Parshas Vayeishev – Listen to the Lights

By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin

On recent trips to Eretz Yisroel, I noticed a change in the simple greeting of boker tov, good morning. Instead of receiving a boker tov in return, I would hear boker ohr, morning of light.

Morning of light. What a beautiful way to start the day. To wish one another a day full of light, rays of sunshine and hope.

As we are currently experiencing the painful darkness of war, boker ohr takes on a special meaning. The wish of a new day that will bring ohr, light to our nation.

There are hints of Chanukah in the Torah. The very first mention of darkness is in Bereishis, where it is written, “v’choshech al pnei t’hom, and darkness on the surface of the deep.” (Bereishis 1:2) The Midrash teaches that this pasuk alludes to the era of the ancient Greek Empire “which darkened the eyes of the Jews with their decrees”.

The letters of the word choshech, ches – shin – chof, can be rearranged to spell shochach, shin – chof – ches, meaning to forget. That is exactly what the Greeks wanted. As we say in Al Hanissim, “l’hashkicham Torasecha, To make them forget Your Torah”. To bring the Jewish people to a place where they would forget who they are, and what they are. A place where they would lose their identity as Am Yisroel, and their connection to Torah and mitzvos.

But, within shochach, there is a small, yet powerful word – “koach” – kof – ches, meaning strength. HaShem, with His infinite kindness, gives each of us the bracha of koach, the capacity to withstand the challenges and overcome the darkness.

In last week’s parsha, Yaakov battled the sar shel Eisav, the malach of Eisav, “ad alos hashachar, until the break of dawn”. (Bereishis 32:25) The night is long, at times even frightening, and seemingly endless. Yaakov’s nighttime battle with the malach left him injured and limping, yet, he walked away with the crown of Yisroel, a prince of HaShem.

Yaakov’s story is our story. We are Bnei Yisroel, children of Yaakov. It is a story that repeats itself time and time again. The story of our nation fighting the Greeks, the Romans, the Spanish Inquisitors, and the pogroms of Czarist Russia. It is the story of the Holocaust and the story of October 7. The battle continues, “ad alos hashachar, until the morning light”. The break of dawn, the coming of Moshiach.

While Am Yisroel experienced darkness during the Greek rule, they merited to witness the miraculous light of the menorah. Chanukah takes place during the darkest time of the year. The days are the shortest, the nights are the longest. It was not just a time of physical darkness, but a spiritual darkness as well.

The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, would tell his chassidim, “listen carefully to what the candles are saying.” Listen to the lights, they are speaking to us. When we gaze upon them, we can hear their holy messages. Messages that penetrate our neshama.

After lighting, we sing “Haneiros Hallalu, These lights, kodesh heim, are holy”. We are not permitted to derive benefit from them. Only to look upon them. Linger and look upon the lights, taking in their messages.

Message one. Daven, daven, daven. Chanukah is a most propitious time to daven. To reach out and connect to HaShem with heart and soul. Chanukah is a time of miracles – ask for a miracle. Nothing is too big or too trivial for HaShem.

We need tefillos now more than ever. It’s been over a year since the terrible atrocities of October 7. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “war fatigue” But, hostages are still in captivity, lives continue to be lost. So many are wounded, so many lives disrupted, so many families displaced. This Chanukah, let’s intensify our tefillos for acheinu kol Beis Yisroel, our brothers and sisters, the entire House of Israel. HaShem should have compassion upon them, and extricate them from pain to comfort, mei’afeila l’orah, from darkness to light. More davening, more Tehillim, more tzedaka. As the lights of the menorah ascend, so too should our tefillos soar to the Heavenly throne.

Message two. Cherish the children. Each month of the calendar has a mazel, a sign. The mazel of Kislev, the month in which Chanukah falls, is a bow and arrow. The closer and tighter one pulls the bow, the further the arrow travels. The Kotzker Rebbe taught that the same is with our children. The closer we hold them, the greater the warmth and love we extend, the further they will go in life. The Kotzker cites a pasuk in Tehillim, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of youth. (Tehillim 127:4)

As we gaze upon the lights, let’s take a lesson in raising our children. To reach out with “aish – a fire”. Aish, spelled aleph, shin. Aleph for ahava, love; shin for simcha, joy. To reach out and teach our children with lights of warmth, love and joy.

Message three. Life is about spiritual growth. Each night of Chanukah, we kindle an additional flame. A message to grow spiritually. To do more chesed, show more caring, engage in more learning. It’s easy to become complacent, to be satisfied with the status quo. Instead, let’s take a cue from Chanukah, and strive to constantly add spiritual lights to our life.

Message four. Be a shamash, a helper. Find ways to use your inner lights, the talents you have been blessed with and the capabilities you have developed, to help others accomplish, to facilitate their growth and fulfill their mission in life.

Chanukah is quickly approaching. We wish each other “ah lichtiger Chanukah”, a Chanukah full of light. After the choshech of Bereishis, HaShem said “vayehi ohr, let there be light”. In Israel, people wish one another boker ohr, morning of light. Yaakov fought “ad alos hashachar, until the morning light”.

The Navi Yeshiyahu tells us that HaShem created Am Yisroel to be an ohr lagoyim, a light onto the nations. To open the eyes of those who are deprived of light, to redeem those who sit in the dungeon of darkness. We are a nation that lives with emuna and bitachon, the hope and faith in a better tomorrow. A tomorrow filled with light. As we gaze upon the menorah, let’s daven for the ultimate light, the light of Moshiach, quickly in our day.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chaya Sora

Chaya Sora can be reached at [email protected]

This article was written L’Zecher Nishmas/In Memory Of HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l and Rebbetzin Esther bas HaRav Avraham HaLevi