Machshava:

Chanukah 

Collections: Rabbi Weinberger: Chanuka

Description

Chanukah is the last Yom Tov. All our oz (might) and hadar (splendor) these last years in exile comes from Chanukah. The focus of the Yom Tov is on the "pach shemen" - the last jar of oil; the war is discussed much less. We expect that Hashem will take care of us in wars, but we never expected to find that last jar of oil; that was an extra kiss from Hashem, which is beyond understanding, which shows us His eternal love for us. A Jew must believe that his connection with Hashem, regardless of the situation he finds himself in, is eternal and unbreakable. "Imo anochi betzarah" - I am with him even in his time of trouble. We must remember that Hashem is with us even at the time of sin. If we believe that Hashem is with us at all times, we will never feel lacking anything. And when we are overtaken by sin, we simply pick ourselves up again and don't feel distant from Hashem. That was the battle with the Greeks - had we felt that we had lost all connection to Hashem, the battle would have been over. The Greeks understood this: get rid of our feeling of dveykus (attachment) to Hashem, and then they can kill our Yiddishkeit. But Hashem assures us that He will never abandon us.