh and and any other of the graphics that we put up today either email me at Rabbi wbite um uh at gmail.com or you know check on the WhatsApp group okay so let's uh just open it up for questions hello okay great hello thank you r w bright a couple of quick thoughts you know there is that uh I think a movie Field of Dreams uh that said and there was the saying was if you build it will they will come uh you know and it seems to me like you know obviously there are obviously parallels between the mbes and the and the battle and what's going on now in Israel and the idea that you know we are we're we're we have such amuna in Hashem that just like he uh did the miraculous you know as we say in the Alan you know uh uh you know Against All Odds in in the different various ways right that that we're we're we're confident that that's going to be the result and the amuna kind of it's sort of like you know a little bit of a feels like a cousin of nishma or we're gonna we're gonna jump in to the to the to the to the attitude of confidence and victory even when we're suffering we know we know that it may not come tomorrow but it's it's it's coming you know in many ways it's like the whole the whole uh you know people living in Israel right they're like okay we're not going to wait for the actual Bas mikdash to descend on harabas we're going to go we're going to go now and and we're we're GNA you know we're going to accelerate the timeline and and and with and with our faith so it feels like you know we're in that you know that that this this there's there's that here too the other point yeah is you know if you build it they will come if you build your if you build your sim if you build your amuna right the results will come and the other thing is you know there's a there's a I don't know when it was written but there's a very popular song where where um uh the refrain is can't touch this can't touch me can't touch this can't touch this right and it's about like someone like you know being so far ahead in a race you know you can't touch me or someone being so much more successful and it feels like what a what a statement to our enemies that as they try to now destroy us we're lighting candles we're celebrating I mean to me being joyous and lighting candles and connecting to khaka on whatever level is is is a resounding statement is beautiful I mean it's it's you know it's it's saying to them you know you can't touch this like you know you can try every way you want but you know you can't touch this right so I think it's it's it's you know and that level uh it's a it's a it's a very strong uh defiance of of the enemy goals holy Defiance right exactly exactly beautiful you know um and what you just thank you as always and that is right the amuna that everybody is expressing right now for sure is essential and the other thing is is what I I wanted to what reminding me briwood say so you know what I think there's two things a lot of people right now are understandably depressed and anxious and worried um it's if if if you have empathy it's a very um appropriate thing right now and so that can turn into depression and despair and so for the people right now that um and I totally I mean I just like this one person I know well is son got moved from the West Bank to Gaza you imagine what you think your son has just now been dispatched to to Gaza how he feels and St it is easy to be brought down by what's happening and depressed so first of all um the what want to say there is for people who there there is a tremendous Mitzvah in identifying with their pain tremendous and we should have it in mind even during like Roberto had said say so we should we should feel um the pain and sadness for them but we should make that sure that that's channeled as um a Mitzvah and that will help them right and then but the other thing is the the good thing about this is on Hanukah whenever there's Joys the bill M says whenever there's a situation Sim the atar is right there and he wants to turn it into frivolity right levity frivolity and squandering time learning Torah okay so what I think is this year I I think that it's not going to be as hard for us to not spin over into frivolous frivolity you hear we can we can make this a joy a joy of Mitzvah and deas to Hashem you know and yeah so I just I think that that could be the right balance you know uh we shouldn't be depressed we should feel um know um we should no say but all but we and we should be joyous but not frivolous and I who can be frivolous right now I don't I don't think it's possible but again I want to thank you because the amuna that amuna and confidence in doing these Mitzvah is a essential component beautiful beautiful all right the uh um uh by the way you know what uh I was going to go short I really tried but I just want to finish with one story um about Dr setzer's son uh Rabbi rhc seter when he was in Yeshiva so at the time I was the mishkah which means I'm like the um we call it the the warden no what's the other the principal the truant officer so you know if people want to um get out of the learning s or something they have to come to me and give me uh a reason for it an excuse so um it's uh uh it's it's the night of Hanukkah and again most people are parties and different things and I was actually my wife's uncle is a retired General and he was by us for Hanukkah meile with his daughter who you know uh was at the college techon in h very good school and uh I get a call in the middle of the meal I'm talking and I say um are you sure you're not needed okay yeah okay it's fine so you know his daughter was a little curious what what was that all about and I said well uh one of these students of Isa he was invited to go to a party for a wedding um a wedding meal post wedding meal the Chev braas and um you know he didn't have that much of a relationship to the you know people and he's saying you know I I'd rather learn Torah tonight you know it's Hanukkah and everything is it okay if I don't go to that and I stay and learn and I said well are you needed you know do they need you and he says no they have enough people it's okay I said okay so I told her you you know cuz for her uh you know studying is academic studying is something you have to do but he wanted to learn Torah there there you go that's the joy and kadia of Torah Drew him he preferred to do that and he wanted to do that so anyhow I think that's a beautiful model for us thank you Dr CES for bring him into the world okay just take my walk take my walk okay I mean he a goof but you know she actually brought him into world not me you're a doctor I can't argue with you okay everybody of Mitzvah all right and thank you Rabbi [Music] Michael [Music] hold