12.12.2017

Selected Passages from the Sources on the Topic: Hanukkah

Hanukkah

1. Hanukkah is the work of correction of creation, which is to obtain the vessels of bestowal, with which we can then achieve the purpose of creation. We can call this spirituality because we do not want to do anything for ourselves, but only for the Creator, as our sages said, An offering, meaning a burnt offering, is all for the Creator, completely spiritual. The miracle of Hanukkah was about spirituality, as we say (in the blessing On the Miracles), When the wicked kingdom of Greece stood over Your people Israel to make them forget Your law and move them from the laws of Your will, You, with your many mercies, stood up for them at the time of their plight. According to what we explained, spirituality means using vessels of bestowal. The domination of the Greeks is expressed in forbidding anything that has to do with vessels of bestowal because there was control over the work of Torah and Mitzvot there, as well. This was on the outside. It is far more so in the thoughtthey would govern the thought so they would be unable to aim anything for the Creator. Rather, they wanted the people of Israel to be immersed in self-love, by which they will be separated from the Creator. All the thoughts of the Sitra Achra [Other Side] are only about removing them from the Creator, and remoteness and separation come only by disparity of form, known as self-love. Baal HaSulam said about what our sages asked (Shabbat, 21b), What is Hanukkah? He explained that the answer is Hanu [parked] Koh [here/thus far], meaning that they parked here. This means that Chaf-Hey [Koh/25th] of Kislev [the date when Hanukkah begins] was not the end of the war, but only a pause. It is like an army that wants to start a new, major assault, so it lets the soldiers rest and regain their strength so they can continue the war. He said that there are fools who think that they received the order not to go forward into enemy territory but to rest because they have finished the war and there is no need to defeat the enemy anymore. It turns out that Hanukkah is still not the completion of the goal, but only the correction of creation. It completes the vessels of bestowal, meaning acts of bestowal, and this is why it is forbidden to use the light of Hanukkah, since using is an act of reception, and the miracle was only on acts of givingthat they can do them and aim to bestow, which is called Lishma. The miracle was that they emerged from the domination of the Greeks and could go with faith above reason. But the Klipa [shell/peel] of the Greeks was governing Israel so as not to do anything unless he knows why and what purpose this work will bring him, and especially to aim everything above reason. According to what we explained, it follows that although a Hanukkah candles implies a spiritual miracle, which is that the people of Israel were liberated from the dominion of the Greeks, it was only half a thing. That is, only the vessels of bestowal were corrected by the miracle of Hanukkah, and this is regarded as correction of creation, but still not the purpose of creation.Rabash - 1. Art. 9 (1986) Concerning the Hanukkah Candle

2. The matter with Hanukah. This is the meaning of Hanu (parked), where the parking was not because of wholeness, meaning an illuminating mirror. Rather, the parking was Ko (here/thus far), meaning incomplete, which is a mirror that does not illuminate. In other words, the war of the inclination is still not over, but we have to come to the real completeness. This is the meaning of Hanu-Ko, parking as in Ko, meaning receiving the upper bestowal so they would have more strength to go forward in the war of the inclination. What extends from this is that when one walks on the path of the Creator, he is given many awakenings from abovein the middle of the prayer or while studying Torah, or while performing a Mitzva (commandment). This awakening enters the heart and he begins to feel that flavor and grace of holiness. However, one should know that he was given this abundance only so as to gain new strength and be able to grow stronger in the work, that he will engage in the battle of the war of the inclination. Then, each time he is given a temporary rest, meaning upper abundance, for when the awakening from above comes to a person, it seems to him that there is no longer any war, for at that time he begins to feel the beauty and glory of holiness, and the lowliness of corporeal matters, until he resolves to work only for the Creator. But since a person did not really finish his work, the awakening that he was given is taken away from him, and he soon falls into his previous state, where he feels grace and beauty only in corporeal things, and regards matters of sanctity as redundant. At that time he engages in Torah and Mitzvotonly out of compulsion and coercion, and not because of the desire and joy as when he had the awakening. That awakening is the Hanukah candle. Therefore, if he is smart, he should always exert until he is helped from above to be rewarded with real wholeness..Rabash - 2. Letter 26

Greeks Have Surrounded Me

3. The Greeks have gathered against me, in the days of the Hashmonites. Greeks are the klipa (shell) against sanctity. Sanctity is faith above reason while the Greeks walk precisely within reason and come exactly during the time of the Hashmonites, meaning exactly when one wants to walk in the path of Kedusha (sanctity). However, prior to this there is no place for the Greeks since the Creator made them one against the other, which is a matter of everyone greater than his friend, his inclination is greater than his..Rabash - 3. Art. 77, The Greeks Have Surrounded Me

4. The governance of the Greeks, which is the opposite of the way of Judaism. The matter of the Greeks is that we must go only within reason in both mind and heart. Naturally, when Israel wanted to go above reason and not consider what the outer mind necessitates, they could not. This is called the war against the Greeks. This is when the real work begins, namely that the people of Israel wanted to mount the track that leads to Dvekut [adhesion] with the Creator. This path is called faith above reason. The Greeks wanted to control the body so it will not relinquish anything unless the reason agrees to it.Rabash - 1. Art. 7 (1987) The Miracle of Hanukkah

5. We say (in the song Rock of my salvation) the Greeks have surrounded me, then, in the days of the Hashmonites, and broke the walls of my towers. Here Greeks are called people that walk within reason, meaning that it impossible for them to do anything against reason, this is the control of the Greek, and this control governed the nation of Israel. The control to walk precisely within reason, leads to breaching the wall that protects the tower. And tower means that a person has a certain degree of the greatness of the Creator, and this wall is called faith above reason, since precisely by faith above reason one is able to reach the feeling of the greatness of the Creator as well as depict to himself the greatness of the Creator. When one has feelings of the greatness of the Creator he is likened to a candle before the torch, and one annuls to Him. However the Greeks, namely the control within reason, who prevent one to walk above reason, and this is called that they breached the wall of my tower, which is the wall, and within this wall one can build towers, meaning to reach the greatness of the Creator, which is called a tower. It follows that precisely by faith above reason one merits Daat of Kedusha.Rabash - 2. Art. 12 (1991) These Candles Are Holy

6. We should interpret what we say in the song, Mighty Rock of My Salvation: Greeks have gathered around me and have broken the walls of my towers and defiled all the oils. Homat(walls of) has the letters of Hotam (seal) and Tehum (area/zone). My towers is the tower full of good abundance (Midrash Rabah, Chapter 8). The wall concerns keeping foreigners from entering the city and robbing its good. It is likewise herein order to avoid entrance of foreign thoughts and uninvited desires, we must make a wall by which we keep from the outer ones. This wall is called faith, for only by faith can one be saved from all the above. This is called zone, for thus far the outer ones can approach, but when they see that the person did not go outside the wall they return to their place. This is so because faith is specifically above reason, and the domination of the Sitra Achra is specifically within the reason of the outer mind. Thus, it has no connection or contact with the person. The Klipa of Greece was for the people of Israel to enjoy specifically through the external intellect, which is the damned philosophy. This contradicts faith, which is called a wall. To the extent that they succeeded in admitting philosophy into Israel, to that extent it is regarded that they have breached the wall. This is the meaning of broken the walls of my towers, namely the wall around the tower full of good abundance, by which we are rewarded with open providence, that the Creator leads the world benevolently. Through the abovementioned breach they have defiled all the oils, meaning that they were denied all the vitality and clarity they were granted through faith, for Tumaa (impurity) comes from Timtum(dumbness) and Situm (blocking). Finally, a miracle happened and the Creator helped them, and they were rewarded with the revealed light once more, called light of the face.Rabash - 2. Letter 43

7. It is written in the Gemara, When the Greeks entered the Hall, they defiled all the oil in the Hall. From this we learn that the Greeks entered the Hall, was already a problem, and there was a double problem, the entrance of the Greek to the Hall and defiled all the oil in the Hall, since their entrance into the hall defiled the Temple. As it is written in the Zohar and in the Hasulam, that the matter of a persons death is because of the entrance of unclean spirits into him and the soul cannot bear it, therefore it departs. Example of this was when the Greeks enter the Hall, which caused the departure of Kedusha. According to the Rambams opinion in the Book of Wars, it is written about it thieves entered and defiled it, this speaks of the Temple itself, that the entire building was defiled. Then the second trouble, that they defiled all the oil. And it seems that both these troubles are parallel to the heart and the mind, thus by these two they blemished the hearts and minds of Israel. Explanation: The Temple is called Israels heart because the Temple unifies all of Israel as the heart unifies ones organs, and Israel has only one heart, toward their father in heaven. And as Israels heart below unites with their Father in heaven it likewise awakens above, and fulfills My eyes and my heart shall be there all the days. From this we learn that the Temple is the heart of Israel and when the Greeks entered the Hall the matter of the Assembly of Israel departed, and this is the blemish in the heart above and below, so that their heart was blocked from yearning for their Father in heaven. With the entrance of the impure ones into the Hall, they brought into the hearts of Israel below craving for external love, and as if this was not enough trouble, they also blemished the minds and hearts of Israel, defiling the oil in the Hall. And oil is a reference to Chochma and Tumaa is from the word Timtum, because they confused the mind of Israel from illuminating the wisdom of Torah and the divine light in their mind, bringing to them external wisdoms, and thus their mind and understanding were blemished. This is the meaning of the song Maoz Tzur (Mighty Rock) then the Greeks gathered upon me, in the days of the Hashmonites, namely that the Sitra Achra is always the branches of separation. And Israels sin was that their work was not with enthusiasm and craving of heart and with all their might, thus they took from Israel all the power of their unity and assembly. This is the meaning of they breached the wall of my tower. Homat (wall) is the letters of Hotam (seal), which is the wall and seal of the heart, and the matter of Keneset Israel departed. Furthermore they defiled all the oil, namely causing them to forget Your Torah, which is a flaw in the mind, and causing them to transgress Your Laws which is a flaw in the heart. But when the Hashmonites overcame them and conquered them it was reversed, since when the Light appeared it repelled the darkness. This is why we say You have magnified Your Name and made it Holy in this world, and the matter of Keneset Israel and the Temple returned, which is the heart of Israel in purity, and then Your sons have returned to Your House and cleared Your Hall and sanctified Your Temple, and lit candles in Your Holy courts. And the blemish in their heart was removed, moreover they lit candles in the courts of Your Holiness and the divine Light reappeared and the Wisdom of Torah returned to Israel.Shem MiShmuel. Parashat Miketz - Hanukkah - Second NIght

8. And what we say in the Hanukkah song the Greek gathered round about me, and breached the wall of my tower, meaning that they attained the force of gathering and because of it they were able to breach the wall of my tower, since the wall united the inhabitants of the city, and this is the advantage of walled cities. It is referenced in Rashi, Megilah (2:72) that because of sin unity was voided and precisely this is what caused the unity in general to be cancelled, which caused hatred without cause, so that the wall of Israel was weakened and the Greeks removed this advantage. This is why they had power to breach the wall of Israel. However when the Hashmonites prevailed and defeated them, it was fulfilled in the Greek all evildoers shall perish, while Israel did exploits, and reunited individually and collectively, feeling as one big soul.Shem Mishmuel. Parashat Miketz - Hanukkah - The Seventh Night

The Miracle of Hanukkah

9. What is a miracle at all? It is known that something natural is not regarded as a miracle, but what is above nature, this is considered a miracle. Natural means something that man can do alone. This is called natural. But what man cannot do is already regarded as above nature.What is a miracle at all? It is known that something natural is not regarded as a miracle, but what is above nature, this is considered a miracle. Natural means something that man can do alone. This is called natural. But what man cannot do is already regarded as above nature.Rabash - 2. Letter 68

10. A miracle implies something that a person cannot obtain. That is, it is impossible for one to obtain it unless through a miracle from above. Only in this way is it called a miracle. For this reason, when a person comes to a state where he already has recognition of evil, that it is impossible for him to come out of the domination of the nations of the world in him, that Israel in him is in exile under them, and he sees no way that he can come out of their power, when the Creator helps them and brings them out from the nations of the world and turns it around so that the people of Israel governs them, this is called a miracle.Rabash - 2. Art. 11 (1990) What Placing the Hanukah Candle on the Left Means in the Work

11. when a person wants to approach Kedusha, meaning to do everything for the sake of heaven. This is regarded as the quality of Hasmoneans, whose role was to bring out the Kedusha from the governance of the Klipot, which are called Greeks. Precisely when a person wants to draw near the Kedusha, which is done through faith above reason, the views of the Greeks appear in a person. This is a Klipa [singular of Klipot] against faith. At that time we see that before he began the work of bestowal, all the Greeks were not revealed in the person, and he thought that he had sufficient faith in the Creator and had the strength to observe Torah and Mitzvot, and all that he needed was to do more Torah and Mitzvot. But when one wants to be a Hasmonean, meaning that only Kedusha will govern the world, the Greeks, which is the Klipa opposite faith, appears more vigorously every time and wants specifically to break the walls of my towers. Faith is the wall, and all the greatness depends on the measure of faith that a person has in the Creator, as it is written in The Zohar about the verse Her husband is known at the gates, that each one according to what he assumes in his heart. That is, each person has a different measure of faith in the Creator, as it is written in the Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot (Item 14). Now we can understand when the walls of my towers were broken, meaning that they saw they had no faith, that they could not go above reason. It is precisely when they wanted to come into the work that is all to bestow upon the Creator; this is when the Greeks gathered around me and the thoughts of the Greeks began to come, which let us go only where the intellect asserts that it was worth doing. But that which is against the intellect, they insist on resisting and do not let one move one bit. This is when the labor begins. That is, precisely when we begin to walk in the work of bestowal, only then do we see that a person cannot do anything against his nature, which is the will to receive for oneself. Therefore, when the Creator made a miracle for them, meaning helped them, everyone saw that all the work did nothing for them, meaning that all the work was in vain, since they could not conquer them, as it is written (in For the Miracles), You delivered mighty in the hands of the weak, and many in the hands of the few. That is, naturally, there was no way for them to win because they were weak and few there. Thus, they saw within reason that the Creator helped them. This comes to teach us that when the Creator helps, it cannot be said that He can help specifically a mighty man, and cannot help a weak person. Now we can see what great forces and good qualities must be in a person so the Creator will help him approach Him. In the work, we should interpret You delivered mighty in the hands of the weak, meaning the strong thoughts and the strong desires of the Greeks in a person, in the hands of the Israel in a person, who are weak in thoughts and are not skillful. They do not have the strong desire and the ability to overcome the desires of the nations of the world in a person. And yet, You delivered these mighty ones in the hands of the weak. This is called a miracle because it is not natural that a person will be able to overcome them.Rabash - 2. Art. 11 (1989) What Are the Forces Required in the Work

12. Our sages said, Mans inclination overpowers him each day and seeks to put him to death. Were it not for the help of the Creator, he would not have prevailed over it. From this we see that only the Creator can help, and this is why it is called a miracleOn Hanukkah, we say, The evil kingdom of Greece came over Your people, Israel, to make them forget Your teaching and move them from the laws of Your will. This means that the exile was only on spirituality, since the Greeks wanted to rule over the people of Israel with their philosophy. This is the meaning of what we say, Greeks have gathered around me and have broken the walls of my towers. The holy ARI says that Homat [wall] comes from the word Tehum [area/zone], meaning that the people of Israel have a limit to what is permitted to think. That is, one must believe that the Creator leads the world with benevolent guidance, even though we do not understand it. When a person has that boundary, he has a wall his enemies cannot penetrate. This is a keeping from foreign thoughts. This is why faith is called a wall. The Greeks broke that wall, and a miracle occurred and the Creator helped them, as it was mentioned, Were it not for the help of the Creator, he would not have prevailed over it. It follows that the miracle of Hanukkah was a spiritual miracle, and in spirituality we must ask What? or we do not feel the miracle. This is why they said, What is Hanukkah? so that each one will ask about the miracle of spirituality, meaning so as to first know the meaning of spiritual exile, and then be able to be granted spiritual redemption. And because of it we should divulge it publicly, to make everyone interested. Otherwise, we do not feel the exile or the redemption.Rabash - 2. Letter 68

13. Baal Hasulam commented about the verse These candles are holy and we are not permitted to use them but only to see them. And we should know the difference between the miracle of Hanukkah and the miracle of Purim since on Hanukkah the decree was only about spirituality because they prevented Israel from keeping the mitzvot and the miracle was that when the Hashmonites overcame they were able to keep the mitzvot. However spirituality has no vessels because vessels are actually called vessels of reception who are called creation of existence from absence, which is the will to receive. From this came the meaning of these candles are holy and we are not permitted to use them. Not so with the miracle of Purim, since the decree was only about the bodies, as it is written to destroy and to kill and to annihilate, etc. (Esther 3:13) Thus the miracle was only for the bodies and bodies are called vessels of reception. Therefore about Purim it is written Joy and feasting and a good day because the matter of feasting already belongs to the body. And on Hanukkah we were given the miracle only to see them but we are not permitted to use them.Rabash - 2. Article 12 (1991) These Candles Are Holy

The Miracle of the Jar of Oil

14. The sages said (Shabbat 21): What is Hanukkah, the Rabbis taught that on the 25th of Kislev there are eight days of Hanukah, etc. When the Greeks entered the hall and defiled all the oil in the Temple they checked and found only one jug of oil with the seal of the high priest, which had enough oil to light for one day. By a miracle they lit with it eight days, and another year they determined to observe good days with praise and thanksgiving, and it became a law that it is prohibited to use it for lightGreek: Means to be within the reason of philosophy, that is, to relate the mitzvot to the mind, such as in Halitza etc. The Temple: That is the mind and the heart, which is the temple within man. Oils: The commandments, as it says oil for light because the Torah is called light and the commandments are called candle, as it is written candle is mitzva and Torah is light. And the light cannot illuminate without oil since the Torah cannot illuminate without something to hold onto, namely the oil. One jug of oil: That is, after the victory and dedication that they had with the Greeks, namely the matter of faith, One as in Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Creator is One. Of oil, it is a commandment to seal it with the seal of the high priest, whose attribute is Chesed, and the matter of Chesed (mercy) is Be merciful as He is merciful, which is reference to for the sake of heaven. However this is sufficient to illuminate for only one night since the matter of faith must be renewed each time, as it is written Your faithfulness is new every morning. And they had a miracle, that this force of faith was sufficient for them to last for eight days. Praise and thanksgiving: namely, it was only a spiritual miracle, hence it is prohibited to use it for light, indicating that it is only for spirituality.Rabash - 3. Article 898. What is the Miracle of Hanukkah

15. In the Hanukkah poem, we say, Greeks, etc., and from the one remnant of the jars, a miracle was made for the roses. Sons of Bina [understanding], eight days, established song and chanting. The interpreters ask, Why did they make the days of Hanukkah eight? After all, they had oil for one night, and the miracle was that it burned seven more days. Therefore, according to the miracle, they should have set it only for seven days. They explained that since there remained on the first night from the oil that was needed for the first night, so the miracle on the first night was that not all the oil burned, but rather some of the oil burned and the rest remained seven more days. This means that their finding the oil jar that was sealed with the seal of the High Priest is not regarded as a miracle, although it was a miracle that the Greeks did not see the oil jar. Instead, he regards a miracle as that which was unnatural, and that which was done above nature is regarded as a miracle, since the oil jar was in the world but they did not see it. This is not so with the oil. Of the measure required for lighting during one night, only a small part of the oil burned. That small part, which was blessed, burned longer. This was unnatural. That is, it is not according to nature to burn longer than predicted. It follows that what was left of the first night, the fact that not all the oil burned, this is called a miracle, since this did not exist in the world.Rabash - 1. Article 7. The Miracle of Hanukkah (1987)

16. the miracle that happens to a person, that he can decide for the side of Kedusha, is not a matter of intellect. Rather, it is something that the body deems redundant, which is the labor. The body loathes it and regards the whole matter of labor as redundant. But precisely from this redundancy, meaning what a person leaves and does not want or crave, from here comes to him the miracle remaining in Kedusha. This is the meaning of From the one remnant of the jars, a miracle was made for the roses. A jar is as it is written, that Rabbi Meir purified the vermin with one hundred and fifty flavors. It means that in everything there are views both ways. With what can we scrutinize? It is with what remains, meaning with what the body deems redundant, what it regards as nothing. This is faith above reason, and only by this can we be saved from falling into the trap of the Klipot. This is the meaning of the jar of oil that they found, which was sealed by the seal of the High Priest. A Kohen [priest] is called Hesed [mercy/grace]. High means Hesed that became Hochma, meaning abundance of Hassadim, called Priest. The priest is the quality of Hesed, and Hesed indicates faith above reason. This is the meaning of Abraham, the quality of Hesed, being the father of faith. The Greeks cannot see faith because they see only through reason, and not above reason. Therefore, when they walked above reason, the Greeks could not govern them. This is the meaning of the Greeks not seeing the oil jar. And concerning the miracle that it burned eight days, it is an indication that it illuminated the Hassadim in Bina. From Bina to Malchut there are eight Sefirot, but Hochma of Hochma did not illuminate. This is why they established it as eight days, since it illuminated only in eight, as it is written, Sons of Bina [understanding], eight days, established song and chanting. Rabash - 1. Article 7. The Miracle of Hanukah (1987)

The Hanukkah Candle

17. Hanukkah candles implies a spiritual miracle, which is that the people of Israel were liberated from the dominion of the Greeks.Rabash - 1. Article 9. Concerning the Hanukkah Candle (1986)

18. It is written, Greeks have gathered around me and have broken the walls of my towers. We should interpret that the Klipa (shell/peel) of Greece was that they wanted to cancel Shabbat and circumcision. Shabbat and circumcision are called token, and the token of the covenant is called the Mitzva(commandment) of faith. This is why they wanted to cancel specifically those two Mitzvot (pl. of Mitzva), for by cancelling faith in the whole of Israel, all the Mitzvot in the Torah are cancelled by themselves. Faith is an iron wall, meaning meticulous guard that no stranger will enter the holiness, for to the extent that one has faith, to that extent he is keeping Torah and Mitzvot. By keeping Torah and Mitzvot, we are rewarded with receiving the light that is hidden in it and feel the goodness, pleasantness, and vitality, as it is written, for they are our lives and the length of our days. This is the meaning of broken the walls of my towers, meaning created a breach in the wall, called faith. Through the Mitzva of faith, we are rewarded with a tower full of good abundance, which is sweetness and the savor of the upper pleasantness that is found in the Torah. A miracle happened and the Creator helped them, and they defeated the Klipa of Greece, and by that were once again rewarded with the great light. This is called the Hanukah candle, meaning the lights one receives by keeping the faith.Rabash - 2. Letter 44

19. It is known that the candles cannot burn until three conditions are met 1) the candle, which is the vessel in which the oil is placed; 2) the oil; 3) the wick (a woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel up into the flame). When those three are brought together we can enjoy their light. We should interpret the three above discernments in the work and ethics. The Kli (vessel) where the oil and wick are placed is the body, called a candle. In the labor in Torah and Mitzvot, one feels contrasts in His providence, concerning things that are not revealed to him, namely that the guidance of the world is in benevolence. According to mans view, the Creator should have guided the world differently, meaning that His goodness would be revealed to all. Thus, it contradicts mans reason. This is called a Petillah (wick), from the word Petaltol (winding) and from the word Pesulah (flawed), since it is flawed to think such thoughts. The clarity and awakening that bring one to crave Torah and work, and to feel the sweetness and pleasantness in Torah and work, are called oil. If one of them is missing, it is impossible to enjoy their light. Likewise, when the body consists of labor and clarity, one is rewarded with attaining the light of the Creator, which emerges specifically through the two of them. And just as there is nothing to illuminate once the oil and wick have burned out, and it becomes dark, once the labor and clarity are over he has no light and it becomes dark for him once more. If he wishes to obtain more light, he must try to find more labor, called wick, and more clarity, called oil, since the light has nothing through which to seep and hold. The reason for this is that there is a rule: The reward is according to the effort. The clarity, called oil, comes mainly through faith, which is ones prevailing over the evil inclination that brings one to exertions and contradictions to the external intellect. This is called tests in the work of the Creator. After prevailing over it, one is rewarded with receiving the light of the Creator that illuminates to mans soul, and then there is no more room for contradictions. This is called the light of Hanukah. That is, he is rewarded with open providence, that His guidance is benevolent to His creationsRabash - 2. Letter 43

20. The candle of Hanukkah is on the left, and it is prohibited to use it for light, since the left is Chochma and is already extended to the creatures. In any case, as long as they did not extend the middle line, which is Torah, so that the right and left will be together, the light does not illuminate in the measure that they will be able to use, because of the lack of clothing of Chasadim that comes with the light of Chasadim. However on Purim they extended the light of Chasadim called right, by their fasts and cryings, as described in TES (at the end of part 15). It follows that on Hanukkah they were also whole on the right side but when they went to the left, namely to extend Chochma, so that they no longer had the Chasadim of the right. That is, the Chasadim that they extend after extending the Chochma, since Chochma is called left, is called the middle line. It follows that on Chanukah they were in the aspect of Chanu-Koh, namely that they had the right, and the miracle was that they had the right in wholeness, however their left was not in wholeness because they lacked the middle line which is TorahHence on the Sabbath, which is the middle line, the candles are to be used, which is called peace in the home in the secret of by Chochma a house is built. Hence, a Hanukkah candle and a Sabbath candle, the Sabbath candle is first because the Sabbath indicates wholeness because of Yesod, called the middle line, that bestows to Malchut, called house, hence the Sabbath candle indicates wholeness and therefore the Sabbath is called Shabbat Shalom, because Yesod, which is the middle line, makes peace between the lines, called right and left. Hence the miracle of Hanukkah was on the right, called correction of creation, they had perfection. This is called that the miracle was about spirituality because of the vessels of bestowal called on the side of the creatures spirituality since these vessels relate to the good inclination. However vessels of reception relate to corporeality, namely the evil inclination, as we clarified love the lord your God with all your heart, namely with both inclinations, with both the good inclination, which are vessels of bestowal, that must be for the sake of heaven, and the vessels of reception that belong to the evil inclination; these too must be used for the sake of heaven, meaning to receive in order to bestow. It follows that on Hanukah, as the holy ARI says, that Hanukkah and Purim are both in the left, therefore the Hanukkah candle is on the left. And because the right is called wholeness on the side of the vessels of bestowal but because it illuminated on the left, Chochma without Chasadim, it is forbidden to use Chochma without Chasadim. However this of itself is a great thing, that they already extended the purpose of creation. But it is still forbidden to use it for light, hence Hanukkah is considered a spiritual miracle since it is forbidden to use Chochma without Chasadim. Therefore it is considered a spiritual miracle that has not yet come down so we can use it. For this reason Hanukkah is called a spiritual miracle, both from the side of Rachamim on the right and the side of Chochma on the left because it was still lacking the middle line.Rabash - 2. Article 12. What is The Torah is Called the Middle Line, in the Work (1990)

Mighty Rock of My Salvation

21. In the Hanukah song we say, Mighty rock of my salvation, to praise You is a delight; Restore my House of Prayer, and there we will bring a thanksgiving offering. The song begins with words of praise, To praise You is a delight, and then begins with words of prayer, Restore my House of Prayer. Afterwards, it returns to words of thanksgiving and praise, And there we will bring a thanksgiving offering. Thus, there are three things here, similar to the order of the prayer: The first three of the Eighteen [a sequence of prayers] are praise and thanksgiving. The middle three are pleas. The last three are praise and thanksgiving once more. Thus, we begin with the present, as it says, To praise You is a delight, meaning we thank and praise You for the good we have received from You. It is as our sages said, One should always praise the Creator and then pray (Berachot [Blessings], 32). The reason is that one who believes that the Creator is merciful and gracious, and that He desires to do good to the creations, has room for prayer. This is why we must first establish the praise of the Creator, meaning a person himself should establish praise of the Creator. This does not mean that the Creator should see that the person is praising Him, since the Creator doesnt need people. Rather, the person himself should see the praise of the Creator, and then he can ask Him to help him, since His conduct is to do good to His creations. Thus, after he said, To praise You is a delight comes the prayer, and we say, Restore my House of Prayer. What is My House of Prayer? It means, as it is written, Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. My holy mountain. Har [mountain] comes from the word Hirhurim [thoughts/contemplations], meaning that He will bring them thoughts of Kedusha [holiness]that all their thoughts will be only of Kedusha. And make them joyful in My house of prayer is mans heart, so there will be a place for the presence of the Shechina [Divinity] there. The Shechina is called prayer, as it is known that Malchut is called prayer, as it is written, But I am all prayer. After Restore my House of Prayer comes And there we will bring a thanksgiving offering. It follows that first there is praise, then there is prayer, and then praise once more, like the order of the prayer, which concludes with praise and thanksgiving. But what can one do if he wants to begin with praise but his heart is closed, and he feels that he is full of faults and cannot open his mouth and sing and praise? The advice is to go above reason and say that everything is covered Hassadim [mercies]. In other words, he should say that everything is Hesed [grace/mercy], but it is covered from him because he is not yet qualified to see the delight and pleasure that the Creator has prepared for His creations. And after he establishes the praise of the Creatormeaning that he believes above reason that everything is good and gracioushe should pray that the Creator will mend his heart to become My House of Prayer, meaning that the mercies of the Creator will appear there. This is called revealed Hassadim. And then, There we will bring a thanksgiving offering, meaning that he will give thanks for having been privileged with offering the vessels of reception. This is called, There we will bring a thanksgiving offering for having been rewarded with sacrificing his will to receive. In return for it came the will to bestow, which is called the place of the Temple. Rabash - 1. Article 13 (1985) Mighty Rock of My Salvation