Chanukah

There are a few bastions of evil within the Israeli government.  One of them is the National Insurance Agency. In order to gain a position of employment there, you must be 100% pure evil.  Those who are 90% evil are sent to work at the Tax Authority.

Having said that, when one works as an independent contractor or as a paid employee, part of your salary is taken out and saved.  When you have a baby, you then have paid maternity leave, based on how much your salary was over the past several months.

Now my wife has been working for a company as an independent contractor for a while, paying her taxes, and then last January, she switched and became a paid employee.  After the baby was born, instead of receiving her maternity leave payment, she received a letter stating that she cannot have it, because they are "suspicious" of her doing something not so kosher (of course they never specified what).  However, if we want to fight it, we need to go through a whole slew of steps, including detailed reports, such as how many hours she worked each day for the past three months, proof that she received payment from the company, proof from the company that they paid her, a copy of her diploma, copies of her work, a list of people who know her that can testify that she works along with how many years they have been living where they are living, etc.  REALLY not pleasant work to do right after giving birth.  But, if you don't do it, you miss out on a lot of money that you have a legal (and moral) right to receive.

So, she began her ordeal and instead of recuperating, she was sitting and doing tons of paperwork, and attempting to make sure her work does theirs.  After sending in only a fraction of her proof, and working on the rest, she finally received a letter that she will receive her money.

Great!

Last night, after I lit the menorah, I saw that one of the candles was a bit weak and I was worried that it might go out.  Thankfully, I remembered my learning.  If you light, for example, one candle for Chanukkah, and it goes out before the minimal thirty minutes that it needs to be lit for, you are fine … as long as you put in enough oil to last the entire thirty minutes.  However, if you do not put in enough oil, even if it goes out for another reason, you need to relight.

What's the connection between these two stories?

We often think that our hishtadlus, our effort, has a direct effect on whether we are successful or not.  It's not true.  One of the rules of this world is that we do our full hishtadlus, no matter what we are doing.  What happens after that is Hashem's business, not ours.  Will we be successful or will we not, is up to Hashem.  However, if we don't do our full hishtadlus, then we have only ourselves to blame.

That is what we see in this halacha.  If we put in the proper amount of oil, then we did the mitzvah, even if the lighting barely lasted.  However, if we didn't, we need to relight with the proper amount.  Same with my wife.  She had to do her hishtadlus.  She did her full hishtadlus and Hashem said, "Okay, enough, I'll take care of the rest," even when according to the National Insurance Agency, she didn't finish her full amount of torture.

This is our path in life, regarding anything we need to do.  First, we determine how much hishtadlus we need to be successful in the endeavor we are undertaking.  After that, we begin to do it.  If we are successful in that hishtadlus, or things interrupt it, we can say, "Okay, I did my part," and Hashem will then determine whether it is best for you to be successful or not.

With this mindset, we can calm some of our nerves down and build our trust in Hashem.

Have a wonderful Chanukkah and Shabbos!

My home is situated on a pathway that comes off of a main road.  On this pathway, there are five other homes, all of us right next to each other. One other home is religious and the rest are not.  Thankfully, we have a good relationship with our other neighbors and everybody respects each other and gets along fine.  In fact, one of them stopped me a few months ago and 'gave it to me' about the behaviour of my children and how much she appreciates seeing them behave so well and treat her well (it seems my daughter was on the way to school with some friends, walked past her, and wished her a good morning… amazing what one small thing will do).

 On Chanukkah, my boys and I light our menorahs outside, as is the custom here, and when I say the brachos, I make them louder than usual.  And when we sing Ma'otzur, I sing it louder than usual. I don't usual do such things, but on Chanukkah, in Eretz Yisroel, surrounded by Jews who would unfortunately support the Greeks before they support the Maccabees?  Well… I make an exception to my personal comfort level

 This year, on the third night, my kids saw one of our neighbors watching and smiling through the window as we lit our menorahs.  Last night, she made it a special point to come outside and say 'amen' to all of them and listen to the singing.

 Ah!  We did the mitzvah of Chanukkah in the best way possible!

 It's also an important lesson.  You don't need to be an outreach professional to 'reach out'.  You can just to do mitzvos properly with proper intention, and sometimes that lights a spark in a Jewish soul.

 In Hebrew, the word for Greece is Yavan.  It's spelled Yud-Vav-Nun.  On the other side, is Zion, which is spelled Tadi(k)-Yud-Vav-Nun.  What's the difference between the two?  Simple, Zion starts with the letter Tadi(k), which of course represents … a tzaddik!

 The Navi (prophet) Chabakuk said (2:4), "A Tzaddik lives with his Emunah (his faith)".  Rav Pincus defines this as "living".  Being that there could be a difference between two people who learn the same Torah, daven from the same siddur and do the same mitzvos.  One has faith that there is Hashem.  The Hashem created the world.  That Hashem put him in this world for a reason.  That Hashem watches over the Jewish people, etc… And not only does he know that… he LIVES it.  The other person might know it… but he doesn't LIVE with it.  One can be a big talmid chacham and still not LIVE with this Emunah.

 The definition of this LIFE, says Rav Pincus, is that such a person is not bound by boundaries.  He doesn't think, "Oh, I can't learn that, that's too hard… I can't reach that level, it's not for me…".  A person with such thoughts will never move up (if it's true in the working world, how much more so in the spiritual).  However, a Tzaddik will always be pushing those boundaries, always seeking new (spiritual) "frontiers".  To him, every day is a NEW day, and not just a continuation of the previous one.

 In the times of Chanukkah, we were already under Greek rule for 180 years.  Life was life.  Things continued.  We failed to grow.  When the Maccabees took arms and said enough is enough, they introduced this "newness", this freshness in life.  We know that they were not fighting for political independence, but to break the spiritual bonds the Greece had us in.

 And what happened?  Clear miracles occurred. Why?  Because they took upon themselves to be Tzaddikim, to push themselves to newness everyday.

 In the past, the Jewish people have either: 1) been in a good physical situation, but not so much of a spiritual situation or 2) been in a good spiritual situation, but not so much of a good physical situation 3) were not in a good physical or spiritual situation.

 But now? We are in an excellent physical situation.  We have food and home and health.  We are not hounded by corrupt governments trying to kill us.  Spiritually speaking, every major cities have schools for boys and girls, yeshivos, mikvaos, kollelim, etc… Most places in the United States actually have a better spiritual and physical setup than where I live in Eretz Yisroel!

 But this comes with a downside.

 When we have what we need, things tend to get stale.  Specifically, our relationship with Hashem.  We no longer turn to Him, because why would we?  Anybody who has eyes in the religious community, whether in the United States, England, or Israel, will be able to see the cracks occurring within the younger generation.

 When we continue through life, without newness, things get stale.  When things get stale, we look elsewhere for something new and refreshing.  It's human nature.

 When a person looks at what he has and recognizes on a daily basis, that Hashem has put him in this world for a specific reason, and LIVES with that… then his day, and his life, take on new meaning.  If a person is not satisfied with what he has and drives for more, then every day is a new mission.

 When a person LIVES with Emunah, he will see miracles, some open, some not-so-open, in his every day life.  When a person is satisfied with his stale life, going through each day doing his mitzvos as if he was paying off some debt to keep him alive… without any desire to be a tzaddik… well… he ends up joining Yavan in the end.

 The difference between Yavan and Zion is not if a person is good or not.  It's simply how does that person move through life.  A person who has a constant desire to grow, will always be counted as part of Zion, even in times when they fail, simply because they are LIVING life with Hashem.

 Have a wonderful Shabbos and Chanukkah.

Rav Shimshon Pinkus made an interesting note.  On the holidays, we say the bracha, "Who sanctifies Yisroel and the times…" Regarding Shabbos, we make a bracha "Who sanctifies the Shabbos," but we make no mention of the Jewish nation.  He explains that this is because Shabbos is for the whole world.  There is a special light of holiness that comes into the world on Shabbos.  While it is true that Shabbos is a special time for the Jewish people as a whole, its holiness fills the world.  The holidays are different.  There is a special holiness to them as well, but they are specifically set for the Jewish people and do not affect the entire world.

Chanukkah is different than the previous two. Like them, we light candles.  However, nowhere do we make a bracha on the holiness of the day.

On Shabbos and Yom Tov, there is a special holiness, and for each of those days, we have special "spiritual tools" at our disposal that we normally do not have.  If we use those tools properly on those specific days, we can harvest enough of that holiness for the rest of the week/year.

Chanukkah on the other hand lacks this holiness.  In fact, we have a special halacha that the Menorah should be within 10 tefachim (handbreadths) from the ground.  The days of Chanukkah themselves do not create these special tools.  On Shabbos and Yom Tov, when we eat a meal, it automatically becomes a mitzvah.  On Chanukkah, if the meal lacks dvrei Torah, it lacks any mitzvah.

Greek culture, as we know, focused solely on the physical world.  There was no spirituality.  Everything was based on physical and intellectual beauty.  Chanukkah comes and destroys that notion.  On one hand, we do not subscribe to the idea that the physical world is just an agent of Satan.  On the other hand, we do not subscribe to the idea that there is no spiritual world.  We believe that Hashem gave us a physical world to use as a tool to increase our spirituality.  That means, taking the physical, however mundane, and making it spiritual.

When a person goes to his nine-to-five job, for example, and conducts his business according to the Torah, and does so in order to support his family and others, he is taking something mundane and making it holy.  Another person, who does so for the sake of acquiring money and power with little or no regard to Jewish law, is taking that mundane and using it for the opposite.

The world, in general, does not believe or does not…invest, in the spirituality of man.  They focus on what they see and how to use it for their own personal, physical, purposes.  Some use it for good, some use it for bad.  But we?   We don't use it for physical.  We use it as a tool for spiritual growth, and this is one of the many main lessons of Chanukkah.  Hashem does not create the holiness of these days, we do.

I had to take a few mornings off of kollel this past week and will be doing so this coming week as well.  Things are going on at work in which I need to learn some new programming skills, and I have no time to do so.

I spoke to the head of the kollel about what the learning schedule is going to be like over the next month or so, and it seemed that now, specifically, would be the best time for me to take off the time so I wouldn’t fall behind in my learning.  I knew it was something I had to do (and the first time I’ve had to do so ever), but I didn’t like the idea of taking off Chanukah, specifically, from learning Torah.  It just didn’t seem . . . right.

So, I called my rav to speak to him about it.  He said, while it’s true, from a certain perspective, taking off for Chanukah isn’t right, but looking at the big picture, you have to do what you have to do.  Our conversation continued like this:

Me: “I know, I know . . . I just wanted your signature on this move, so if I get in trouble Above, I can blame it on you.”

Him: “Don’t worry, I will personally, pull you out of Purgatory by your payas.”

Me: ”Um . . . Rebbe . . . I don’t have payas.”

Him: “Then I’ll pull you out by the back of your pants.”

Perhaps it would be more comfortable to remain in Purgatory.

So, this explains why Frum.org has been revamped.  I used it as a testing ground.  The email format still needs work, and I’ll get to it eventually.  If anybody with HTML/CSS skills wants to volunteer time to put together an email-safe template, I would appreciate it.

Okay, on to Torah!

As we know, Chanukah celebrates the two miracles that Hashem did for us: He gave us victory over the Greeks and their Jewish supporters, and He made one jug of oil last for eight nights.

Rav Shimshon Pincus asks a two-question question.

First, the Rambam, on Hilchos Chanukah describes the lighting of the menorah as a mitzvah “chavivah,” beloved.  He doesn’t use this language with any other mitzvah, only that of the commemoration of the oil that lasted eight days.

Second, while we understand the importance of the miracle of Chanukah, in the grand scheme of things . . . what was so special about it?  Really!  During Pesach, we had tons of miracles, from the plagues to the splitting of the sea.  During Shavuos, when we received the Torah, there were plenty of miracles as well.  During the entire time the Beis HaMikdash was standing, there were miracles witnessed every day by Jew and non-Jew alike.  In fact, one of those miracles was the fact that one of the candles of the Menorah did not extinguish for hundreds of years!

Now, comes in Chanukah with its military victory and super-strong oil, and now it’s suddenly “chavivah”!

Rav Pincus explains that all the other miracles, from Pesach to Shavuos to the Beis HaMikdash all came from Hashem to show His power in this world.  He brought these miracles on His own accord.

While Pesach, Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, etc. are all days of holiness, that holiness was implanted in those days by Hashem Himself. Chanukah, on the other hand is different.

Chanukah took place during a very dark time in Jewish history.  Not only was Eretz Yisroel under Greek control and influence, the assimilation rate of the Jewish people was high, if not in intermarriage, certainly in thought and practice.  Yet, the Maccabees strengthened themselves and took a stand against Greek and Jew alike.  They were in the minority, politically, militarily, and religiously.  They were the evil “Ultra-Orthodox” of their times, worse in fact, since they didn’t hesitate to kill Jews who were supporting the Greeks.  They did this not for nationalistic reasons, nor for their liberty.  They did it to maintain the Torah and for Hashem’s honor.

At this time, Hashem saw what this small band of Jews was willing to sacrifice and do, and “felt” the love that they were showing for Him.  And for THAT reason, for the self-sacrifice that they were willing to make, Hashem performed these miracles.  Not to show His power, but rather to reciprocate His love for the Jewish people.

THAT is why this specific mitzvah is so beloved in Hashem’s eyes.

And this is a VERY important lesson to learn.  Whenever we show self-sacrifice, and I don’t mean giving up our lives . . . it could be anything . . . Hashem finds that love to be extremely important.  When we have an opportunity to move away from Hashem and we say, “Yes, I really want to do this . . . really, REALLY,” and it’s hard not to give in, and we strengthen ourselves, THAT is truly beloved to Hashem.

Have a great Shabbos and a wonderful Chanukah!

Michael Winner

p.s. Most likely, I will not be able to send a dvar Torah next week.

Somebody from American asked my wife what my son would want for a Chanukah gift. She told her, “a mechanical pencil”. Her friend replied, “That’s it?? He is sooooo Israeli”
Rav Shimshon Pincus describes the year as follows: Pesach is the birth of the Jewish nation. Everything needs to be cleaned and sanitized to perfection. Even an iota of chametz can be dangerous to our souls. We then grow up a little and reach our Bar Mitzvah on Shavous, where we accept the yoke of Torah. Further down in Elul, we become engaged. With the wedding scheduled for Shmini Atzeres/Simchas Torah, we use Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for tshuvah and getting ourselves ready to start our new lives with a clean slate.

Loyalty between a man and a woman doesn’t really apply at the wedding. There is no need for it there. Why not? Because, when a man and a woman are standing under the chuppah, there is only one woman in the man’s eyes and there is only one man in the woman’s eyes. There is nothing else besides them. Hence, loyalty has no place.

This feeling continues throughout the first few weeks or (if they’re lucky) months, until, suddenly… something happens. This could (and mostly is) be something stupid the husband says to his wife or it could be something stupid the wife says to the husband (such as, ‘Does this look fat on me?’). It could be somebody’s parents get involved in something. It could be money. It could be bad cooking. Either way, the result is the same… a fight between them.

During this time, their marriage is at its darkest. He can’t be around her and she can’t be around him. At this point, loyalty kicks in.

In reality (I assume) most ‘extra-marital relationships’ occur as a result of friction between husband and wife. At that point, the husband begins looking at other things, and the wife begins looking at other things (though, it’s usually the husband). If loyalty doesn’t kick in here, then the husband will continue on a not-so-nice path…

This is Chanukah. It’s in the midst of the dark winter. It’s not surrounded by holidays. It’s far away from the affects of Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur/Sukkos.

When a person starts feeling a spiritual ‘decay’, when his learning doesn’t taste the same, when his davening doesn’t feel the same, when it’s harder to keep a spiritual high, you have two choices: Loyalty or Looking Elsewhere for a ‘pick-me-up’.

What was Greek culture? It involved greatness. Whether scientific, political, sociological, etc… most of Western Society is based off of it, and has benefitted from it. However, it was “the other woman” in the eyes of the Torah, and that was the inherent danger.

During the time of Chanukah, many Jews went looking elsewhere. The assimilation rate was high, and those who were loyal to Torah were turned upon. It was a very dark period for the Jewish people. But it was a small group of Jews who, despite everything, remained loyal to Torah. It is exactly that loyalty that resulted in the Jewish people being here today, and it is that loyalty that we commemorate by lighting the menorah.

When things are dark and hard for us, spiritually-speaking, Rav Pincus says, “GO TO SLEEP! Don’t do anything! Don’t open a newspaper, don’t turn on the television, DON’T LOOK AROUND! JUST GO TO SLEEP!”

THAT is loyalty.

Despite everything coming down on you. Despite the staleness in your spiritual life. Don’t look else ware. If you sit in a room and do nothing but sleep, you are not going to lead your life astray. And that ‘nothingness’ translates to loyalty to Hashem. And slowly but surely, the spring will come, and you will crawl out of your spiritual slumber. Perhaps you didn’t jump ahead during the winter, but at least you stayed where you were.

THAT is loyalty, and that is what one of the lessons of Chanukah is all about.

Have a great and meaningful Chanukah!

We were invited to Jerusalem for Shabbos Chanukah, and frankly, we couldn’t turn it down. Why? They promised free babysitting Sunday morning so my wife and I can take care of some shopping. It goes to show you one's situation when you look at Jerusalem as the “materialistic center” of your world.  Either way, I’ve been meaning to actually walk into a Jewish bookstore for a LONG time and have a list of books I need to buy. I’m REALLY excited about that. I’m equality excited to see my rav, who I haven’t sat down to talk to in a year and a half. We speak on the phone, but it’s not the same.

On top of that, on the first night of Chanukah, I’m hosting a siyum in our home. I have, somehow, merited to finish mesechta (tractate) Shabbos that I’ve been learning for the last year and a half. Our old Rosh Kollel is coming from Bnei Brak, since he also finished on his own, and we’ll be having distinguished guests such as the rav of the city, and the current Rosh Kollel. I think it’s a great way to start off Chanukah.

Either way, chances are, you won’t hear from me until after Chanukah.

Okay, on to Torah!

“Meanwhile, Yaakov settled in the area where his father had lived in the land of Canaan” (Bereishis 37:1)

The Bach, in Hilchos Chanukah, asks the non-famous question: What did we do to deserve the decrees of Antiochus? He answers that since we became lax in our mitzvos, Hashem gave us a punishment that would force us to be mesiros Nefesh (sacrifice ourselves) for our Torah.

Rav Brevda once pointed out that Chanukah happened when the Jews lived in Eretz Yisroel and there was a Beis HaMikdash in Jerusalem. However, despite all that, we still slipped. He said even living in Eretz Yisroel with a Beis HaMikdash does not prevent us from falling…the only thing that prevents us from falling is pushing and driving ourselves constantly. That push upwards will keep us from falling backwards.

This week’s parsha begins with the above pasuk, speaking of how Yaakov “settled” in the land. Yaakov is somewhat criticized for “settling down.” True, he lived an extremely difficult life. However, he didn’t have permission to “settle down”… even in Eretz Yisroel.

The situation currently in Eretz Yisroel is somewhat similar to that of Chanukah. Most Jews do not receive a Jewish education, the government has launched vicious financial attacks against the religious community, which we are most certainly feeling on a day-to-day basis, and there is more respect for “Greek” culture than of the Torah. Mr. Bennett, one of the leaders of this fine campaign, who calls himself religious, has declared that there are “two worlds,” the Torah world and the “Real World.” With “religious” people such as this, are we surprised that there is so much confusion here?

But, according to the Bach, we are not supposed to look at THEM as the cause, but rather at US. They play the role of Antiochus and the Greeks, while WE are the cause.

This Chanukah, let us strive to perhaps lessen our “Chanukah” parties a bit, and put a little more time into our davening, learning, and mitzvah observance. Let us try not to repeat the mistakes of our forefathers and follow the true steps of the Maccabees.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and Chanukah!

I had to spend yesterday in Jerusalem for some personal business.

Before my appointment, I went to Hadassah Ein Kerem’s children’s ward.

I don’t like hospitals in general. Not a very fun place to be. However, there was a special person I needed to visit. As I’ve mentioned before here, Frum.org is generously hosted by a good friend of mine who’s four year-old daughter has been battling cancer. David and I go way back and we have been in always been in contact, but because of our distances, I never had the opportunity to meet his children. Since I had time, I picked up some gifts and went to finally meet her. She’s a cute little girl with curly hair, lovely English accent (from her mother), and thankfully she has a positive attitude on what she’s going through. Seeing her hooked up to her machines though, with one swollen eye, is something that makes you appreciate everything you have, both positive and negative.

In this latest round, the tumour in her head has started to grow again. She’s just finishing a strong dose of chemo, and based off of the results, they’ll see what to do next. I’d rather not say over what some of those plans consist of, but we should continue to daven for a speedy recovery of Dafna Yael bas Rivkah. While we’re on the topic, if I can make add another name to the list, Yosef ben Rus, a young father I know, who has also been going through a very difficult medical situation.

Okay… Shabbos is coming, let’s try to focus on something more positive!

On my way back from Jerusalem last night, I listened to a shiur by Rav Shlomo Brevda. In it he discussed a mistake that we often make when teaching the story of Chanukah. Every year we start off the story with “One day, the evil Antiochus made decrees against the Jewish people…” Rav Brevda stated that this is one of the worst ways to teach the story of Chanukah. Why would such an innocent statement be bad?

Rav Brevda continued to explain.

There is no such thing as an evil person coming onto the stage out of nowhere, and causing trouble for the Jewish people. The Jewish nation has always lived above nature and has enjoyed a special relationship with Hashem. That being said, if trouble were to come to us, it’s not because Hashem “fell asleep at the wheel”; but rather because we were doing something very wrong. Therefore, when “Antiochus makes decrees”, it’s only because the Jewish people did something or some things to bring this trouble unto themselves. There are no natural causes of our suffering.

So too, our redemptions are not natural. I saw a good question posed. Why is it we say “Hallel” on Chanukah, yet there are many other days of happiness that we do not? This goes hand in hand with the Gemara which states that the miracle of Chanukah is the miracle of the oil lasting so long (compared to the winning of the war).

The Tzitz Eliezer asks a similar question and answers both questions. Why don’t we say Hallel or make a “Yom Ha’atzmaut” (Independence Day) when Ezra returned to Eretz Yisroel to begin rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash? Is there something more joyous than that? The Tzitz Eliezer answers that Hallel is recited on things that are well beyond the world of nature. While returning to Eretz Yisroel and building the Beis HaMikdash are amazing events, it was still in the world of nature. While the fact that a small band of evil-Ultra-Orthodox Jews defeated the Greek army is amazing, yet, it’s still in the world of nature (although certainly not completely within). However, there is nothing at all natural about the oil lasting for eight days. That is why the miracle we focus on is the oil, because it’s super-natural.

When Hashem sends trials and tribulations, it not because they were waiting at the door ready to strike, it’s because we did something to invite them in. So too our redemptions are done via or are signified by super-natural events. We are a nation above nature, and that is one of the important lessons of Chanukah.

Have a wonderful Shabbos and Chanukah!

Rochel Leah and I got in a fight over Shabbos.

When telling over the story of Chanukah, I came to tell her about the Misyavnim, who were the secular Jews that supported the Greeks over the evil, fanatical, ultra-orthodox Maccabbees. In modern Hebrew and sfardic pronunciation, the word is Mityavnim, with a 't' instead of an 's'. Being that she's being taught in modern Hebrew, that is the pronunciation she's taught. Of course, since she's the resident expert in Hebrew in the home, which is sadly true, she decided to chide and correct me on my pronunciation. Needless to say, this resulted in a lengthy battle of who is correct, until I pulled the ace from my sleeve:

"Who's the Abba, here?" I asked.

"You are".

"Good. That means what I say is right, and since I can punish you whenever I want, you have to agree with me".

Some say that it might have been a cheap shot, but the important thing is that I won.... for now.
If there is one constant in the story of Chanukah, it's the Maccabee's emunah, faith, in Hashem. Despite being inferior in numbers and power, the Maccabees decided nonetheless to revolt against the Greeks and their Jewish allies. According to any military or political mind, this is called pure foolishness. However, the Maccabbees were not revolting against the Greeks because they wanted an independent political state... They were fighting for their right to live as Jews. They were essentially fighting a spiritual battle. Therefore, they acted as a Jewish army should act in times of war. They followed halacha, the fasted, they did tshuvah, and they had faith that Hashem would help them.

Here we see the power of emunah in times of crises.

As they liberated the Beis HaMikdash, they began to clean it of all the idols and prepared it for daily usage. However, when it came to the Menorah, despite all their searching, they found only one small jar of oil that at most would last one day. Despite that, they nonetheless decided to perform the mitzvah, without worry of what would happen tomorrow or the next day, and in return, were rewarded with the miracle that the oil lasted eight days. From here we see "daily emunah" being played out.

While we need to do what we need to do to survive on a daily basis, we must always remember that it is Hashem that supports us. There's only so much "hishtadlus" or "doing your part" that a person can do. Do your part and trust that Hashem will take care of the rest. The Maccabees did not worry about tomorrow. Right now, we have a mitzvah to do. What will happen tomorrow? We'll see tomorrow.

I cannot tell you how many people I know, including myself, who have seen this applied to our lives. I have several friends here in full time learning. They and their families are all serious and dedicated to their learning and growth, and have sacrificed much to attain what they have so far. While most of them receive some support from family, it's certainly not enough to cover monthly expenses. They do what they can to make money on the side and to keep their expenses low, and they have been rewarded many times. They certainly do not depend on miracles, yet those miracles happen all too often in their lives.

When I first got married, I couldn't understand how these people survived, because all they told me was "I have no idea how I do it". I never liked the answer and it scared me. However, I'm about to start my seventh year in kollel, and when somebody asks me how I do it, all I can reply is "I have no idea how I do it". I do my part to keep us financially afloat, Hashem has done the rest.

Of course, it's very important to realize where one is holding in his emunah and work accordingly. If one thinks that he’s on a higher level and he's really not, he will only fail. If one thinks his emunah level is lower than it is... Well, he loses out as well. Either way, it's a lesson for Chanukah. We all have our individual jobs in this world. We should work hard on doing those jobs without worrying too much about the future, while trusting that Hashem will continuously help us on our way.

A few weeks ago I was on the bus with my chavrusa, discussing an issue I was having with a store. I won't go into details or anything, but the store was not acting properly concerning an item that I bought which turned out to be different then the item they advertised. For those who didn't know, the concept of "Consumer Rights" does not really exist here, so unless you have "Protexia" or some other trick up your sleeve, then you're at the whim of the seller.

Twice, have I been victorious in battling stores. One time was really good. It was concerning my wife's mattress. Shortly after we bought it, we found it was slanted to one side, making it rather uncomfortable. For several months, I was going between the store and the manufacturer and neither one wanted to admit it was broken nor take responsibility. So, one day I was on the phone with the store owner and he told me that I would have to purchase a new mattress. I figured I would try the George Bush Jr. approach. I replied, "Do you think that because I'm American that I have a lot of money?"

He gave a nervous laugh.

I continued, "Well, let me tell you about what type of American I am. I'm one of those crazy Americans who's coming with his pregnant wife to your store every single day and going to create such troubles for you in front of your customers, you'll end up losing a lot of money!!!"

Silence.

"Okay... what do you want?"

I got a new mattress for free.
So, back to my chavrusa, Ariel Nussbaum. I told him that it's sometimes hard to be frum when you're going against people who, if they believe in the Torah in the first place, don't believe it applies to business. If I wasn't frum, I would have all sorts of options to get my way.

He replied that that is the idea behind Al HaNisim, the special thanksgiving prayer we say on Chanukah and Purim. In it, it says, "You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous"

For the weak to triumph over the strong or the few to triumph over the many, we understand why we consider that a miracle. But why do we consider it a miracle for the wicked to fall under the hands of the righteous? He answered, because the wicked don't play by the rules and the righteous do. It's only natural then for the wicked to triumph. But the fact is, Hashem helps the righteous when they play by the rules to defeat the wicked. THAT'S one of the miracles of Chanukah that continues until today.

When there is a disagreement between true bnei Torah, then they look to halacha to see what the correct path is. However, when one is going against somebody who doesn't respect the Torah as much, he STILL must adhere to halacha. And in that merit, he can triumph over his enemies.

With that, I leave you with wishes for a great Shabbos and an enlightened Chanukah.

The US Consulate is located in sunny east Jerusalem. Its website is in English & Arabic (not Hebrew) and its security is manned by Arabs. The US Consulate is in reality the US Embassy to Jerusalem, Palestine. Unfortunately, we had to go there to secure Chaim’s US Citizenship.

When we went through the security, the guard asked us to turn off our cell phones and put them, along with any other electronic devices on us, in the basket. Fine. Here you go.

He then asked permission to search through my bag. All right, enjoy.

He opens up the outer flap and pulls out my Palm Pilot. Sorry about that. Forgot.

He opens up the next section and pulls out my Palm keyboard. Oh yeah… that too…

He opens up the main section, pulls out an external hard drive and asks me what it is. Well, it’s an external hard drive; I have to fix the yeshiva’s computer during my break.

He then places it inside the basket.

He goes back in and starts pulling out 2 miles worth of electronic cables. Ooops… really not looking good.

He pulls out a second basket.

Then we hand over a bag that contains an item that we have to return to the store, since the product was not good. What was that item? That’s right, Play-Doe.

Play-Doe and pounds of electronics… not looking good.

I shrugged at him and said, “I really don’t make a good terrorist, do I?”

Okay, on to Torah!
A special thank you to my wife for supplying this week’s short but powerful dvar torah.
One of the foremost reasons we celebrate Chanukah, is because of the Jewish victory over the Hellenists and their Greek supporters.

After the victory, the Chashmonaim (Maccabees) entered the defiled Beis HaMikdash and wanted to repair the Beis HaMikdash and light the Menorah. When they entered, they found only one flask of oil left to light with. The one flask would last only for one day. A miracle occurred and the Menorah remained lit for an additional seven days.
Over history, the commentators have asked why Chanukah is celebrated for eight days, when really it should be for seven days. After all, the first day didn’t contain a miracle.

Answers Rav Mencahem Mendel of Kotzk: The miracle of the first day was that after the Jews had experienced so much destruction and devastation, both physically and spiritually, they even bothered to look for the oil at all.

Something to take to heart.

Have a great Shabbos and Chanukah!

I had a thought this week that gave me a lot of pleasure.

Xmas to my daughter will be, at most, like the Chinese New Year is to people who aren't Chinese.

She'll have no concept of Xmas, Santa Claus, presents during the holidays, carols, good will to all men, and all that other stuff.

To her, when asked, "What's the holiday in the winter?" she will reply, "Chanukah".

When you ask her, "What about Xmas?” she'll reply, "What?"

She's only two, but all she's talked about in the past week and a half has been Chanukah, menorah, oil, flame, boo-boo when touching the flame, dreidel, Bunny, and tablecloth (which we 'recently' bought two months ago).

Life in the Torah world!
Okay, on to Torah!

"In the days of Mattisyahu ben Yochanan, the Cohen Gadol, and his sons..."

I saw a wonderful piece by Rav Shlomo Brevda this week.

Why, he asks, in davening when we say a special thanks to Hashem for the miracle of Chanukah, do we begin by mentioning the Chashmoniyim (Maccabees) by name?

Rav Brevda brings in a Medresh that answers, "Somebody who recognizes the good that another person does for him will ultimately recognize the good that Hashem does for him".

Conversely, when we do not recognize the good people do, we will ultimately come to deny Hashem's existence in our lives.

We see Pharaoh as a great example.

In this week’s parsha, after hearing Yosef’s interpretation of his dream, Pharaoh states: “Can there be another person who has G-d’s spirit in him as this man does?” Here, he is obviously praising Yosef. Then, right after, Pharaoh acknowledges Hashem with “Since G-d has informed you about all this…”

Then, as things turn bad for the Jewish nation,

“A new king, who did not know of Joseph…” (Shemos 1:8). After no longer acknowledging the good Yosef did, Pharaoh says: “Who is Hashem that I should obey Him?” (Shemos 5:2)

Either way you go, one leads to another.

By recognizing the good that others have done for us, we will more likely see clearly all the good that Hashem has done as well.

Have a great Shabbos and Chanukah!