The Rabbi was away this Shabbat and I was asked to give a dvar Torah during the Kiddush and Seudat Shlishit.
These were some of the ideas:
It has not been a good week in the Jewish world. Across the spectrum left to right prominent personalities who are looked to for guidance are facing prison and it appears that our leadership is falling apart and is lost. This sense of being lost plagues all of us. I’m looking for myself is an accepted statement, the only problem is that most of us don’t really know who is the self that is being looked for. In the Parasha Yosef was sent to look for his brothers. A rather odd request seeing that the Torah just told us that they didn’t get on very well. Presumably he was nervous as he set out on the journey, but being the ben zekunim he did his father’s bidding. On the way the nerves got the better of him and his conversation with the Ish was really a chance to speak with himself to find the inner strength to continue on the journey. He wants to find his brothers et achai anochi mevakesh he wants the brotherhood that comes with being a family, the closeness the warmth of a stable loving relationship. He believes he can find it and continues walking.
The mystics teach that days before a chag/festival one can already feel the holiness and spiritual energy. This is also true because the shops are full of merchandise. From the top quality non spill oil or funky candles that don’t drip. One quite pathetic side of our preparations is a suggested recipe in one of the Jewish weekly magazines that has edible cookie boxes to place the chocolate chanukah money. Seriously unnecessary. Anyway Chanukah is interesting in that all Jews perform the mitzvah of candle lighting in the best possible way as described in the Talmud. Put differently we all become Mehadrin min HaMehadrin Jews- living our Judaism on the highest level. Let us use the fire and light of Chanukah to see each other as Mehadrin min HaMehadrin Jews, despite our flaws and mistakes “A Jew that sins is still a Jew”. If we can see others and ourselves as special we can begin to rebuild our connections until no one is lost and the searching can stop, then we can all come home together. Ner Ish Ubeto.
Part 2
Fire might enable us to see better, but it has a dual nature in Biblical literature and presents a challenge. On the one hand as the fire of passion towards Hashem and on the other hand, the fire of lust that gets us into trouble. The fire that Elijah challenged the Prophets of Baal with in Chapter 18 of Kings 2, ultimately vindicated him as authentic in the eyes of Achav and the people. The fire of Chanukah presents a danger that we get so caught up in living as the best Jews possible, that we focus on elevating Man to Hashem duties that we forget the other side of the coin our interpersonal duties. Playgrounds become breeding grounds for jealousy and unnecessary competition as children compare gifts and how often they receive them during the eight days. Adults fixate on the size of the Chanukiah/Menora and whether it is silver or silver plate, I know the ze keili veanveihu (the need to beautify our Mitzvot) but come on, was the battle against the Greeks and the assimilating Jews over gifts or silver. As an early antidote the choice of the 8th century Prophet Amos as the Haftorah this morning reminds us that it really matters to Hashem how we treat each. Whilst there is a focus on insincere worship, the majority of his comments relate to the breakdown of social justice. So as we prepare ourselves for Chanukah, please remember there are two sides to the Chaukah gelt being a Mehadrin min HaMehadrin Jew encapsulates both relationships interpersonal and the one we have with Hashem.
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