Tens Course - Lesson #24

Topic: "Hanukkah: From Historical Battle to Inner Spiritual Victory"

Selected Excerpts from the Sources

1. Rav Avraham Eliyaho Ki-Tov, The Book of Toda’a, “The Greeks”

"At first the Greeks thought to draw the hearts of the people after their teachings by trickery only, without war. What did they do? They bought the hearts of simple-minded people in the nation and gave them control over the country and the Temple, appointing them to be rulers and ministers, high priests and generals, elders, judges and policemen. All of them united together and called themselves “Greek Converts”, meaning that they were not converted by a royal decree but voluntarily. And they went out and mixed with the people and bombarded them with the teaching of the Greeks, inciting the people and tempting them to abandon the Torah of the Creator and adopt themselves to the Greek way of life like them."

2. RABASH, Article No. 9 (1986), "Concerning the Hanukkah Candle"

"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."

3. RABASH, Letter No. 68

"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."

4. RABASH, Letter No. 68

"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."

5. RABASH, Article 7 (1987) "The Miracle of Hanukkah"

"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."

6. RABASH, Article No. 12 (1991), "These Candles Are Sacred"

"We say (in the song Mighty Rock of My Salvation), “Greeks have gathered over me, then in the days of the Hasmoneans, and broke the walls of my towers.” “Greeks” are those people who go within reason, who cannot do anything if it is against reason. At that time, there was the governance of the Greeks, meaning this dominion governed over the people of Israel.

This authority is called “the wicked kingship of Greece,” whose role was to make them “forget Your Torah and move them from the laws of Your will.” That is, the governance is to go specifically within reason. This is what causes the breaching of the wall that guards the tower."

7. RABASH. Record 897. ״What Is Hanukah״

“Greeks” refers to a philosophy, when one wants to understand everything with the external mind. “Then in the days of the Hasmoneans” means that specifically when there are Hasmoneans, meaning servants of the Creator, we see that the Greeks have control.״

8. RABASH. Record 897. ״What Is Hanukah״

״Homot [walls] has the letters of Techum [zone/area] (as explained in the writings of the ARI). This means that a person limits his thought from wanting to understand the work with the external mind, but rather with faith, and faith is a wall against the external ones.

“My towers” means “a tower filled with abundance”.״

9. RABASH. Record 895. "The Meaning of Hanukkah"

“Broke the walls of my towers.” A wall means keeping strangers from entering the tower. The “tower” means Kedusha, called “a tower filled with abundance.” Conversely, all the Sitra Achra has is emptiness. The wall is called “boundary that divides between Kedusha and Sitra Achra,” which is faith. It is called “boundary,” meaning the limit of the thought and the external mind. This is called “the seal of the token of the covenant of holiness.”