What do Chanukah and Chassidus have in common? They both illuminate the darkness, and ignite the flame in the neshamos of Yidden!
The great tzaddikim and Torah of the Baal Shem Tov transformed the days
of Chanukah from weekdays to days
of Yom Tov. The light of Chassidus shines brightly through the great
Yom Tov of Chanukah. It teaches us that Chanukah is so much more than taking a few minutes to light the menorah each evening.
The spiritual light, the ohr of Chanukah, contains within it the ability to ignite a fiery passion in every Yid, to awaken us to deep levels of yearning and closeness to Hashem (dveikus). It empowers us with the tools we need to win our spiritual battles in a way that is inaccessible to us the rest of the year. The unique spiritual power of Chanukah is not just about lighting the menorah, but rather “v’kavu shemonas yemi Chanukah lehodos ulihallel.” Chazal created eight full days of thanking and praising Hashem. At all times of day and night, for eight full days, Chanukah is a Yom Tov, a time of “lehodos ulihallel.”
If you look at the words of Chazal, however, we don’t find them making “such a big deal” out of Chanukah. There isn’t even a mesechta about Chanukah — just a few pages in the Gemarah here and there. Even the Zohar only talks about it one time, and even then it’s in an indirect way!
You’ll find the answer to this in the words of the holy Bnei Yisasschar, Harav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov.
“Chazal were required to conceal and hide away the depth of Chanukah because its light could only be revealed in our generation, the generation of Ikvisa D’mishicha (the final generations before the arrival of Moshiach), but in their time the light of Chanukah could not be revealed to the public. The reason for this is because the concealed light (Ohr Haganuz) that gets revealed on Chanukah draws itself from the ohr that will be revealed in the future era. Therefore, the closer we get to the arrival of redemption, the brighter the flame of Chanukah will burn. The word Chanukah is similar to the word “chinuch,” which means to learn or to become accustomed to. Through the ohr of Chanukah, we learn how to get used to living with the ohr of geula so that we will be ready for the imminent arrival of Moshiach.”
It is for good reason that we make a “bigger deal” out of Chanukah than the earlier generations. This great Yom Tov was preserved and reserved specifically for us, to help us get through the final parts of Galus, and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of Moshiach. Let’s engage fully in the avodah of Chanukah. Let’s sing and dance as we praise Hashem with a full heart, with joy and with passion. Our davening, our Hallel, our Torah learning, and most importantly, lighting the menorah with mindful intention (see page 2) are the keys to accessing the spiritual bounty of Chanukah. Let’s transform these days from “weekdays-except-we-light-the-Menorah-each-night,” into “our special Yom Tov!”
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 17 Special Chanukah Editions.