From a Shiur By Shira Smiles
It appears that the greatest darkness is failing
to recognize the inherent greatness
contained within each of us. This mindset
cripples us and doesn’t allow us to develop
our true potential.
In Al Hanissim we say, “Rabim beyad
me’atim, the many into the hands of the few.”
The Macabees were few in number but they
pushed themselves to be the vehicle by
which Hashem saved the Jewish people.
There is a concept in the Torah, “Muat
machzik es hameruba. Something small can
hold something great.” In a sense we
personify this concept. We are puny, but we
posses an eternal soul, which is limitless. In
Kabala, the number eight signifies something
above nature. The eight days of Chanuka
have the power to help us escape our natural
confines. It is a time to break out of our mold
and recast ourselves into something different.
There is a special force in the air that whispers
to us, “Find a different dimension, improve,
spread your wings!”
The Chanuka lights contain a spark of the ohr
haganuz, the ethereal light that Hashem hid
away at Creation. We have to ask ourselves,
“What’s stopping me? What inside me is not
letting me grow?”
We are not simply lighting physical candles.
It’s a transformational moment. We are
igniting something within ourselves, and the
sparks of all our ancestors come to join us. It
is a sacred time to introspect, reflect, and
connect with Hashem. It is also an auspicious
time to give charity and to pray for Torah, good
middot, righteous children and blessing in the
home. May we merit to perceive the holiness
within us as reflected in our small, yet deeply
meaningful, Chanuka lights
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