CHANUKAH – THE LIGHTING OF OUR INNER LIGHTS

                    

           Let us explore a harmonizing correlation
between the joyous holidays of Chanukah and Purim How so?

             The main tribute of the leader in
the Chanukah story,  Mattisyahu ben
Yochanan, is that he was the Kohan Gadol. The main accolade of the leader in
the Purim story, Mordacai HaTzadik, is that he was the Gadol Ha-Dor. How do
these two important roles complement one another in avodas Hashem?  

                 Perhaps we can say that The Temple service,
as performed by the Kohanim is primarily the paradigm of how to take this finite
physical reality (which includes the animal, mineral and vegetable kingdoms)
and elevate it, raising its inert sparks of holiness, whereas learning and
deriving Torah laws is primarily the paradigm of bringing down and revealing
an aspect of the will the Infinite and thereby instilling holiness into this
corporal reality.

               This means that the Kohan’s quintessential role
is to perform the Divine service within the holy Temple and then those
spiritual lights will radiate throughout the creation, whereas one of the
Talmid Chachim’s exemplary aspects of Divine service is, whenever necessary, to
enact (tackanas) “fences” around the Torah thereby spreading out its kiddusha.
Perhaps we can suggest therefore that our Talmidei Chachamin have been given
the ability to perceive the “spiritual architectural design” of reality and to
bring down, in the form of the halacos, what was previously in the supernal realms
– (makif),  in order to enhance the
sanctity of our lives.                             These two Divine
forms of avoda of The Bais HaMigdash which elevate the kidduha and the Torah of
the Talmud Chachom that draws kiddusha down into this world complement each
other, therefore it is very appropriate that the very same beginning nusach of
Al HaNisim is said on both Chanukah and Purim.

                    May the flame within our
hearts rise up like the narot of Chanukah thereby helping us to merit the
decent of the Bais Shlisi soon in our days. 
               

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