PART I - THE INTELLECT
In life, we - as
thinking human beings - are expected to use the Heaven-sent faculties and
abilities we have, to develop them in the pursuit of True Knowledge - i.e. the
Knowledge of Hashem. Meaning, to reach, obtain, understand and internalize
higher levels of wisdom that at present are beyond us.
The thing is, there also exist levels of knowledge which will never be internalized by us. These levels must remain unattainable so that free-will can continue to exist. For if these levels were to be revealed to a person, he would not function or serve Hashem out of free will, and there would be no value to serving Hashem since it is specifically free-will that gives value to what we choose to do in life.
Thus, we are
confronted in life with a double challenge: to know the balance when to use our
brains and intellect to go about dealing with situations in life, and when to
admit and submit to a situation or challenge which is way above our level to
deal with, and which requires Emunah alone to accept blindly what Hashem wills in this
challenge.
In life there
will be constant tests in confronting frustrations and confusions. This is
because, on the one hand, a person must understand the proper path and direction
to take in life, one that will bring him closer to the truth and to Hashem. But
on the other hand, the inability to understand the course of action within the
frustration and confusion is meant to remind a person that Hashem is running
the show and that he must also turn to Hashem in prayer, asking Him to open up
the levels of transcendent intellect needed to know what to do in life.
Thus, when a
person is faced with frustrations and confusions in life, he must turn to
Hashem, crying and begging Him to "open up" the gates of wisdom to
know and understand what to do in life. However, since free-will is also a
factor in this process, one must also put personal input and effort in
internalizing these levels of wisdom. This is done through sanctifying the
seven candles.
These seven
candles are:
• the two eyes
• the two ears
• the two nostrils
• the mouth
When properly balanced and
sanctified, these 7 candles/apertures of the head enable a person to properly
see, absorb and internalize the clear and proper levels of intellect needed to
confront the frustrations and confusions in life.
In summary: there
are challenges and questions in life which can never be reconciled, and require
simple and pure blind faith in Hashem to deal with.
However, there
are challenges, questions, frustrations and confusions which can be resolved
and require a person to first scream and cry out to Hashem to bring forth the
concealed intellect/solution, and then to effect personal sanctification of the
seven apertures/candles to properly internalize it.
(for more on this topic please listen to: LIKUTEY MOHARAN LESSON 21 )
PART II -
THE CHANUKAH CANDLES
In the Chanukah story, the Greeks rendered
impure the holy olive oil used in lighting the candles of the Menorah in the
Holy Temple.
Oil symbolizes the
intellect, since the mind burns like a wick using the fatty oils of the body.
The Greeks sought to render impure the minds and thinking patterns of the Jews.
Their intent was to get the Jews to use their intellect and mind specifically regarding
the non-resolving challenges and questions which require simple and blind faith
alone. By getting the Jews to become exclusive thinkers, their intent was to
knock them off totally from simple faith and devotion to Hashem (which is
really the key to the true knowledge - i.e. the Knowledge of Hashem).
One of the miracles was that
after the Chashmonaim family succeeded in overcoming and dispersing the Greeks,
they found a jar of untainted and pure olive oil sealed with the insignia of
the High Priest. Meaning, a jar of pure "intellect" that was sealed
and closed off from the extraneous influence of the Greeks - an intellect to be
used only when permitted and not to enter the realm of unsolvable questions
and confusions. This untainted jar of oil was meant to help the Jewish people
to accept faithfully the questions that must stay questions for the sake of
free-will to continue to exist.
Another miracle was that this
sealed jar contained enough pure oil to light for only one day, but extended to
burn on the Menorah for an additional 7 days! With the impure influence of the
Greeks to taint and damage the Jewish mind with intellectual pursuit to resolve
unanswerable questions and confusions, this led the Jews to a certain degree
not to work on sanctifying the seven candles/apertures of the head for the sake
of internalizing those levels of intellect which were attainable and necessary
for resolving frustrations and confusions in life. Through the power and merit
of the High Priest – representing the True Tzaddik who has mastered
sanctifying his own seven candles to the maximum capacity – the Jews received a fresh
start and boost at sanctifying their own seven candles in order to properly
internalize those intellects which are yes tangible and accessible.
For this reason, the proper
sequence of lighting the Chanukah candles (to commemorate this miracle) is to add
an additional candle every night and light the present candle followed by the
previous candles, lighting the first-day candle last. This is to show that
only through the merit of the High Priest and his sealed oil (which was meant
to burn for the first day alone) are we able to guard our own seven candles (i.e.
the following seven days) until we too merit internalizing those levels of
intellect needed to resolve questions, frustrations and confusions which are
resolvable.
(based on Reb Noson’s
discourse in Likutey Halakhot, Orach Chaim, Chanukah #5)
May we merit this Chanukah to
connect our “candles” to those of the true tzaddikim, thus bringing us to
complete wisdom and intellect – to know when not to use our mind and when we
can use and reach tangible intellect. And through their merit may we strengthen our
resolve and ability to sanctify our own seven candles to the fullest degree
possible. Amen.
A Chanukah Request:
As it is a tradition to send
additional support to the needy on Chanukah, please follow this PayPal link to
send help and support to needy and worthy families in Jerusalem: CHANUKAH SUPPORT
Please also submit your full
name (Hebrew name if applicable) and we will add it to our prayer list at the
holy sites here in Israel.
A HAPPY AND ENLIGHTENING CHANUKAH
Meir Elkabas
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