Shalom, another video on the central messages of Hanukkah, a two things that teach about it, first of all the role of the word Hanukkah. In the book of proverbs Mishley, there is a proverb that says. When you train your child in a way they should go when they are young. When they are older, they would not depart from it. And the Hebrew word there, for trainers the root of the word Hanukkah. So it means to train, but when you go to Israel and you ask for the Department of Education. It is called Misrada Henuh which is the same word also. So that root does not only mean train, it is also means educate. And finally in the context of Hanukkah, it means rededication.
When the Jews came back to the temple which has been desecrated by the Greek Syrians in 165BC, they rededicated it. So Hanukkah has three meanings, to train someone, to educate someone and to inculcate and rededicate. The purpose of education is to achieve all three, to train people, to educate and to inculcate.
And so the question is what do we inculcate? What are the basic goals of our lives? The second message about Hanukkah is related to that. Judah, we call Judah the Maccabee. Now why do we call him the Maccabee? That means the hammer, but it is not good as the last name is Maccabee, but the story is that it is the acronym. The initials of the Hebrew expression that we say in all our prayers three times a day (Foreign Language) who is like you oh lord among the mighty. That is why basically that we have the very important phrase Judah the Maccabee. So the question now is. What do we commit our selves too. Clearly the idea of Judaism is there is no one like God and commit our selves to God.
So what are some of the basic messages? Well first of all as I mentioned before in my video on the Menorah. The way we like candles turns out to be a compromise between Tehillah that wanted to like and then two and then three and then four then and then we increase holiness each night. The first night one and the second night two and by Shaimai they wanted to start with eight and then seven and six and five. Even though the Rabbi’s have decided that they are going to go with Tehillah and go increase in holiness. That you had to light, you do not decrease light. They wanted to support Shamai like them, if they are going Shamais way from left to right. And so the art to compromise even in religious matters sometimes is necessary. But it also teaches us the very important lesson about trying to increase in holiness all the time.
And also the idea of the Dreidel that you spin, it has different Hebrew letters, you never know what side is going to come up and sometimes you are going to loose, sometimes you are going to stay even, sometimes you are going to get a little and sometimes you are going to get a lot. You have to everything you can in your life to live a holy life. Because you do not know how the Dreidel is going to spin.
Until final thoughts, fist of al again this last major line and behalf Torah for (Foreign Language) about Hanukkah from the prophet Zachariah. It is not ultimately by might and not ultimately by hour, but by the spirit of God. And finally a beautiful song I love from Peter Paul and Mary called do not let the lights go out. Even though Hanukkah has over this year in 2007, we will get it again until 2008, 57-69. We do not let the lights go out. We continue to burn them brightly, shalom.
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