Happy
Chanukah to you and your families! This is a very special holiday for two reasons:
1: It unites all Jews together, from young to old. For example we just visited a nursing home and we lit the Menorah with a woman who will G-d willing celebrate her 100th birthday shortly.
2:
All festivals are primarily celebrated indoors, for example the Passover Seder, the Shofar blowing, etc., however on Chanukah the Menorah should be placed facing outdoors in order to publicize the miracle.
The reason for this is that the miracle of Chanukah shows on the special love
G-d has for the Jewish people. Many other miracles are performed to rescue the Jews from mortal dangers, such as Passover or Purim where the Jews faced slavery and extinction. However on Chanukah the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days was not necessary at all to save the Jews from any physical danger, rather God performed this great miracle purely out of his love for the Jewish people.
To
reciprocate God's great love for us, we perform the mitzvah of Chanuka in the most joyous fashion with songs and happiness in order to spread word of the great miracle. We also perform the Mitzvah outdoors in order to illuminate the 'darkness' of the physical world and illuminate the world with the light of Torah and Mitzvot.
Wishing
you a Good Shabbos and a Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Yosef Misholovin
Parshah in a Nutshell
Parshat Mikeitz
Joseph’s imprisonment finally ends when Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows that are swallowed up by seven lean cows, and of seven fat ears of grain swallowed by seven lean ears. Joseph interprets the dreams to mean that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of hunger, and advises Pharaoh to store grain during the plentiful years. Pharaoh appoints Joseph governor of Egypt. Joseph marries Asenath, daughter of Potiphar, and they have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Famine spreads throughout the region, and food can be obtained only in Egypt. Ten of Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to purchase grain; the youngest, Benjamin, stays home, for Jacob fears for his safety. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him; he accuses them of being spies, insists that they bring Benjamin to prove that they are who they say they are, and imprisons Simeon as a hostage. Later, they discover that the money they paid for their provisions has been mysteriously returned to them.
Jacob agrees to send Benjamin only after Judah assumes personal and eternal responsibility for him. This time Joseph receives them kindly, releases Simeon, and invites them to an eventful dinner at his home. But then he plants his silver goblet, purportedly imbued with magic powers, in Benjamin’s sack. When the brothers set out for home the next morning, they are pursued, searched, and arrested when the goblet is discovered. Joseph offers to set them free and retain only Benjamin as his slave.
Chanukah Stories How the Gulag Judge Lit the Menorah As the Siberian winter deepened, Chanukah came, and a group
of young Jewish prisoners convened for a short meeting.
On ShabbatChanukah,
the Shabbat that occurs during Chanukah, two sets of lights are kindled in the Jewish home: the menorah is lit, followed by the Shabbat candles. The requirements for these two mitzvahsprovide a study in contrasts:
The menorah is kindled by the men and boys of the house (though if a man is not present it may be kindled by a woman).
Shabbat candles are lit by women and girls (though, again, if a woman is not present, a man may light them).
In fulfillment of the commandment to publicize the miracle of Chanukah, the menorah is placed in a doorway or window so that it is visible from the outside. Many communities stage public menorah lightings in parks, city squares and shopping malls.
Shabbat candles are lit in the inner sanctum of the home, often on the table where the meal will be served.
The blessing over the menorah is sung out loud, followed by boisterous songs and celebration.
The blessing over Shabbat candles is usually said in a quiet voice, and is followed by several moments of silent prayer, as the woman of the house requests blessings for her family.
Behind
these requirements lies a deep kabbalistic significance that reflects the spiritual energies of the participants. Feminine spiritual energy is focused internally, while masculine energy tends to be external.
Traditionally, the man was the hunter-gatherer, the farmer, the breadwinner, leaving
home in order to provide for his family. The woman was the homemaker, transforming the raw materials the man provided into food and clothing. These roles are no longer as rigid as they once were, andThe woman enhances the internal peace and spirituality of the home indeed, every man and woman possesses a mixture of masculine and feminine energies. Changing social norms have allowed women to express themselves more fully in both the public and private
sphere.
Perhaps the best illustration is the creation of a new life. The woman’s egg is internal, the man’s seed external. The growth of the fetus is a wondrous process that the woman contains completely within herself.
In
the Jewish home, the woman enhances the internal peace and spirituality of the home by lighting the Shabbat candles. By lighting the Chanukah menorah, the man publicizes the spirituality of Chanukah as a message to be spread externally. These two mitzvahs harness the spiritual energies of men and women in a divinely determined way to best effect.
Two
sets of candles, two very different mitzvahs. Yet the end result is the same: a match is held to a wick, a flame is kindled, and darkness recedes. The Torahrecognizes that men and women bring different energies to the task of perfecting the world. Working together, harnessing the unique qualities G‑d gave them, they can create enough light to banish darkness forever.
This email is sent from F.R.E.E. Russian Jewry Center. We'd love to stay in touch with you, but if you wish to be unsubscribed from this list please click here, or click here to manage your subscriptions.
