These
Candles
Are
Sacred
Article
No.
12,
1991
Baal
HaSulam
said
about
what
is
written,
“These
candles
are
sacred
and
we
have
no
permission
to
use
them,
but
only
to
see
them,”
that
we
must
know
the
difference
between
the
miracle
of
Hanukkah
and
the
miracle
of
Purim.
On
Hanukkah,
the
decree
pertained
only
to
spirituality,
that
the
people
of
Israel
were
prevented
from
observing
the
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds].
The
miracle
was
that
when
they
prevailed
over
the
Hasmoneans,
they
could
observe
the
Mitzvot.
Since
spirituality
has
no
Kelim
[vessels],
since
Kelim
are
called
specifically
“vessels
of
reception,”
which
is
called
“creation
existence
from
absence,”
which
is
the
will
to
receive,
this
is
why
the
intimation
comes,
“These
candles
are
sacred
and
we
have
no
permission
to
use
them.”
This
is
not
so
with
the
miracle
of
Purim.
Then
the
decree
was
over
the
bodies,
too,
as
it
is
written,
“To
destroy,
to
kill,
and
to
annihilate”
(Esther
3:13).
It
follows
that
the
miracle
was
on
the
bodies.
“Bodies”
are
called
“vessels
of
reception.”
Hence,
on
Purim,
it
is
written,
“Joy,
feast,
and
a
good
day,”
where
a
feast
pertains
to
the
body.
On
Hanukkah,
we
were
given
the
miracle,
“no
permission
to
use
them,
but
only
to
see
them.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said,
that
Hanukkah
means
Hanu-Koh
[parked
here].
He
asked,
What
is
the
meaning
of
“parked”?
He
said
that
“parked”
meaning
parking,
and
he
gave
an
allegory
about
it.
Many
times,
in
the
middle
of
a
war,
soldiers
are
given
a
vacation
and
they
go
home
so
that
afterward
they
will
have
the
courage
to
be
brave
soldiers.
After
the
parking
they
return
to
the
battlefield.
But
some
fools
think
that
the
soldiers
were
given
a
vacation
because
the
war
must
be
over
so
they
are
not
needed
anymore.
But
the
smarter
ones
among
them
understand
that
they
were
given
a
vacation
in
order
to
rest,
so
they
would
be
re-energized
to
fight
against
the
enemy.
Therefore,
they
understand
that
the
rest
is
in
order
to
acquire
strength
to
fight.
It
is
likewise
here.
On
Hanukkah,
the
redemption
was
only
on
spirituality,
since
the
decree
was
only
on
spirituality,
as
it
is
written
(“About
the
Miracles”),
“When
the
wicked
kingdom
of
Greece
arose
over
Your
people,
Israel,
to
make
them
forget
Your
law
and
remove
them
from
the
rules
of
Your
will,
You
with
Your
great
mercies
stood
by
them
in
their
time
of
trouble.”
It
follows
that
the
redemption
was
only
about
spirituality,
and
in
the
work,
“spirituality”
is
called
“vessels
of
bestowal,”
called
“light
of
Hassadim
that
dresses
in
vessels
of
bestowal.”
But
here,
when
we
are
rewarded
with
vessels
of
bestowal,
it
is
only
half
the
work,
half
a
war.
That
is,
a
person
must
be
rewarded
with
the
vessels
of
reception
also
entering
the
Kedusha
[holiness],
meaning
to
use
them
with
the
aim
to
bestow.
Once
the
vessels
of
reception
have
also
entered
the
Kedusha,
this
is
considered
that
he
has
Kelim
to
receive,
as
well.
At
that
time,
this
degree
is
called
“sweetening
of
the
Gevurot.”
In
other
words,
before
he
obtained
the
vessels
of
reception
that
work
in
order
to
bestow,
he
could
not
use
the
light
that
was
revealed
over
vessels
of
bestowal,
for
vessels
of
bestowal
means
that
a
person
gives
something,
and
in
return
for
the
giving,
he
does
not
want
anything,
since
he
believes
that
he
is
serving
a
great
King.
Therefore,
he
is
happy
that
he
has
been
rewarded
with
serving
a
great
King.
But
when
he
uses
the
vessels
of
reception,
meaning
takes
pleasures
from
the
Creator,
since
through
reception
he
becomes
separated
from
the
Creator
because
of
the
disparity
of
form,
these
vessels
of
reception
are
called
“bitter
Gevurot,”
because
it
is
bitter
for
him
that
he
is
far
from
the
Creator.
Gevurot
means
that
a
person
has
two
kinds
of
Kelim:
One
is
called
Hesed,
meaning
he
gives,
and
one
is
called
Gevura,
which
is
that
he
receives.
It
is
called
Gevura
since
there
is
the
matter
of
Hitgabrut
[to
overcome]
here,
not
to
receive.
If
he
does
receive,
he
will
be
far
from
the
Creator,
and
that
state
is
bitter
for
him.
Hence,
when
he
can
place
the
aim
to
bestow
on
the
will
to
receive,
then
the
previous
Gevurot,
where
he
used
the
vessels
of
reception,
are
bitter
for
him
because
of
the
disparity
of
form.
But
now
they
have
been
sweetened,
meaning
that
now
that
he
is
using
the
vessels
of
reception,
he
feels
some
sweetness
because
his
intention
is
in
order
to
bestow,
and
this
is
already
regarded
as
equivalence
of
form.
Hence,
now
he
can
enjoy
them,
since
in
reception
in
this
manner,
in
order
to
bestow,
there
is
no
bitterness
and
all
is
good.
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.
A
“tower”
means
that
within
man,
there
is
a
certain
measure
of
greatness
of
the
Creator.
This
“wall”
is
called
“faith
above
reason,”
and
specifically
by
faith
above
reason
one
can
come
to
feel
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
as
well
as
depict
to
himself
the
greatness
of
the
Creator.
When
a
person
feels
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
he
is
“like
a
candle
before
a
torch,”
annulled
before
Him.
But
the
Greeks,
meaning
dominion
of
within
reason,
which
did
not
let
them
go
above
reason,
is
regarded
as
“breaking
the
walls
of
my
towers.”
In
other
words,
the
faith
above
reason,
which
is
a
wall.
Within
this
wall
we
can
build
towers,
meaning
obtain
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
which
is
called
“a
tower.”
That
is,
specifically
through
faith
above
reason
we
are
rewarded
with
the
“reason
of
Kedusha.”
It
follows
that
man’s
greatness,
who
is
rewarded
with
feeling
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
comes
specifically
by
lowering
himself,
meaning
lowering
his
reason.
At
that
time
he
can
be
rewarded
with
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
called
“reason
of
Kedusha.”
By
this
we
can
interpret
what
is
written
(“And
[the
Lord]
Will
Give
You,”
for
After
Shabbat),
“Rabbi
Yochanan
said,
‘Wherever
you
find
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
there
you
find
His
humbleness.’”
There
is
certainly
a
simpler
explanation,
but
when
we
speak
in
terms
of
the
work,
we
should
understand
what
is
written,
that
we
find
the
Creator’s
humbleness,
that
He
is
humble.
We
should
understand
how
is
there
the
quality
of
humbleness
in
the
Creator,
for
it
means
lowliness,
and
how
can
we
speak
of
this
quality
in
the
Creator.
Normally,
it
is
written,
“The
Lord
is
King,
He
wears
pride.”
We
should
interpret
that
this
refers
to
the
person.
That
is,
wherever
a
person
is
rewarded
with
His
greatness,
to
attain
something
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
“there
you
find
the
humbleness
of
a
person.”
According
to
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
with
which
a
person
is
rewarded,
to
that
extent
the
person
sees
his
lowliness.
In
other
words,
precisely
when
a
person
goes
above
reason,
the
reason
comes
to
him
and
wants
to
obstruct
him,
and
begins
to
argue
with
him.
At
that
time,
the
person
sees
that
he
has
nothing
to
reply.
Then
a
person
sees
the
evil
within
him,
that
he
needs
more
strengthening
so
he
can
be
saved
from
the
reason
of
the
evil
inclination,
which
is
called
“Greeks.”
At
that
time,
he
sees
according
to
the
evil
that
is
revealed
in
him,
that
no
one
is
as
low
as
he,
since
the
evil
in
him
is
revealed
more
than
in
the
rest
of
the
people.
As
said
above,
this
is
according
to
the
good
that
a
person
does,
if
he
walks
on
the
path
of
truth
and
wants
to
do
everything
in
order
to
bestow.
It
follows
that
when
one
is
rewarded
with
even
a
little
bit
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
he
does
not
know
why
the
Creator
helped
him
more
than
other
people,
since
he
feels
that
he
is
worse
than
all
the
people
in
the
world.
He
tells
himself
that
if
the
rest
of
the
people
knew
the
path
of
truth
the
way
he
understands
it,
they
would
certainly
be
virtuous
people,
not
like
him.
It
follows
that
when
one
feels
a
little
bit
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
he
comes
to
a
state
of
lowliness
at
the
Creator
helping
someone
as
base
as
he.
This
is
the
meaning
of
the
words
“Wherever
you
find
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
there
you
find
His
humbleness.”
Therefore,
when
one
says
to
the
Creator,
“You
lend
a
hand
to
criminals
and
Your
right
is
stretched
out
to
welcome
the
returning”
(Conclusion
prayer),
this
means
that
when
one
asks
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer,
it
is
regarded
as
stretching
out
the
hand
for
reconciliation,
“and
Your
right
is
stretched
out
to
welcome
the
returning.”
In
other
words,
a
person
says
to
the
Creator,
“I
feel
my
situation,
that
I
am
more
wicked
and
more
criminal
than
the
rest
of
the
world.”
This
comes
to
him
because
from
above,
he
was
shown
the
evil.
As
said
above,
a
person
is
not
shown
more
evil
than
what
is
in
him.
As
we
interpreted
what
our
sages
said,
“To
the
wicked,
the
evil
inclination
seems
like
a
hairsbreadth,
and
to
the
righteous,
like
a
high
mountain.”
It
seems
as
though
it
should
have
been
the
opposite.
The
wicked,
who
cannot
overcome
the
evil
inclination,
should
say
that
the
evil
inclination
is
like
a
high
mountain,
and
the
righteous,
who
did
have
the
power
to
overcome,
the
evil
inclination
should
have
been
in
their
eyes
like
a
hairsbreadth.
The
answer
is
that
a
person
is
not
shown
the
evil
in
him
but
only
according
to
the
good
within
him,
so
that
the
good
and
the
bad
will
be
balanced.
Therefore,
the
righteous,
who
have
many
ups
and
downs,
all
the
descents
are
from
the
evil
inclination.
As
a
result
of
the
many
descents,
a
“high
mountain”
is
built.
The
word
Har
[mountain]
means
Hirhurim
[reflections/thoughts].
This
means
that
any
reflection,
where
one
doubts
the
quality
of
the
Creator,
when
he
does
not
believe
in
His
Providence,
that
He
is
good
and
does
good,
this
is
called
“a
bad
thought.”
Therefore,
to
the
righteous,
the
evil
inclination
becomes
a
high
mountain,
whereas
to
the
wicked,
who
have
no
ascents
and
descents,
since
it
is
impossible
to
descend
before
you
ascend,
as
we
explained
concerning
Jacob’s
dream,
where
it
is
written,
“Behold,
angels
of
God
were
ascending
and
descending
on
it,”
where
it
should
have
written
first
“descending”
and
then
“ascending.”
But
in
the
work,
all
the
people
came
into
this
world
to
carry
out
the
mission
of
the
Creator,
and
an
“angel”
is
called
a
“messenger.”
Therefore,
first
one
must
ascend
in
the
degree
of
the
work,
when
feeling
some
nearness
to
the
Creator,
and
afterward,
there
can
be
descents.
For
this
reason,
the
wicked,
who
have
no
ascents,
naturally
have
no
descents.
Indeed,
why
do
they
not
ascend?
It
is
because
the
evil
inclination
disrupts
them
from
ascending.
For
this
reason,
they
remain
in
the
evil
inclination
that
is
only
as
a
hairsbreadth.
Hence,
the
righteous,
who
have
the
real
form
of
the
evil,
when
the
Creator
helps
them,
they
feel
their
lowliness,
that
the
Creator
brought
them
closer,
and
this
is
called
as
it
is
written,
“He
lifts
the
poor
up
from
the
trash.”
That
is,
the
person
says,
“I
was
in
the
trash,
enjoying
everything
that
animals
take
as
their
nourishments,
meaning
trash.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
“In
the
place
where
you
find
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
you
find
His
humbleness.”
However,
we
should
interpret
this
as
said
above,
that
one
should
not
say,
“Now
that
I
have
been
rewarded
with
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
I
no
longer
need
faith
above
reason
because
I
have
what
to
build
my
work
on—the
basis
that
I
have
now
been
rewarded
with
the
greatness
of
the
Creator.”
Rather,
as
Baal
HaSulam
said,
a
person
should
be
careful
when
he
is
rewarded
with
some
nearness
on
the
part
of
the
Creator.
He
should
not
say
that
now
he
knows
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
do
the
holy
work
because
now
he
feels
a
good
taste
in
the
work.
Rather,
he
should
say,
“Now
I
see
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
work
above
reason
because
specifically
by
wanting
to
go
above
reason,
the
Creator
is
giving
me
some
nearness
to
Him.”
Hence,
he
takes
this
nearing
as
a
sign
that
he
is
walking
on
the
path
of
truth.
Therefore,
he
resolves
that
henceforth,
he
will
not
want
to
accept
any
work
within
reason.
Rather,
everything
will
be
above
reason.
It
follows
that
he
does
not
take
the
nearing
to
the
Creator
as
a
basis
on
which
he
says
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
be
a
servant
of
the
Creator,
“since
I
already
have
a
basis.”
On
the
contrary,
from
now
on
he
will
work
only
above
reason.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written,
“In
the
place
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
there
you
find
His
humbleness.”
That
is,
“In
the
place
of
His
greatness,”
meaning
in
the
place
where
one
attains
some
greatness
of
the
Creator,
there
you
must
find
His
humbleness.
In
other
words,
there,
in
the
place
where
a
person
finds
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
a
person
should
find
man’s
humbleness,
which
is
faith
above
reason,
called
“lowliness,”
“humility.”
Since
faith
is
regarded
as
being
of
inferior
importance,
faith
is
called
“below.”
That
is,
when
one
finds
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
he
should
search
and
find
a
place
to
work
in
faith,
and
not
in
the
sense
that
he
has
found
a
place
of
the
greatness
of
the
Creator.
Since
one
should
say
that
the
fact
that
he
has
been
rewarded
with
finding
some
greatness
of
the
Creator,
it
is
because
first
he
went
with
faith,
which
is
called
“low,”
“lowly.”
Hence,
he
continues
on
the
path
of
faith
above
reason
since
he
sees
that
this
is
the
path
of
truth,
and
the
proof
of
this
is
that
specifically
through
this
preparation,
the
Creator
brings
him
closer
to
Him.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
is
written,
“Greeks
have
gathered
over
me
…
and
broke
the
walls
of
my
towers.”
This
means
that
a
person
should
guard
this
wall,
called
“faith
in
the
Creator
above
reason.”
In
other
words,
a
person
must
not
wait
until
he
understands
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
learn
and
to
pray,
etc.
Rather,
he
should
not
consider
what
the
reason
advises
him.
Instead,
he
should
follow
the
way
that
the
Torah
obligates
a
person.
This
is
how
one
must
behave.
Only
in
this
way,
called
“unconditional
surrender,”
can
one
be
rewarded
with
the
reason
of
Kedusha.
And
the
most
important
is
the
prayer.
That
is,
one
must
pray
to
the
Creator
to
help
him
go
above
reason,
meaning
that
the
work
should
be
with
gladness,
as
though
he
has
already
been
rewarded
with
the
reason
of
Kedusha,
and
what
joy
he
would
feel
then.
Likewise,
he
should
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
this
power,
so
he
can
go
above
the
reason
of
the
body.
In
other
words,
although
the
body
does
not
agree
to
this
work
in
order
to
bestow,
he
asks
the
Creator
to
be
able
to
work
with
gladness,
as
is
suitable
for
one
who
serves
a
great
King.
He
does
not
ask
the
Creator
to
show
the
greatness
of
the
Creator,
and
then
he
will
work
gladly.
Rather,
he
wants
the
Creator
to
give
him
joy
in
the
work
of
above
reason,
that
it
will
be
as
important
to
a
person
as
if
he
already
has
reason.