Weekly Story: Chanukah Live,  The Power of One Candle

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon 

Although this story happened over thirty years ago, either on Chanukah 5750 or 5751 (1889 or 1990), I just heard it this year, from a member of the family that it occurred with. I also verified it with my brother Rabbi Mordechai Avtzon, who is the shliach to Hong Kong as well as others who were involved in this story. Nevertheless, I am not mentioning any names as some of those in the story may prefer anonymity. 

When I first heard this story, I was struck by the clear and open hashgacha protis (Divine Individual Providence) that is so clearly evident, and I noted that bezras Hashem I will post it for Shabbos Chanukah.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed. 

The person related it as follows: Our family grew up in a large Jewish community, but we did not conduct ourselves in observing all the mitzvos. But slowly a few of the children were drawn closer to authentic Judaism, until our entire immediate family became observant. However, that feeling did not extend to the extended family.

But nevertheless, my parents maintained a close friendship with all the members of the family, as the family was close knit. This was evident by the fact that everyone participated in each other’s celebrations and sometimes there would be a gathering just for the family, with a picnic or BBQ. One of my mother’s sisters did not have an easy life. Although she and her husband were blessed with two daughters, they had challenges and difficulties, and their daughters grew up in a somewhat dysfunctional atmosphere. 

 One of their daughters had musical inclinations and as a teenager took musical lessons from a non-Jewish instructor. Under his tutelage she made tremendous progress and found comfort and tranquility in music. So, she looked up to him not only as a musical instructor but as a father figure or a mentor as she believed that he had her best intentions in mind. 

This was especially so because she saw that in his house there was happiness and tranquility, something that she had longed for while she was growing up. She noticed that the family members were religious, and she thought that perhaps that is part of their secret of having a happy and content life. So, when he mentioned to her that perhaps she should practice some religious beliefs, she was open to it, and after a short time she began wearing a cross on her necklace, just as the ladies in that house did. 

The next time there was a family gathering, she attended it, just as she had attended previous family gatherings. However, this time she was wearing that necklace.

One of her cousins or perhaps an uncle or aunt commented, although we are not religious but never do we wear a cross, it is not proper for you to do so. 

This offended her tremendously, as she thought what is wrong with it.  Her parents and the rest of the family members, besides us, are not religious, and she was brought up without any Jewish values, so what is the problem? Her bewilderment at them was confounded, especially now that she thought that the Jewish religion that she grew up in did not give her the peace that she has now because of her newfound religion. She left the gathering with the resolve to sever all ties with the family. 

Therefore, some months later when her mentor advised her to meet a young man she immediately agreed and after some time the two of them decided to get married. The fact that he was not Jewish did not bother her at all, because as noted she was brought up devoid of all and any Jewish observance, and no longer associated herself with Judaism. 

By this time her profession was being a musical therapist, and she would play music for patients in the hospital. One day when she was not working, she decided to relax in front of her television and began scrolling through the cable channels, to see if there’s anything interesting to watch. To her surprise and shock she noticed on a channel a rabbi was standing in close proximity to a menorah and the assembled large crowd were singing a lively tune. Obviously, she had no idea that the Rabbi was the Rebbe, as she had no idea who the Rebbe was. But something in that moment caught her attention. Perhaps it was the peacefulness on the Rebbe’s face or the happiness emanating from him and the assembled that she decided to watch it.

She thought that some of her patients, especially the Jewish ones, would also enjoy watching it, so she pressed record to show it to them the next day.

She was mesmerized by the entire program, especially when she saw the chief rabbi of Israel lighting the menorah by the wailing wall, as well as the chief rabbi of  France lighting it by the Eiffel Towers. 

She assumed from that, that all the individuals who lit the menorah in the other countries were also leading personalities. But then she saw that a young boy around eleven or twelve years old was lighting the menorah in Hong Kong. So, she assumed, by association, that this young boy must be something special. 

Then the rabbi in Brooklyn began to speak. Although she did not understand the language, he was speaking in, she was able to follow it with the English transliteration on the bottom. And then she heard him say words that she immediately thought were extremely profound. The Rebbe said that each night we add one candle, and that one additional light brings brightness not only to that room, but to the entire world, even when that candle was lit by a young boy in Hong Kong. 

This concept was such an interesting and revealing one to her that not only was she going to share it with her patient’s, but she decided to send it to her cousins as well. She was saying that she came to the realization that everything she desired can be found in Judaism, if it is authentic Judaism. When my mother, her aunt received that copy she was thrilled, that her niece was willing to associate herself once again as a member of the Jewish people and faith. Little did her niece know that the rabbi that is speaking is the Rebbe! So, she wrote a letter to the Rebbe explaining that it has been many years since her niece had broken off all ties with the family and everything that is Jewish, and now she sent her a copy of what the Rebbe said at the Chanukkah rally that year. 

She then asked what should she do, to help her niece come closer to Judaism. When Rabbi Binyomin Klein, who was one of the Rebbe’s secretaries, called her and said the Rebbe replied that she should check the mezuzah on her niece’s apartment, this confused her for two reasons; she was afraid that if she will come to the apartment her niece would take it as if she’s intruding on her independence and privacy and that might push her away for the second time. secondly or more importantly she knew that her niece did not have any mezuzah on the door of her apartment, so what is she checking for. 

She replied to Rabbi Klein that there is no mezuzah to check, so what should she do? Rabbi Klein responded, what would you do if there was a mezuzah and you found out it was not kosher, you would buy a new one,  he continued, so now you are to buy her a mezuzah, send it to her and even if she does not place it on the door frame, at least she’ll put it in a drawer and she would be intentionally holding onto something Jewish. And this is what my mother did. 

Around twelve years later my sister got engaged, and my mother invited this niece to the wedding just as she invited her and all the other relatives in the past. No one expected her to attend, but attend she did, and this time she came without that necklace. When my mother saw her, she rushed to greet her and thanked her for participating in the wedding. 

During the week after the wedding by one of the Sheva Brochos celebrations, a member of the family related the entire story of how watching the Rebbe for around the half hour she watched, changed her life completely, and it was mainly the one line that the Rebbe said about a single candle that is lit by one young boy has the ability to illuminate the entire world! 

All those that were at the celebration were quiet and thinking of the hashgacha protis of how at that moment she decided to search the cable channels to find something and found the once-a-year Chanukkah Live broadcast. The silence was broken when the Chosson broke the silence and announced to everyone’s shock and astonishment, “I was that young boy in Hong Kong around fourteen years ago.” 

So the new member of the family was the catalyst to bring his wife’s first cousin back to the family, and also to her religion. A few years later this cousin was blessed with a child and she enrolled her child into a Jewish school.

[A few weeks ago I met him and asked, why were you chosen to light the menorah?

He replied, I believe that your brother Tav Mordechai thought that it will give the Rebbe happiness to hear a young child living in Hong Kong can say a broch on his own.]

A Taste of Chassidus

Tuhnu Rabbanan Ner Chanukah 5734

As everyone knows the menorah is to be placed opposite the mezuzah, which is placed by the right side of the entrance of the doorway and the menorah is placed on the left side of the doorway. The question is, we know that Mitzvos are supposed to be done with the right hand, in fact the right is so important that if for example a kohen holds the basin to catch the blood of the sacrifice in his left hand, that action makes the sacrifice invalid. So, the obvious question becomes why is the Mitzvah of Chanukah specifically that we are to light it on the left? 

In order to answer this, we first have to understand the source of everything in its spiritual sense. [As everything in this world mirrors its source in the spiritual worlds. Subsequently, by understanding somethings spiritual situation, we can understand why its physical composition is in a certain manner.]

Chassidus explains that there are four spiritual worlds in seder hishtalshilis. The first and highest world, is called Atzilus. That means it is so close to Hashem that generally it is referred to as G-dliness. Yet, at the same time it has the meaning of beginning to separate itself from its source.

The second world is called Biriah, which means creation. At that point in its formation, it is becoming its own entity, although it recognizes its source and therefore humbles and even nullifies itself to the source.

After that is the world of Yetzira, where this entity begins to assume a form and an identity. While we live in the world of A’sia, where the entity considers itself self-sufficient and is no longer clearly connected to its original source.

Chochmah (wisdom) is the first attribute in Atzilus, and although our sages inform us that the Torah came from that lofty level of Chochmah, nevertheless, the source of all mitzvos are from Hashem’s will and desire which is above intellectual capacities. 

In other words, their source is higher or above the four worlds which represent nature, so mitzvos are essentially higher than nature. However, being that they come down into the world as finite entities, they enclothed themselves in the natural order of things. 

For example, almost every mitzvah has guidelines on how we should fulfill them, such as the size of the item to be used, when and where it should be done etc, so those Mitzvos are now in the realm of limitations. Subsequently, when we are doing Hashem’s will as it is expressed in detail, in the natural world, those Commandments should be done on the right side, as that too is a detail of the mitzvah. 

However, when you have a mitzvah that is higher than limitations, so then, there are no details and as a result there is also no difference between right and left. Because, once you give a guideline that it has to be some place, that shows you are limiting its spiritual “power”, while these Mitzvos even after they come down into this physical and limited world remain above limitations. 

The miracle of Chanukah was a result that the Jews conducted themselves higher than nature, above and beyond what was required of them. In other words, it was above nature and higher than limitations. In order to demonstrate that the cause of the miracle was the Jews above natural response, our Sages guided us and informed us that this mitzvah should be on the left because it comes from a place higher than nature, where right and left are equal.

We see in another aspect of the Chanukah candles that they are above nature. Our sages inform us that Aharon, was saddened when he saw that the leaders of all the tribes, besides the tribe of Levi, brought sacrifices for the inauguration of the Mishkan. Hashem comforted him by saying, your contribution is greater than theirs: as you are going to light the menorah, which will last forever, while the bringing of sacrifices will not. [As the sacrifices cannot be brought when the Mishkan or Beis Hamikdash is not standing.]

The question is, the menorah also was no longer lit, once the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed. So how are the lights of the menorah eternal?

But the lights of the Chanukah menorah, are a continuation of the lights of the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash. So even in the physical realm of the world they are higher than the sacrifices, demonstrating once again, the aspect of higher than nature.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at  avtzonbooks@gmail.com