![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ish-tam.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/chanukah-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Chanukah\\"")
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\nWe are blessed here to offer our fifth workbook for the Holy days of Hanukah.
\nOur title comes from the Al HaNissim prayer which we recite several times daily during
\nthe Holiday<\/a>:
\nYou [Hashem] delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the
\nfew, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, the \u201cimpure\u201d into the hands of the \u201cpure,\u201d
\nand the wanton into the hands of the diligent students of Your Torah.
\nThis \u201cimpure\u201d to \u201cpure\u201d distinction will be discussed in detail later. Hanukah which
\ninvolves a review of differences and revolves around the mitzvah of lighting candles
\nis thus similar to the weekly Havdalah ceremony around a candle, using words of
\ndistinction:
\n[Hashem] Who separates between holy and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel
\nand the nations, and between the seventh day and the six days of labor.
\nWe recognize such distinctions as necessary, harkening us back to the second day of
\nCreation:
\nAnd G-d said: ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
\nwaters.’
\nAnd G-d made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters
\nwhich were above the firmament; and it was so.
\n1
\nThe Written Torah itself makes distinctions, as we noted in the Havdalah ceremony,
\nand designated certain days as “holy” (kodesh), during which various forms of
\nactivity are forbidden. It also designated certain places as holy, such as the Temple
\nand walled cities, from which various kinds of impurity must be excluded. The Oral
\nTorah called the Mishnah systematically applies the dichotomy between the “holy”
\n(kodesh) and the “profane” (\u1e25ol) in order to constitute an elaborate hierarchy of holy
\ntimes and holy places. The holiest times were defined by the most rigorous and most
\ncomprehensive set of prohibitions, and lesser degrees of holiness by more lenient and
\nless comprehensive sets of prohibitions. 1Similarly, the Mishnah defines ten ascending
\nlevels of holy space (Kel. 1:6\u20139), each defined by stricter and stricter rules of purity.
\nThese distinctions that follow form the basis of our halakhah, our Jewish law, in
\ndetermining differences through the close examination of some dimension of ordinary
\nhuman life or experience, and the careful categorization of certain aspects of that
\nexperience in line with a limited number of formal dichotomies.
\nThe most obvious \u2013 and familiar \u2013 halakhic dichotomy is the one between “forbidden”
\n(asur) and “permitted” (mutar). This dichotomy is most regularly applied to human
\nbehavior. For example, the Mishnah may categorize sexual relations between two
\nindividuals under certain circumstances as permitted, and under other circumstances
\nas forbidden. While eating<\/a> on the Day of Atonement is certainly forbidden, Mishnaic
\nhalakhah lists certain exceptions to this rule and even requires children under a certain
\nage to eat. Similarly, the halakhah permits heating food on the Sabbath under certain
\ncircumstances and forbids it under other circumstances.
\nA related dichotomy \u2013 applying also to a large extent to behavior \u2013 is the one
\nbetween “liable” for punishment or some other formal sanction (\u1e25ayyav) and ‘exempt’
\nfrom such sanctions (patur). This dichotomy is generally applicable to actions which
\nhave already been categorized as forbidden. For example, Mishnaic halakhah
\nforbids the carrying of an object in the public domain on the Sabbath. In order for
\nthe transgressor to be considered “liable” for sanctions, however, the act of carrying
\nmust conform to a number of different conditions. If any one of these conditions is not
\n1 Note that in the hanerot hallalu prayer said after lighting we mention the holiness of
\nHanukah candles:
\nThese lights do we kindle about the miracles and the wonders, about the salvations and the wars that
\nYou did for our fathers in those days and that time, by the hands of Your Holy “priests” (Kohanim). All the
\neight days of Hanukah these lights are holy. And we do not have permission to use them, but only to look
\nat them.
\n2
\nmet, the transgressor is considered “exempt” from sanctions. Similarly, the halakhah
\nforbids baking bread on a holiday for use the following day. One who transgresses this
\nrule is, however, not necessarily liable for punishment. It is forbidden to steal. Under
\ncertain circumstances the thief will be liable to pay double indemnity, while under other
\ncircumstances he will be exempt from this additional payment. Although a person can
\nbe liable for the indirect or inadvertent consequences of his or her actions (or inaction),
\nit is not always possible to categorize these actions as forbidden.
\nThe dichotomy between \u1e25ayyav and patur may also be applied to human behavior in
\nanother way \u2013 with regard to positive commandments, such as the eating of matzah on
\nPassover. Here \u1e25ayyav should be translated as “obligated [to fulfill the commandment]”
\nand patur as “exempt [from fulfilling it].” The halakhah categorizes eating matzah on
\nthe first night of Passover as an “obligation” (\u1e25ovah), and on the remaining days
\nof Passover as “optional” (reshut). The Mishnah states that properly prepared
\nmatzah “may be used in order to fulfill one’s obligation” (yosin bo). When prepared
\nimproperly, the Mishnah states: “it may not be used in order to fulfill the obligation” (ein
\nyosin bo). The Mishnah uses the dichotomy between “fit” (kasher) and “unfit” (pasul)
\nin a similar fashion, in order to determine whether various ritual objects \u2013 a shofar
\nor a lulav, for example \u2013 may be used to fulfill one’s obligation in performing these
\ncommandments.
\nThe most highly developed area of Mishnaic halakhah is to be found in its system of
\nritual purity. Seder Toharot applies the dichotomy between ritually pure (tahor) and
\nritually impure (tame) to virtually every aspect of ordinary life. These terms can signify
\neither that an object is susceptible to becoming impure, or that it is actually impure
\nand capable of transmitting this impurity to something else. Certain tractates define
\nthe purity or impurity of tools, garments, vessels, and places of residence. Others
\ndefine the purity or impurity of foods and drinks. Others categorize certain individuals
\nas themselves being sources of ritual impurity, and other individuals as impure as a
\nresult of contact with other sources of ritual impurity. This area of halakhah seems to
\nhave played a decisive role in the life of the Mishnaic sages, even among non-priestly
\nfamilies, and with no obvious connection to the Temple.
\nNow back to Hanukah. In our Al HaNissim prayer, we will in every Amidah and every
\nAfter-blessing for Bread mention the distinctions listed above.
\nIt came to me with the help of Heaven, that we while gazing upon the Hanukah lights
\nlit during the darkest time of year, we have an ready-made opportunity to meditate on
\nthe power of distinguishing, in particular the eight categories listed above: Mutar and
\nAsur, Patur and Chayav, Kasher and Pasul, Tamei and Tahor.
\n3
\nIt moreover occured to me with the help of Heaven, that these terms also have strong
\ncorrespondence to the mystic energies that flow on Hanukah during the 8 days, related
\nto the 8 Sefirot, in the following order and pages:
\nNight 1: Chesed and Mutar: page 5
\nNight 2: Gevurah and Asur: page 8
\nNight 3: Tiferet and Patur: page 11
\nNight 4: Netzach and Kasher: page 14
\nNight 5: Hod and Pasul: page 17
\nNight 6: Yesod and Chayav: page 20
\nNight 7: Malchut and Tamei: page 24
\nNight 8: Binah and Tahor: page 27
\nWhile the candles are burning, it is an important mystic practice to contemplate the lights as well
\nas one\u2019s self.
\nIt is humbly submitted that during this time when we make daily distinctions, in the Al HaNissim
\nprayer to personalize these themes based on traditional halachic dichotonomy can only bring
\nus closer to ourselves, to return in teshuvah as it were. And since Zot Hanukah on the 8th
\nnight is viewed as the end of the process of return begun on Rosh Hashanah, 8 days of
\nmeditation which lead to action can only facilitate this movement. May these distinctions make
\na difference.
\nBlessings for a Joyous Hanukah,
\nRahmiel Hayyim Drizin,
\nKislev 5773
\n4
\nTonight right after we do the Havdalah ceremony honoring distinctions, according to
\nSefardi Kabbalists, say the first blessing, then light the first Hanukah candle, then say
\nthe remaining two blessings.
\nSo, it would seem that with all of the distinctions listed above in the Al HaNissim for
\nHanukah, said earlier for the first time in our Modim prayer of Arabit, plus the Havdalah
\nceremony, we are all primed to begin our work during the next 8 days to focus on
\ndifferences in our lives, and how to recognize them and make them meaningful.
\n5
\nTonight according to some systems represents Hesed\/lovingkindness, or expansion.
\n[Note our color choices. In the news last month we read \u201cWith one day left in the campaign, a basic
\ndifference between the two parties is in depressing evidence: Democrats seek to expand the franchise,
\nwhile Republicans seek to restrict it.\u2019 So much for blue and red States!]
\nIt corresponds to \u201cYes Saying\u201d, which Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz of Jerusalem lists:
\n1. ACTUALIZE OUR CALLING
\n2. OPEN UP OUR EMOTIONAL POWERS
\n3. SHARE OUR LOVE WITH HASHEM AND THE WORLD AND OURSELVES
\n4. BECOME A MASTER GIVER
\n5. CONNECT WITH MANY OTHER PEOPLE THAN WE KNOW NOW
\n6. OPEN UP MANY NEW DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY AND ABUNDANCE
\n7. IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR SPOUSE [PRESENT ONE OR FUTURE ONE]
\n8. FULFILL NUMEROUS INTERPERSONAL MITZVOT
\n9. MAXIMIZE OUR ATTRACTIVENESS TO OTHERS AND THEIRS TO US
\n10.HELP BUILD A WORLD OF CHESED
\n11.EMULATE G-D’S TRAIT OF GIVING AND BENEVOLENCE
\n12.SWEETEN AND MINIMIZE HARSH DECREES AND HARSH JUDGEMENTALISM
\n13.EXPAND CONSTRICTED CONSCIOUSNESS
\n14.EMULATE THE WAYS OF THE PATRIARCHS AND MATRIARCHS
\n15.PERPETUATE ‘YES’ SAYING IN THE WORLD [WITH ALL OF THESE POWERFUL IMPACTS]
\n16.LEAD A LIFE FULL OF INSPIRATION
\n17.LIVE THE LIFE YOU LOVE AND LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE
\n18.EMPOWER YOURSELF TO CARRY OUT ANYTHING THAT YOU INTEND
\n19.EMPOWER OTHERS TO ACTUALIZE THEIR INTENDED GOALS
\n20.BECOME A BEACON OF LOVE, LIGHT, GOODNESS AND POSITIVITY
\nSee, mutar means \u201cYes Saying\u201d to a particular behavior, saying \u201cyes\u201d that it is
\npermissible.
\nIt is the magic word to a halachic question in which one seeks a resolution to a query
\ninvolving Jewish law.
\nOnce you ask a Sage and he says \u201cMutar\u201d, you then have a halachic basis to rely on
\nto then do this behavior.
\nSo on this very first day of the Holy day, when all 8 days are open up to us, we
\nsay \u201cYes!\u201d, and imagine a world of expansion without boundaries.
\nOnce one enters the halachic world, often one will seek a \u201cheter\u201d–permissive approval.
\nIt is not considered good behavior to go \u201cheter shopping\u201d, meaning to go from one
\nRabbi to another until one gets his or her desired answer.
\n6
\nJust because one obtains a heter, however, does not mean that the behavior is
\npraiseworthy.
\nThe Ramban, in a famous argument with Rashi, says that the verse “You shall be
\nKedoshim” has nothing to do with illicit sexual acts. Rather, Kedoshim Tihiyu [You shall
\nbe holy] is referring to perfectly permissible activities. The concept is “sanctify yourself
\nby withdrawing from that which is permissible to you” (kadesh et atzmecha b’mutar
\nlach). Without such self-limitation, the Ramban declares, a person can be a ‘naval
\nb’rshust haTorah’ [a glutton ‘sanctioned’ by the Torah]. The level of sanctity required by this
\npasuk [verse] is that achieved by restraining oneself somewhat from even those physical
\npleasures that the Torah permits.
\nThere are times in our life when a \u201cNO\u201d voice fills our minds when we want to say Yes.
\nThe following list suggested by R. Yitzchak would be well to contemplate while the
\ncandles are burning:
\n–Identify the \u2018NO\u2019\/ prohibited voice that fills your mind when you want
\nto say YES\/permitted
\n–Ask yourself why the NO is there—What is it\u2019s purpose?
\n–How is it coming to help you?
\n–Give thanks to Hashem for your inner NO
\n–Acknowledge it\u2019s benefit and it\u2019s role in helping you out
\n–Now ask yourself how it would be possible to derive this
\nsame benefit by saying yes and not saying no [ie\u2026saying Yes in a
\nsafe harmless way]
\n–When you are convinced of a safe way of saying YES, say it and
\nfollow through, and carry on with another YES, processing it in the
\nsame way [ and another and another, etc\u2026]
\n7
\nBound and Unbound
\nJewish mysticism explains a reality called ‘Klipah’ or ‘husk’. This husk conceals the G-dly
\nspark that gives life to every creature. The husk renders the spark inaccessible. This
\nis what we call evil. The inherent G-dliness is trapped in the vestments of the klipah and
\nis unable to express itself and rise to a higher level.
\nCertainly, non-kosher foods have a G-dly spark in them as well. Indeed, their energy
\nis metabolized. However, since the G-dly spark is bound up with the husk, it cannot
\nbe elevated through ingestion. This spark remains trapped in the physical without the
\npossibility of ascent. (There are other ways to elevate a non-kosher animal, such as riding on it. In the latter case, the
\nundesirable energy does not enter the body.) In contrast, ‘Mutar’, the Hebrew word for permissible,
\nliterally means unbound. The energy of permissible foods is not bound to the klipah and
\nthus can be elevated through having the proper intentions and using the energy for a Gdly
\npurpose.
\nEating non-kosher food results in another problem. The unprocessed spark in the
\nnon-kosher food acts like any foreign element in the body. Energy was meant to be
\nmetabolized, and this applies to spiritual energy as well. Since the spark cannot be
\nprocessed by elevation, it causes a spiritual blockage that retards our ability to relate to
\nholiness.
\n8
\nCertainly, one can become accustomed to a low level of sensitivity. But, for example, if
\nwe eat only healthy food, we will feel the effect of a small measure of unhealthy food.
\nThis reaction does not mean that we are unhealthy, but on the contrary, that we have
\na heightened sensitivity. Similarly, through eating non-kosher food, we build a level of
\ntolerance to it. But if we alter our diet to kosher food, the sensitivity slowly returns.
\nEvery morning we bless Hashem for Matir Asurim.–“Who frees the imprisoned.\/bound”
\nBinding hints to Akeidat Yitzchak, the binding of our forefather Isaac, who was tied to
\nthe altar. Yitzchak stands for the force called Gevurah, literally \u201cstrength\u201d, but hinting
\nto severity, restriction, limitation, \u201cJust say No.\u201d
\n***Gevurah IS \u201cSAYING NO\u201d
\nLet\u2019s take a step backwards
\nLet\u2019s examine a list of descriptive terms that describe the Sefira Gevurah [drawn
\nfrom a variety of sources]. Our goal is to see how SAYING NO is [at least one]
\ntheme that is central to all these
\nterms;
\n1. restraint
\n2. discipline
\n3. judgement
\n4. justice [DIN}
\n5. boundaries
\n6. fear [of losing something good]
\n7. rejection
\n8. strength
\n9. rebuke
\n10. constrict [conceal]
\nWhen we examine these terms, we can see that the functional feature at work-
\n–the inner voice common to all the terms is SAYING NO . Whether we restrain,
\nwe fear, we are repulsed or repulse others, we exercise restraint or we display
\nstrength we activate the inner directive of SAYING NO
\n9
\n***EMPOWERED NO SAYING FROM THE PAST
\nLet\u2019s now take a look at a possible list of empowered no sayings that we may
\nhave experienced in the past\u2026.let\u2019s try to discover from the list the factors or
\ntools that empowered us, so that we can derive these tools or meditations for
\nfacillitating future empowered no sayings:
\n1. refusing to say yes if there\u2019s a strong INNER NO
\n2. refusing to say yes when it contradicts my inner lower self
\n3. saying no to worry
\n4. saying no being in need of finding favor in the eyes of others
\n5. saying no to commitments that do not represent my total self
\nexpression
\n6. saying no to in authenticity
\n7. saying no to lack of total utilization of my resources
\n8. saying no to a situation where I find myself being used, abused,
\ncontrolled, intruded upon, taken advantage of or enslaved by others
\n9. saying no to wasting time
\n10. saying no to surviving rather than thriving
\n11. saying no to settling for less than the best for my beloved ones
\n12. saying no to senselessly just doing what everyone else is doing
\n13. saying no to being overwhelmed and overextended
\n14. saying no to danger
\n15. saying no to risky , doubtful commitments
\n16. saying no to non-holistic partial conclusions
\nWhile the candles are burning brightly, think of a Holy Asur, a holy prohibition which is
\nsorely need in your life, to add more light. Similarly, contemplate an Asur\/prohibition in
\nyour life which needs revision:
\n–Allow a whole new way of coping or way of being enter your mind and go with it.
\n–Create or Co-create or project a brand new way of coping or a brand new set of
\ncircumstances
\n10
\nTonight when we light three candles we move to a different plain,that of
\nmissing the mark in our deeds, words, and actions, and how to \u201cfix\u201d these
\nmiss–takes. In Mishnaic language, if one screws up unintentionally,
\nhe or she could be liable to offer a KoRBan\/sacrifice lehaKRiV\/to bring
\noneself \u201cclose\u201d to Hashem, after the \u201cdistance\u201d caused by the miss-take.
\nThere are certain actions where are patur\/exempt from bringing the
\nofferings.
\nIt came to me with the help of Heaven that Patur has a bit of a Tiferet\/
\nbridging feel. Note that each word shares consonantal similarities with
\na \u201cT\u201d, \u201cP\/F\u201d, and \u201cR\u201d sound:
\nPatur like Tiferet seems to bridge between Mutar (permitted from Day
\nOne) and Asur (forbidden from Day Two)
\nThe rabbis of the Talmud had an amazing ability to come up with ways
\naround strict yes or no answers. You would think that behavior would
\nsimply be defined as \u201cdo this\u201d or \u201cdon\u2019t do that,\u201d but the rabbis are very
\ncreative in refining these categories. For example in Tractate Shabbat 47,
\n11
\nthe rabbis consider the case of assembling a bed \u2013the sockets for the legs
\nor the legs themselves should not be inserted, but if they are inserted the
\nindividual is not liable for a sin offering. But it is still forbidden to do it! This
\nconcept of patur aval asur [exempt but forbidden] runs the risk of becoming
\na rule without any penalties other than \u201cI\u2019d be very disappointed in you.\u201d
\nYet it also provides for shadings of grey in behavior \u2013 something could be
\nforbidden and liable for punishment, or forbidden but exempt, or permitted.
\nAnd this is independent of considering whether an action was intentional or
\nnot!
\nThis to me feels like \u201cTiferet\u201d analysis, bridging between Hesed and
\nGevurah. Rabbi Yitzchak Schwartz writes about bridging:
\nTIFERET IS THE BRIDGE-ING OR RESOLUTION OF CONTRASTING
\nELEMENTS INTO A NEW HARMONIOUS WHOLE WHEN WE
\nEXERCISE TIFERET, WE BRIDGE:
\n1. OUR YESES AND OUR NO\u2019S
\n2. CERTAIN TYPES OF PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT TYPES
\n3. CERTAIN PARTS OF OUR PERSONALITIES WITH OTHER PARTS
\n4. OUR WEAKNESSES WITH OUR STRENGTHS
\n5. WHAT WE FEEL WITH WHAT WE EXPRESS
\n6. WHAT WE ARE MEANT TO DO IN LIFE WITH WHAT WE
\nACTUALLY DO
\n7. THE PARTS WITH THE GREATER WHOLE
\nR. Yitzchak discusses each of the above in detail [I can send you the original if
\nyou\u2019d like!]. For our purposes, Patur aval asur, exempt although prohibited
\nseems like bridging our Mutar Yes with our Asur No.
\nWhile the candles on this Third Night of Bridging, meditate on your
\nexperiences involving:
\n12
\n–When you feel like saying yes, but you know you should say
\nno
\n–when you feel like you\u2019re attracted , but you know that you
\nbetter reject that feeling
\n–when you feel like expanding, but you\u2019re scared to go beyond your normal
\nlimitations
\n–when you feel like you\u2019d like to give, but a voice inside says you\u2019d better
\ntake
\n–when you feel like understand one side of the picture, but you also know
\nthat the other side is correct too..
\nBECOME a master of people bridging by:
\n(1) recognizing the differences just as they are—no need to change them –
\njust accept them;
\n(2) put yourself in their places—see the world as they see it [put on their life
\nspectacles]—do this even if you are bridging many people at once [a charismatic
\nteacher or performer can do this simultaneously with many people at the same time]; and
\n(3) to really be able to bridge properly– communicate to both or all sides [or
\nsometimes just to yourself] what the other side needs and desires and negotiate a
\nwin win or a bliss bliss deal that satisfies everyone.
\n13
\n\u201cKasher\u201d or \u201cKosher\u201d in Yiddish is one of the more familiar Hebrew terms.
\nIt tends to have two related meanings:
\n1. With food, it means prepared in accordance with Jewish religious
\npractices.
\nWell, if I had known it was a kosher deli, I certainly would not have ordered
\na ham and cheese on rye.
\n2. And figuratively, by extension, it means in accordance with standards
\nor usual practice.
\nIs what I have done kosher with Mr. Smith?
\nHere are the more familiar Kosher symbols:
\n14
\nIt seems to me that Kasher\/Kosher relates well to the 4th Sefira on this
\n4th Night of Hanukah, called Netzach, which means victory, eternity,
\nand persistence, and hints to overcoming. It connotes enthusiasm and
\ntechnology, both of which are important for the Kasher process.
\nIf you\u2019ve ever \u201ckoshered\u201d a kitchen for Pesach\/Passover, you know what
\nI\u2019m talking about!
\nOne must be persistently focused on details and with supreme energy
\nremove all semblance of chametz\/leavened products from one\u2019s house.
\nThe spiritual process is to overcome all \u201cinflated ego\u201d, to get rid of it for
\nthe one week of the Holiday. It is a temporary \u201cvictory\u201d over chametz, a
\nparable for destroying one\u2019s yetzer hara, or inclination toward evil.
\nIn terms of the Mishnaic model we are following, there the most relevant
\nsuch concept is a law of purity and impurity known as “hachshara”. [note
\nthe root of kosher] Basically, food which touches an impure object does not
\nitself become impure. But if the food comes in contact with water (or certain
\nother liquids), the food is “made susceptible” (“muchshar”) to impurity.
\nFrom then on, if the food touches an impure object, it DOES become
\nimpure.
\nThis impurity is called machshirin, as it becomes suceptible to impurity
\nforever, the third definition of Netzach.
\nHanukah itself concerns a victory of the Hashmonean Jews over the Syrian
\nGreeks, when the small overcame the many. Rabbi Yitzchak offers an
\nexercise which we submit would work well while gazing at the candles on
\nthis Fourth Night:
\n15
\nNetzach involves transcending all limits.
\nThis means overcoming the assumption that you are a person who has
\nlimited capabilities and capacities, and open yourself up to the magnificent
\npossibility of overcoming as many barriers as possible and transcending as
\nmany limits as possible and living in an above-nature extraordinary way.
\nIdentify an area of your life that you feel are limiting your capacities and
\ncapabilities.
\nNow look closer, as if you were to project extending and expanding your
\nlimits.
\nif you were to ask Hashem to help make it happen for you, if you were to
\nenlist all of your powers and all of your friends powers and
\nall of your innovative tools, wouldn’t you feel like you could go beyond your
\npresent limits?!
\nNow , just do it—do it in this one area of your life and another and another
\nand see how many of the present walls of your life come
\ntumbling down.http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jTmg4WEqM7Y&feature=related
\nNow as the walls come down, make sure that when you burst through your
\nactions, words, and thoughts all are Kosher\/ appropriate.
\n16
\nOne our Fifth Night of Hanukah we deal with the concept of Pasul and the
\nSefirah Hod. Pasul is the \u201copposite\u201d of Kasher: as Kasher means \u201cfit\u201d for
\nritual use, pasul means \u201cunfit\u201d for ritual use.
\n\u201cPasul\u201d seems like an appropriate concept to contemplate in these days, for
\nin our famous Hanukah story, the wicked Greeks desecrated our Temple,
\nrendering all oil save one sealed container pasul, unfit for the Menorah.
\nThere are also many laws concerning how to appropriately light the
\nMenorah, the main mitzvah\/commandment of the holiday, which oils, which
\nwicks, where to place the Menorah, what time to light, etc. Those who are
\nfollowing the Daf Yomi Talmud cycle were treated in late October 2012 with
\nthe Gemara account of these laws.
\nHod to me seems to have a unique relationship to Pasul.
\nHod means splendor, confession, acknowledgment, and thanksgiving, all
\npart and parcel of the Hanukah holiday. Moreover the word Hod is found
\nspecifically in the Al HaNissim prayer:
\n\u201cAnd they established these 8 days of Hanukah to express praise and
\nthanks…\u201d
\nIn fact, according to Kabbalists, Hanukah is specifically connected with the
\nSefirah Hod, as as Pesach is with Chesed, Shavuot<\/a> is with Tiferet, etc.
\n17
\nHod and Netzach work together as the two legs, Hod on the left, with
\nNetzach on the right. Netzach is externally actively expressed, while Hod
\nis internally passively expressed.
\nDoes it come as no surprise that Pasul, which we are holding is
\nthe \u201cnegative\u201d of Hod, has the gematria of Chai Netzach, the internal part of
\nNetzach?
\nJust as we avoid Pasul oils and wicks during Hanukah, this holiday also
\nhas a concept concerning \u201cbeautifying\u201d the mitzvah of lighting. The
\nuniversal practice of Jews to perform the rabbinic commandment to light
\nthe Hanukah lights for 8 days is performed mehadrin min hamehadrin, in
\nthe most glorious manner.
\nThe minimal mitzvah, explains the Talmud, is to kindle 1 light each night
\nper household. A more embellished manner (termed mehadrin) is for
\neach member of the household to light 1 candle per night. But the most
\nembellished method (called mehadrin min hamehadrin) is to add 1 light per
\nnight. According to the accepted view of Beit Hillel, this means lighting 1
\ncandle on the first night, 2 candles on the second, and an additional light
\nevery night, culminating in the last night when a total of 8 candles are lit
\n(Shabbos 21b).
\nHod and Hadar are virtual synonyms, meaning to beautify, and Hadar is
\nthe root of meHaDRin. Here on Hanukah we take extra measures to move
\naway from Pasul \/unfitness and towards beauty.
\nRabbi Yitzchak suggests that Hod implies empowering. Hod is on the left
\nside of the Sefirotic setup—-opposite the Sefira Netzach. These 2 are like
\n2 sides of a coin The Netzach dynamic of dominant competitive conquering
\nand overcoming of all obstacles that stand in it\u2019s way. Therefore , Netzach
\nis in need of support—a support system. This need spurs Hod into
\nresponding by becoming Netzach\u2019s chief enabler or
\nempowerer. In terms of relationships, this means that the Hod partner is
\nawakened to be of service to their partner, since their prime goal is to
\n18
\nenable their partner to become empowered and succeed. Rabbi Yitzchak
\nsuggests the following empowering meditation, which we have tailored to
\nwork well in the light of the candles:
\nFirst: Acknowledge an area of your life which seems Pasul\/unfit for service with
\nHashem. Perhaps you are not praying with intent, you are giving charity for selfish
\nreasons, you are learning Torah to impress others, etc. Take the light of the candles
\nand bathe this area, coming up with solutions to beautify your behavior, and empower
\nyourself to add glory to the area.
\nNext: bring to mind an experience or situation in your life. Ask yourself how
\nempowered or powerless you are on a scale of 1 to 10,. How would you rate the
\nexperience. Extend this to another experience and another until you begin to develop
\na sense of the level of empowerment that you are holding by presently in most all
\nsituations that you find yourself
\nThen: begin to reempower yourself by re-focusing on all the powerless experiences
\nof your life. Find something in or around the experience that you feel to be positive
\nand that has redeeming value for you [including the realization that ultimately this
\nexperience is G-d sent and ultimately for your best] Focus on this to the exclusion of
\nall the other negative aspects of the experience. If you still feel disempowered, then
\ngive it over to Hashem, expressing your need for Hashem to take over control [until
\nultimately you will be reempowered]. Do this [and any other type of reempowering tool
\nthat comes to you] for another challenge in your life , and another and another, until you
\nfeel that you are beginning to experience a shift in your life.
\nNow: reempower others, and begin to shift the focus of attention in your
\nreempowerings from yourself to others, repeating all that you\u2019ve done in the previous
\nsteps for yourself, and to do it instead for others.
\nFinally, reempower the past and future. Begin to extend your empowerings to your
\npast, by simply saying thank you for all of the empowerings that you have been given
\nand that you have been allowed to give to others by the ONE ABOVE. Keep repeating
\nthe thank yous and let the memories come to mind, one by one. See how often that
\nyour and others powerlessness was replaced by empowerment, and be thankful for
\nthat, and for how often you and others you have helped, have been bestowed with
\nempowerment in your life. With this awareness, project a future of empowerment —a
\nlevel of empowerment that is beyond any level that you have ever experienced.
\n19
\nOn the Third Night of Hanukah, we lit three candles representing Tiferet
\nand Patur\/exempt. Tonight as the Sixth Night corresponds to Yesod\/
\nFoundation and to Chayyav\/Liable.
\nChayyav means liable for a sanction or punishment. It is taught that there is
\nno tzaddik\/righteous person who does not sin on earth.
\n20
\nAnd we know from the Iggeret Hakodesh of the Ramban that the two areas
\nwe must be wary are (1) our eating and (2) our sex life. Those areas are
\nin the province of the Sefirah Yesod, the Sixth emanation that is located
\nin the genital or lower stomach area, and is the place of passion.http:\/\/
\njwa.org\/encyclopedia\/article\/iggeret-ha-kodesh
\nIt is interesting to look at the word chayyav\/liable. The mystical classic
\nSefer Yetzirah\/Book of Formation notes an analogy of a scale:
\n\u201ca pan of of merit, a pan of liability and the tongue of decree deciding between
\nthem.\u201d
\nOn this night we should reflect on how we may have missed the mark in
\nour eating and sexual behaviors. Let the lights of the candles illuminate
\nthe nooks and crannies of your consciousness, showing you places where
\nspiritual \u201cchametz\u201d has been left in these areas. Now let\u2019s turn to a \u201casay
\ntov\u201d, doing good, focus.
\nRabbi Yitzchak Schwartz correlates Yesod with \u201cAllness\u201d. That is because:
\n(1) The Yesod is the harmonious and fully expressed communicator of all the
\nSefirot [thus it is the only Sefira that corresponds to reproduction]
\n21
\n(2)The way that this is expressed in the consciousness of the Yesod person, is
\nAllness
\n(3) Whatever they think, feel, speak or do is an expression of Allness
\n(4) They constantly seek to engage more of life, more fully lived and
\nexpressed, more unified, more impactful, more abundant, more experienced
\n(5) They therefore make all decisions in life, based on allness—to the extent
\nthat what they choose will empower their allness, to that extent they are
\nprepared to jump in [and so too, the opposite]
\nHow do we achieve this allness? Rabbi Yitzchak offers the following
\nmeditation, which we suggest is done in front of the 6 candles:
\nReview your day:
\n— What were the activities\/experiences that you had?
\n–Measure the ALLNESS level of your daily activities.
\n–How fully expressed and alive and pleasureful were they?
\n–Try to experience how the more that they were activities expressing your
\nALLNESS, the more inspired you were\u2014in all ways.
\nNow Project your upcoming day:
\n–How can you change your day completely, by injecting ALLNESS ?
\n–See the antipated activities \/experiences of your day without ALLNESS, then
\nsee them with it
\nInspire your day with ALLNESS:
\n1. Reframe an upcoming interaction with someone as being an
\nopportunity to bond with that person in a totally unique and creative and
\n22
\nmeaningful way [that will elicits from them their bonding ALLNESS in
\nreturn]
\n2. Reframe an upcoming errand that you need to run as being an
\nopportunity to accomplish your goal with as much expression of your inner
\npowers as you can enlist—your power of creativity and feeling and love and
\ninnovation and sensitivity
\n3. Reframe an upcoming spiritual experience [prayer, study , meditation,
\netc] as being an opportunity to express yourself in a way that you never
\nhave before, nor will you ever be able to again See that your experience will
\nresonate for Eternity. See that your experience will have the power to effect,
\nnot only yourself and those around you, but the entire world. See that your
\nexperience will be one that will perpetuate similar experiences in your life in
\nwhat will be an upward spiral of spiritual power and bliss.
\n23
\nNoted Talmud teacher Judith Abrams of the Maqom learning center has
\nilluminated our understanding of tumah and taharah, the final distinctions we will
\nexamine on these last two nights of Hanukah. She relates:
\nIf the priests who performed the sacrifices in the Temple were ritually unclean
\n(tamei), they were not permitted to eat the terumah until they had taken a bath and
\nthe sun had set. (Terumah means literally “that which is lifted or separated” and
\nwas an offering to be given to the priest. There were two types of terumah: the
\nregular offering which the Israelites had to separate from their own crops and give
\nto the priest, and the terumat ma’aser, the tithe offering, which the Levites had
\nto separate for the priests from the tithes they received) By the time the Talmud
\nwas completed, ritual purity was not as crucial a category as it had been when the
\nTemple stood. How can we understand the concepts of ritual purity and impurity
\ntoday? First of all, get out of your mind that this has anything to do with dirtiness
\nor negativity. Such concepts result from the inability to accurately translate the
\nwords taharah (purity) and tum’ah (impurity) into English. What this really has to
\ndo with is boundaries between life and death and helping us deal with times, places
\nand things which involve ambiguity in those boundaries.
\nThink about the following, real-life, modern example. A woman’s father was in
\nthe hospital in the process of dying from cancer. He had to be moved to a new
\nroom. The last occupant had died in the room to which he was to be moved. The
\nnurse found this information important enough that she asked the woman if she
\n24
\nminded if her father was put in a room in which the last occupant had died. There
\nwas probably nothing objective about the room which caused the death. Yet, our
\nintuition tells us that something about the death happening there had changed the
\nroom. It is as if, in passing out of this world, a bit of “disembodied soul residue”
\nwas left in the room. This feeling, this concept, this is what ritual impurity is
\nabout. Anything that is connected with death is in some way impure, i.e., is
\ntouched with “disembodied soul residue”. So, for example, blood that is flowing
\nunstaunchably (e.g., menstrual blood) is considered impure because it is normally
\nrelated to death: if a wound bleeds uncontrollably, death is the inevitable result.
\nOnly whole, complete items (obviously, defined by cultural norms) can become
\nimpure. Incomplete or broken items cannot become impure; cannot receive the
\n“disembodied soul residue”. So, for example, a piece of pottery could become
\nritually impure but the shards of a broken piece of pottery could not.
\nParadoxically, touching the Torah can make your hands impure. Why? Because
\nsomething that is holy has “disembodied soul residue” in it. That’s part of what
\nmakes it holy. All the people who have reverently read a given Torah scroll
\nbefore you leave an essence of their soul in that scroll. You might try opening a
\nTorah scroll to see if you can sense this. This will be especially evident if you can
\ncompare an old scroll with a new one. The sensation is indescribable but definitely
\nthere. This also hints at a deep mystical truth: the most life-intensifying thing in
\nour faith (Torah) is reminiscent of death, too. (Spiritual development involves
\nparadox. Really living means living now and after you die and understanding how
\nthat works. Death doesn’t necessarily have to refer only to physical death. It can
\nalso denote the death-by-degrees that comes from not actually living your life.)
\nWhen you read in the Talmud about ritual purity and impurity, think about it as a
\ndiscussion of embodiment, the soul and wholeness rather than about it as one on
\ndirt or defilement.
\nSome Torah commentators and poskim advocate the keeping of prespecified
\nnuances of tum\u2019ah and taharah even in the absence of the temple in Jerusalem and
\neven in the diaspora. The advocated sub-divisions of tum\u2019ah and taharah include
\ntumath ochlin v’mashkin (consuming food and drink that did not become tamei)
\nand abstaining from the midras of a niddah. The Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem
\nSchneerson, in his Igrot Kodesh, discouraged abstaining from any object made
\nimpure by a menstruating woman in modern times, with the exception for unique
\n25
\nindividuals.
\nWhy is a meditation on tumah valuable today?
\nSee we live in a world of tumah, where the disembodied death residue is present
\nall over in our Olam Ha-Asiyah, the World of Action.
\nThis World of Action correlates precisely to the Sefirah Malkhut of today–
\nShabbat Kodesh–and to the 7th day of Hanukah. Our world is full of gashmiut\/
\nphysicality, and accordingly, life and death are mixed together. For our world
\nreceives from all–both good and bad, alive and dead, etc.
\nIt is this quality of reception–Receiving– that most characterizes the Sefirah
\nMalkhut, which receives from the 9 Sefirot above it. Perhaps our job is to receive
\nall–from the Sixth Day meditation above on page 22.–and to clarify it.
\nRecognize those aspects of ourself which are dead, lifeless, stuck, and to invigorate
\nthem, inspire those areas with new life, as it were. R. Yitzchak Schwartz offers
\na meditation, which we suggest be done while the Hanukah candles are aflame.
\nNow this year, since it is Shabbat and we need to light the Menorah first before
\nthe Shabbat candles, perhaps the meditation might work best after finishing the
\nEvening prayers:
\nBe totally open to receive.
\nReceive the voices from inside yourself
\nReceive the information from outside of yourself.
\nReceive the messages that come to you with every interpersonal encounter.
\nReceive the people that you encounter, not only as you perceive them, rather
\nput yourself in their place and see things the way that they see things
\nBe receptive to the birth process that you are going through—your active role
\nin the birth process, as well as your passive role in birthing—by watching
\nHashem make it all happen.
\nBridge your active role in the birth process with your passive role.
\nSee how, despite all of YOUR efforts to bring the birth to it\u2019s fruition and
\nactualization, actually it\u2019s really all being orchestrated by THE ONE ABOVE
\nin His own way and in His own time.
\nSee how that which you are giving birth to in life, directly corresponds to what
\nyou receive and how you receive it.
\nNotice that the more that you see the birth process coming to its actualization,
\nthe more you see its beauty and it\u2019s wonder and how this birth process is
\n26
\nperpetuating other related birth processes—some insignificant and others,
\nvery profound.
\n27
\nTonight is Zot Hanukah.
\nThe significance of the number eight is that it transcends the realm of this mundane
\nand physical world and alludes to the exalted and holy. In the natural world, time
\nis based on a seven-day week and all occurrences are controlled by sheva kochavei
\nlechet – the seven orbital planets. Hashem transcends all this, and therefore the
\nnumber eight represents His lofty Holiness.
\nIn the era of the Messsiah named Mashiach we will merit a higher revelation of Gdliness,
\nand therefore Mashiach’s harp will consist of eight strings, one more than
\nthe seven-stringed harp of the Beit Hamikdash (Arachin 13b).
\nHanukah is a preparation for the forthcoming Messianic era. These days are called
\n“Hanukah” because they are a Hinuch – education\/preparation – accustoming us to
\nthe final redemption. During the candle lighting we are treated to a resemblance of
\nthe illumination of the Or Haganuz – hidden primordial light – which will radiate in
\nfull glory in the days of Mashiach.
\nThe candles and light of Hanukah are analogous to Torah and mitzvot as King
\nShlomo said, “For a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23).
\nDuring Hanukah an increase in Torah study is preferred since through the Ohr
\nHadash – new light of Torah that we add in the world we will accomplish the
\npurpose of creation and merit the revelation of the new light which transcends our
\nmundane world – the light of Mashiach.
\nThe correlation of Hanukah and Mashiach is most evident on day eight, because
\nthe number eight represents that which is above the chain of creation. Similarly,
\nthe Messianic era will usher in a new order which will also transcend the chain of
\ncreation.
\nWith the 8 lights plus the Shamesh, the pure new light helps to cleanse our souls,
\nin a way perhaps similar to Yom HaKippurim, the day of at-one-ment. According
\nto some schools of Kabbalah, Yom HaKippurim is related to Binah, as both are
\nthe place of Teshuvah\/return. And we are told that this night is the end of the
\nTeshuvah process begun in Elul: we have until Zot Hanukah to get it right!
\nAharon the Kohen during the Yom Kippur service went into the Holy of Holies
\nwith Zot, the incense. This Zot has gematria of 407, the total of Tzom\/fasting,
\nMamon\/money for charity, and Kol\/voice for prayer. By gazing into the 8 lights
\non Zot Hanukah, we too have the ability to do teshuva shleimah\/complete return,
\n28
\nmuch in the way we did nearly three months earlier in Tishre. This meditation
\nif done sincerely, can in a way \u201csprinkle pure waters\u201d on you, removing the
\ndisembodied death residue of being stuck in inappropriate behaviors and mindtrains.
\nAccording to Rabbi Schwartz, Binah\/understanding, the Sefirah for today,
\ninvolves package-ing, namely compartmentalizing the your inner wisdom, and
\nsynchronizing it, and planing to put it into practice. Teshuvah is the return to one\u2019s
\nroots and self. As you contemplate where you are spiritually and what you need to
\ndo to really do teshuvah, he suggests:
\nSEE TO IT THAT THE WISDOM THAT YOU ARE NURTURING, IS
\nALLIGNED WITH G-D\u2019S WISDOM AS WELL AS YOUR OWN
\nIF NOT, THAN REALIGN.
\nKEEP SYNCHRONIZING, REFINING AND ALIGNING THIS WISDOM
\nUNTIL IT IS STABLE ENOUGH TO STAND THE TEST OF TIME IN
\nTHIS WORLD AND ON TO \u2018THE WORLD TO COME\u2019 [another Binah term]<\/p>\n
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