Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Our Personal Lights: Mei Shiloach on Hanukah

It's written in Psalms (119:105) "Your words are a candle for my feet and a light for my path."  "A candle for my feet," for G-d directed words of Torah that are in every particular detail of creation as a sign that G-d's kingdom is above all.  "A light for my path," for also in every dimension G-d chose a special part as a reminder that dominion belongs to G-d.  A candle is something particular, while light is a generality.  G-d created the world in general and included in it the three dimensions of world, time, and soul.  It's written (Psalms, 199:16) "G-d formed days and one of the days belongs to Him."  Thus, from each dimension G-d selected a choice part that would illuminate with a revelation of personal light and cause recognition of G-d's kingdom.
*G-d created the world and chose the land of Israel, and from Israel He sanctified Jerusalem, and from there he sanctified the Temple.  G-d commanded that the menorah should be lit in the Temple, to shine its individual light in that place.
*In time, G-d chose the sabbath, and we also find the commandment of sabbath lights.
*Among souls, G-d chose his nation Israel, and for the time being, before the Total Clarification, G-d chose the tribe of Levi, and from among Levi G-d chose the Cohanim, and from the Cohanim G-d chose the High Priest, and gave the High Priest the duty of lighting the Menorah.

In the days of the Hasmoneans, G-d showed a spark of the future light, that in the Time to Come the High Priest will merit to be king, as will be revealed in the future by the Messiah, son of David.  At the time of Total Clarification, the choice part of Israel will be the tribe of Judah.  Then, just as the Hasmoneans merited extra dominion, so to in the Time to Come each individual Jew will shine a line recognizing G-d's kingship.

Thus, from the miracle that occurred with the Temple Menorah, our sages established an personal candle, for each and every person to shine their individual light for the choicest part of their soul.  Thus King David peace upon him said (Psalms 7:6) "G-d will count the nations in writing, and G-d will say to Zion a person and a person were born in Her."  We interpret "G-d will count the nations in writing" as that G-d guides the nations just for the sake of perpetuation of the species, like the rest of creation.  "G-d will say to Zion a person and a person were born in Her, and he prepares Her above," that is each Jew when they are born has a recognition that they were born chosen, from a new soul, and this is why each and every individual must light their own candle on Hanukah.

The schools of Shammai and Hillel disagreed about how to light Hanukah candles.  The school of Shammai taught we start with eight candles on the first night and end with one candle on the last night, while the school of Hillel taught that we start with one candle on the first night and end with eight candles on the last night.  This disagreement reflects their disagreement about how to achieve spiritual perfection, the Total Clarification.  The school of Shammai things that we start with eight and end with one, because the process involves destruction of imperfections, until only the choice holiness remains.  The school of Hillel things that we start with one candle and add on, because the essential part of the process in their eyes is that holiness should spread out at all times, and imperfections with automatically be annulled.