Dear friends,

THE SECOND NIGHT
First a story:
Not all jewelers are equally skilled. When Suri Greenberg received her engagement diamond, this fact became apparent in the way that no young newlywed wants to discover. After a long leisurely winter Friday night Shabbos meal, she noticed something wrong as she got up to help her new mother-in-law clear the table. Her ring was on her finger, but the diamond was missing, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the setting. 

Everyone in the house joined in the search. You would be surprised to see how tiny two carets can be when it was last seen in the kitchen before washing for bread, and from there may have moved to any of the rooms on the lower floor.  When one of her brand new brothers in law, barely four years old, found the shiny object, he was rewarded by a warm hug and a large piece of chocolate. For everyone else, including the kallah, the sigh of relief was about the diamond, and the feeling of joy was about the circle successfully closing. For the f our year old, it was about the hug, and the approval that made him feel beloved.
End of story

Alternatively, is it?

The central miracle of Chanukah was the amazing victory of a small family against a great empire. In the course of a few days, the rest of the Jewish people woke up. Some joined the search for themselves, and others did not, but even the most integrated Hellenist could not act as though nothing happened. The day they entered the temple nobody really expected to find one vial of oil. So much had been destroyed and defiled, but they kept on looking. The the warm moment of embrace came. It was there. It wasn’t enough, but it was there. It stayed lit until the message of the miracle penetrated deeply enough for you to still feel it.

Sfas Emmes has something to say about it.

Hashem’s candle is the human soul. He searches for each Jewish soul. The word for search (chipus in Hebrew) has the same number value as the world menorahs. Your candle shows the light of Hashem’s candle, your soul. Your personal menorah has one thing to say to you every day- some of you say it in the morning tefillah. “The soul that you gave me is pure” and always will stay pure. When the Bais HaMikdash was with us, you would have felt the presence of Hashem’s life force within you. Today you have to do the equivalent of searching for His life force with a candle. You will find the diamond!  The word for candle, “ner” in Hebrew can be seen as an abbreviation for the words nefesh (soul) and ruach (spirit). You have to use your soul and your spirit for this search. 
      
THE THIRD NIGHT!
 
The left hand is generally the less dominant of the two, and when you talk about the reward Torah can bring you, the left hand gives you wealth and prestige, which for so many people is what life is about.
Conversely the right hand , the stronger and more dominant  hand, gives you longevity.
 
This world is compared to the left hand, while Olam Haba, which is a place in which time stands still, and is unending, is compared to the right hand. The main test you have while still in this world is to push aside the unending demand for more and more wealth, greater status, and all of the temporary goodies that it has all ready for you but just out of reach. This is why the proper place for the mezuzah is on the right side and the proper place for the menorah is on the left side.
 
If you were there, tonight, the third night, when the miracle of the war and the miracle of the lights sort of blend and become one (the way making a braid needs three strands, when anything repeats three times, a certain kind of perna mcy is perceived), you can see clearly what Maccabees were doing to deserve this sort of intervention. They put everything that the Greeks could offer on the left side, and the message of the mezuzah in which the scroll tells you of Hashem's unity and love is on the right side, the stronger and more dominant side.
 
When you do this, the left becomes part of the right- you putting aside the illusions of the materialistic and humanistic Greek view of life turns you into something that you would never be if not for your battles.

Happy Chanukah!
Love,
Tziporah 

​Dear friends,
It's here! At least it is as here as it will be until it is really here! So…I am sending you a bit of Sfas Emes, and hope to (maybe) send you 8 selections- one for each night,  before the holiday ends.
 
NIGHT ONE
We say the blessing for the miracles that Hashem did when we see the lit menorah. The reason for this is that we can feel the miracle that happened the first Chanukah when we think about the holiness of the menorah and its lights. The fact was, that at the time of the first Chanukah, the Jews didn't  have  enough oil, so they lit the menorah anyway with what they had. It’s telling you that you can change your world by using what you have. No two of you are the same, but each of you has a  place inside that is pure, holy, and never can be defiled. In our times, we don't have the ancient menorah and we don't  have pure oil sealed by the Kohen Gadol, what we have is the way that moment resonated. It generated something that can’t easily be put into words, but touches generation after generation  of  people who see the menorah and feel some kedushah and some hope.
 
"A candle is a mitzvah, and Torah is light"
When you look at your menorah, notice its 7 small cups that contain its oil, and the wicks that you use to  have light. The mitzvahs are like the small cups. They are the “place” that can give your soul a  place to be expressed. Each of your 248 easily seen organs, plus the motivational factors within you (love of Hashem, and awe of Hashem) are what make it  possible for you to bring Hashem’s presence and  light into your world. A hint of this is that the word for candle (ner) is 250 in gematria which is the sum of the 248 positive mitzvos, that express and bond you to Hashem. The mitzvos are the boat you can hold on to when there are storms all around  you. The mitzvos “fly” when you discover the latent love and fear of Hashem  which give your earthbound mitzvot the ability to fly till they reach their Source. The mitzvot and their “wings” equal the gematria of  the word "Ner" which means candle. The final result is light. This hints at the Torah. Without its light, your deeds may be well intended, but ultimately you are shooting in the dark. The Torah addresses itself to real people, whose lives are unique, and the Torah speaks to each of you in her own language. Lighting the menorah is a mitzvah.  The Chashmonaim knew this and recognized the echo of what that day meant. It’s power is still there  today when we light the menorah.
The menorah you.
The actual menorah that was used in the Bais HaMikdash is hidden deep under the Temple Mount. There is a spiritual menorah hidden deep inside you, waiting for you to ignite it, and make a flame that will continue to inspire you. The light of Torah is there, whether you have actually learned recently or not, you have a portion of the Torah that belongs to you. You can use these days to ignite the light – the holiness of the moment can help you do it.
There is a problem. You can't feel the miracle when you are unable/willing/aware of anything except the physical sensations and material reality that  fit into that box called "nature" and "natural events". You can 't fill a cup with wine if it is full of water. When you say Hallel and praise Hashem, you can step out of the natural world just for at least that time, and find yourself suddenly feeling something of the miracles that happened so many years ago.
 
Much love, and chanukah sameach,
Tziporah