Chanukah

 Chanukah

1) We need to have the intention at the time we light the Chanukah candles to draw down all 13 Traits of Mercy until it illuminates all of the dark alleyways down here below ten tefachim, until the light of Moshiach is revealed and the light of Ain Sof which have no end ever.

2) On Chanukah, through dripping the oil, we raise all the sparks that we caused to fall into the klipot. And we merit to rise up and to receive the light of the fiftieth gate.

3) On Chanukah, a person is able to see his true lowliness through the light of the Chanukah candles and to really turn into dust and ashes.

4) The eight days of Chanukah allude to the eight days of the bris milah during which Hashem assists us and gives us strength to
circumcise the foreskin of our heart through the light of happiness, song and praise.

5) In the Torah reading on Shabbat Chanukah (parashat Miketz), we receive the illumination to seek out the Tzaddik with Messirut nefesh.

6) His pure and refined light comes down during these days to lower than ten tefachim to all the distanced and dark places.

7) On Chanukah, it’s possible to merit to nullify all one’s senses like the Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies, between the two curtains.

8) In order to receive the light of Chanukah, a person needs to always go above and beyond the letter of the law and to waive what is due to him, even if he is sure that he is correct and the law is on his side. Even if he succeeds to join the Shechina in with his actions, like Yosef’s brothers who joined the Shechina into the sale.
However, if they would have known the secret of going above and beyond the letter of the law, they wouldn’t have sold Yosef.

Therefore, we read parashat Vayeshev and Miketz on Chanukah, to teach us that even the G-dly Tribes who were the most righ-teous in all the generations, it was forbidden for them to rely on the attribute of justice. They should have gone above and beyond the letter of the law. 

Then, even according to their own understanding, they would never have stumbled in the sin of the sale of Yosef.

Therefore, now the tikkun is that we light 36 candles, and we fulfill the halacha in the manner of ‘mehadrin min ha’mehadrin’ (in the most exacting way), in order to show that each day we add more and more, above and beyond the letter of the law.

Every day that a person lives, he’s obligated to add more and more, and to conduct himself only with the approach of above and beyond the letter of the law. Until, in the merit of this, he will
completely rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon and he’ll merit anew the fiftieth gate, which we merit on the eighth day of Chanukah.

9) During these days, Hashem is found with us and is ready and available to raise us up from all the fallings in the world, and to take us out of the deepest hell.