I am copying Rabbi Lazer Brody's Post here because it is so important!
One might think that Wikileaks is an international conspiracy network staffed by an army of the world's top intellegence agents and information analysts, with sleepers in every country and moles deeply penetrated in every government. That's not all; WikiLeaks has exposed and outsmarted many leading intelligence agencies and governments, to the dismay and embarassment of many a two-faced politician who says one thing in public and something totally different in private.
This very moment - while we're spinning our dreydels and singing Chanuka songs with our children and grandchildren - governments are frantic about plugging the leak that has splattered their secrets on computer screens around the world.
But no - there is no massive clandestine army agents, analysts, sleepers and moles. All of WikiLeaks is founder Julian Assange and a few volunteers.
Who is 39 year-old Julian Assange? The local media here calls him a former computer hacker. According to our very reliable hi-tech sources here in Israel, Assange masterfully developed a tiny bit of code that he succeeded to plant in US State Department (among other) emails and network systems which enabled him to be privy to tons of diplomatic mail.
Time out, sports fans: Assange and Wikileaks are basically no more than a bunch of talented and innovating hackers that are trying to gain legitimacy by being whistle blowers. But with all their talent, they are nothing but a stick in Hashem's hands. Remember the first of the 13 tenets of our faith: "I believe with a full and complete belief that Hashem is Creator and Director of all the creations, and He alone did, does, and will do every doing." So, it's not Assange and WikiLeaks that exposed the world's dirty laundry, it's Hashem.
Who would ever believe that one man and his tiny staff could reveal the world's most intimate and embarrassing secrets? This is certainly a Chanukah miracle of mega proportions.
Israel and the Jews have been bashed even more seriously in international forums than usual lately. Despite the fact that we have much to clean up in our spiritual act, Hashem - by way of His little stick called WikiLeaks - has smacked those who besmirch us on the nose. What a wonderful Chanuka present. Here are a few examples of Hashem's magnificent loving-kindness:
1. Hashem has exposed the arch antisemite Erdogan, Turkey's PM who has done everything to destroy Turkey's relations with Israel, by showing that he is a corrupt maniac with eight bank accounts loaded with private funds in Switzerland.
2. By way of WikiLeaks, Hashem is revealing the true face of the Turks, showing that they support Al Qaida. Hashem is telling Turkey that if it continues to mess with the Jews, they'll pay the same price that all the other Jew-haters of history eventually paid, from Haman to Sadaam.
3. The world tried to sell Achmadinejad and Iran's nuclear threat as Israel's problem, as if no one else was interested in neutralizing Iran. Hashem via WikiLeaks has shown that Saudi Arabia and Jordan have been begging the USA to act forcefully against Iran, much more than Israel even.
4. The entire world - except for a few fellow tyrants - can't stand Achmedinejad. Thanks to Hashem via WikiLeaks, the truth is revealed, namely, that Achmedinejad and Iran are not just Israel's problem.
5. Hashem via WikiLeaks has revealed the Arab duplicity in regards to the Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead) two years ago. Israel informed both Egypt and the PLO that they were going to attack Gaza. So much for the alligator tears of Mubarrak and Abu Mazzan...
6. Hashem via WikiLeaks has released compelling evidence to vindicate Jonathan Pollard for many of the serious charges that he was falsely accused of. Contrary to Jew-hater Casper Weinberger's testimony, Aldrich Ames was the CIA traitor that revealed the names of every U.S. spy in the Soviet Union, and not Jonathan Pollard, who deserved only 2-3 years behind bars, not 26, with the count not over yet...
I could go on and on, but it seems that Israel is the only country that has emerged not only unscathed, but rewarded as a result of WikiLeaks. Thanks to Hashem, 500 years of Israeli diplomatic and image-building efforts couldn't do what WikiLeaks has done for us.
Politics of course don't interest us, because our Torah and Teshuva decide the course of world events and not the politicians. But, lets look at the spiritual lessons of WikiLeaks:
A. If one man can reveal the most intimate, carefully guarded conversations and communiques, imagine what the Heavenly Court can do.
B. Hashem - via WikiLeaks - is reminding us that every single thought, utterance and action is recorded; we'll each have to reckon for everything we did in this world, better or worse.
C. To paraphrase the Mishna, don't ever say behind closed doors what you wouldn't say on the first page of the New York Times.
D. Now that we know that everything we do is transparent, it's time for teshuva.
E. We have nothing to fear from our enemies - Hashem fights our battles, even when all the odds are against us and everything seems lost. When you fear One, you fear no one.
Happy Chanukah!
The Baal HaTanya says that you can not fill a cup of water with wine. You have to empty the cup in order to fill it. The same holds true for spirituality. If your mind is full of physicality you will not be able to absorb spirituality. When you light the menorah you have to make sure that your mind is not focused on physical things so that you can feel the Kedushah of the menorah.
When we look at the Chanukah candles it cleans our eyes from the impure things that we looked at.
In the Al Hanisim we talk about the few conquering the many. in our time when the Yetzer Hara is so strong, even a small good deed is as important as a great dead that the Tanaim did in their time. Klal Yisrael is in a time of spiritual difficulty. This is a time when we can give Hashem tremendous Nachas Ruach from small actions. Hashem is close to anyone who wants to be close to him. A small amount of light lights up the darkness. Chanukah is a time of darkness when our small acts of light can cause tremendous good.
Many Chasidic sources discuss the fact that Chanukah is the final day of judgement for the new year. Since we learn that our judgement is sealed on Hoshanah Rabah, why do we say that we have this extended period of judgement.
The Hashmonim had ignited their internal spark of Kedusha to such an extent that when they lit the menorah and it burned for 8 days it was a physical reflection of their internal reality.
The more that we thank Hashem and see the greatness of his presence, the more that we live on Hashems terms and not our own. When we face the true reality of the world and accept it as it is, we gain the ability to grow. Gratitude brings us to Teshuvah more then anything else. The more we see all of the good things that Hashem does for us the more that we will want to return to Hashem.
