Reb Shlomo: Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach » Chanukah

Chanukah: All the Doors and the Windows of our Hearts are Open to Each Other

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Tue, 21 Dec 1993 20:05:25 +0000

People wonder sometimes how after two thousand years Yerushalayim is still the center of our hearts and the Beis Hamikdash is still our address. The answer is very simple: because on Chanuka, wherever we are it is Yerushalayim; our house is the Holy Temple and every Jew is the High Priest.

Why don’t we confess our mistakes on Chanuka? The answer is that on Yom Kippur, only the High Priest walks into the Holy of the Holiest. On Chanuka when we light the candles every Jew is the Holy of the Holiest. On Yom Kippur only the High Priest walks into the Holy of the Holiest but when I see what the Greeks do to my children, how they destroy the holiness of their fires, how they defile the soul of their souls, then I have no other way but to take my wife and my children into the Holy of Holiest.

And everybody knows that in the Holy of Holiest you don’t talk about mistakes. You don’t say bad things – even about yourself. You don’t even say bad things about the world. You just want G-d’s light to reach the four corners of the world. So, our holy rabbis tell us that Chanuka is the light of the Messiah; the deepest, deepest, most hidden light in the world… a light that reaches the most hidden place in our hearts.

We kindle the lights by the door or window of the house because on . G-d’s Oneness, the Oneness of all of Israel and the Oneness of all the world is revealed to us in the most glorious way. While we look at the Chanuka candles, I bless us to be together with all the people we love as the light of Chanuka is shining into our eyes.

Originally Published in Kehilat Jacob News
Transcribed from a session in Moshav Mevo Modiin, 5753.

Chanukah: The great light when we see each other again

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Mon, 21 Dec 1992 20:23:55 +0000

You can be the richest man in the world, you can have everything between heaven and earth, you can be in the same room with the one thing you have been looking for, but if there is no light to show you where it is, then you do not have it.

Chanukah is the holiday of the inside light, the hidden light, the light which is burning amidst the deepest darkness.

At Chanukah we celebrate the light which gave the Maccabees the strength in the darkest period to believe that they can drive out the Greeks in the Holy Land.

You see, my best friends, when we are born, G-d gives us everything, every day G-d gives us everything; only sometimes we turn off the light by our mistakes. Sometines we blow out our own candles, so on Chanukah haShem gives us back the light we need the most.

Chanukah is the holiday when the Talmud says,

“Chanukah is a man and his house,”

meaning that the whole family has to come together.

Because between husband and wife, parents and children, you can stand next to each other for a thousand years and be as far away as two million eternities. Chanukah is the great light when we see each other again; according to the Kabbalistic tradition it is deeper than Yom Kippur. It is the holy of holiest, but not in the temple, in my own house. We kindle the light by the door to tell the people – the outside people – who have not yet found their own house, who have not yet found their own soul, who have not yet found even their own friend. And we share our light with them.

All the hatred in the world is only because people don’t see each other. Chanukah is the holiday that we are closest to the Messiah and, gevalt, do we need the world to see us one time! And gevalt, do we need all the Jews one time to see the holiness of being Jewish! Let it be this year. Amen.

Moshav Meor Modiin. Hanuka, 5752.

Chanukah: Scars and Healing

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Sun, 24 Nov 1991 16:53:34 +0000

Shlomo Carlebach

So, the daughter of the Kozhnitzer Maggid didn’t have children. (We’re blessing everyone to have children.) And the Kozhnitzer Maggid, for him, the most, most precious thing he had was his Chanukah — candelabra — Chanukah menorah. He gave everything away, but this was one thing he really didn’t give away because it was too precious.

So here Rebbe Levi Yitzhak Berditchever came, a few weeks before Chanukah, and so, the the daughter of the Kozhnitzer Maggid comes in, and she says to Reb Levi Yitzhak, “Can you please, please, please bless me with children? So Reb Levi Yitzhak Berditchever says to the Kozhnitzer Maggid, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll bless your daughter with children if you’ll give me your Chanukah menorah.”

Look, what can you do? For my daughter I’ll do anything in the world, right? So he says, “Sure, I’ll give it to you very gladly.” So he gave him the Chanukah menorah, and then Reb Levi Yitzhak took the menorah and gave it to the daughter of the Kozhnitzer Maggid and says, “Here is my present for your little baby.” Gevalt. Then he says to the Kozhnitzer Maggid, “But you know what? Until he’ll be Bar Mitzvah, you can kindle on his menorah.” I want you to know, this little boy later on was Reb Chaim Meir’l of Margolinska, was like — mamesh, a great light.

Everybody knows that Chanukah — Chanukah is the time to pray to find your soul-mate. You know what it takes to find your soul-mate? Good eyes. Good eyes. On Chanukah, when the light is shining — the inner light, the inside light — and you know what you need, in order to be blessed by G-d with children? Also Chanukah light. And you know, G-d forbid, sometimes, G-d doesn’t trust us with children ’cause we don’t know how to look at them.

You know, I don’t want to say anything bad — I’m sure this yeshival’l here is the best…but the rest of the day schools I’m not so sure. Or every one is good. Most of them are good. You know what it takes to be a good teacher? The world thinks a good teacher is someone who disciplines the kids — they’re afraid to move, nebich; he takes away their last ounce of joy. A good teacher is someone who has good eyes. Good eyes. Good eyes. And here I want to share something awesome, deep, with you.

You know, beautiful friends, on Yom Kippur we’re asking for forgiveness. But you know how many scars we have on our soul? So many scars. Imagine I love this girl very much, we had a big fight, and we ask each other for forgiveness. And so we forgive each other. But there’s so many scars left. So many scars left. And you know what it takes to take away the scars? Mamesh, you need one person to look at you with so much love that it would take away the scars. And you know, if we would x-ray each other — ourselves — we would see so many scars. So many scars.

You know, children, everyday when they come home from school — I could swear they are full of scars. And you know, if parents have Chanukah eyes, they take away all the scars. And they’re so glad to be home. And sometimes, nebich, parents don’t have it. And I’m not judging them — because *they* are full of scars.

Anyway, I want to bless you and me and all of us. You know, Chanukah — it’s our big chance to see each other again — not only our chance to see each other again, it’s our chance to heal each other again, to heal each other again.

And one more thing — forgive me for saying it; I’ll make it fast because a lot of people are saying that I tell them too many Torahs. You know why? I’ll tell you. I don’t want to say anything bad, but they don’t like it, so, mazel tov. Nothing I can do.

You know, the Kotzker Rebbe, someone told the Kotzker Rebbe, “This person doesn’t like you.” He said, “I’m so glad. I was so afraid he would.” You know, those people who don’t like my stories? I’m so glad they don’t, you know? ‘Cause it’s not for them.

You know, one of the biggest gaonim of the last generation — there [are] no more like him — a giant! — came out with a sefer — a book — an earth-shaking book. I mean, not from our generation. He walked down the street, and a man says to him, “You know, I wrote you three letters about your book, and you didn’t answer me.” So he says, “You know, I’ll tell you the truth. My book is not meant for everyone. And you are one of them for whom it’s not meant.”

Congregation Chevra Thilim, San Francisco, 18 Kislev, 5752/November 24, 1991
Recorded by Aryeh Trupin

Transcribed by Reuven Goldfarb, 3-4 Iyar, 5758/April 29, 1998

Chanukah: Taking care of our children, Taking care of the little candles

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Sun, 20 Nov 1988 16:59:17 +0000

A lot of people always pray for children. There is a very simple way- buy yourself a baby carriage. Enroll your child in yeshiva, buy a Chumash for your baby, buy a Gemara. And you know something- G-d doesn’t let you down.

A person came to the holy Reb Dovid Dinover and said, Rebbe, bless me with children. He says, I’ll tell you the truth- my chossid, the heilige Reb Feivish Tosher, he is an expert on blessing with children. Why don’t you go and ask him to come to you for lunch, and he’ll take care of you. The heilige Tosher comes in, and begins running around in the house like crazy. So this Yiddele says to him, holy Rebbe, what are you looking for? The Rebbe says, I’m looking for a baby carriage. He says, Rebbe, I have no children. The Rebbe says, do you know I only eat in a house that has children? The Yiddele says, Rebbe, what am I going to do now? He says, I’ll tell you something, I’ll come back next year.

First he promises he’ll eat, then he promises himself never to eat in a house that has no children. So he’s forcing G-d to give this Yiddele children. I want you to know, on Yom Kippur we are not forcing G-d. We are standing before G-d, asking Him- give me long life, give me parnossa, a living- maybe we’ll have a good year, hopefully.

But the last night of Chanukah- Zot Chanukah- Zot means clear. I know I’ll have a good year, do you know why? Because I’m looking at my little candles, at my children. I’m saying to G-d, You’d better take care of me because my children need me. You’d better give me long life, because I’ve got to take care of those candles. So a father and mother are standing before G-d saying, listen G-d, I have You in my hands. I’m taking care of my children- that means You’d better take care of me.

If you want to have a good year, take that little candle, that holy drop of oil G-d sends into your house, and seal it with the seal of the High Priest. Make your children so holy and so beautiful- so, so beautiful. Chanukah is mehadrin min hamehadrin, most, most beautiful.

You know, it’s not enough to be frum, it’s not enough to be a servant of G-d. It has to be beautiful.

Reb Nachman says, whatever is in this world, is in Heaven the same way. Nobody can stand sad people, ugly people. You just have patience, but you’re not loving them, you can’t blow your mind that you want to be in their presence. The same way for G-d. Ugliness is very hard for G-d to stomach. On Chanukah we’re beautiful again.

Do you know why we are beautiful? Because we are taking care of our children, taking care of the little candles, taking care of that holy oil which G-d gave us. So I bless you, friends- Take care of your baby carriages, take care of your children, take care of your houses. And let it be the best year of your life.

Transcribed by Miriam Rubinoff

Rosh Hashanah: Wake up the world

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Fri, 09 Sep 1988 09:45:31 +0000

So, how long ago was last Rosh Hashanah? How long ago we were together for twenty-four hours and at the end heard the trumpet of the Messiah? How long ago did we kindle the lights of Chanukah? How many minutes ago were we drunk on Purim and ate matzo on Pesach? The truth is it was a second ago and the truth of the truth is all the holidays are with us all year long. A Jew always blows a shofar, a Jew fasts all year, a Jew sits in the Succah all his life, a Jew dances with the Torah into all eternities.

So we are inviting each other again for an even deeper Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur, a more heavenly Succos, and a more beyond heaven Simchas Torah.

When I was a little boy, I always asked my father, “Where are the songs of the Holy Temple?” And I never got a good answer because I could not believe that Jews can live without at least one song from the Holy Temple, a song of King David, a song of beyond time and space, a song that reminds us that we are part of G-d.

A few years ago, late at night, I saw a frail Jew by the Holy Wall who drew my attention. He really prayed. I waited until he finished and he began telling me he had arrived that day from Russia after ten years in Siberia. I asked him, “How did you survive Siberia?” He said, “I was singing all the time.” Suddenly I had this flash and I asked, “Did you sing the songs of the Holy Temple?” And he was quiet for a long time tears of ten years of Siberia and maybe two thousand years of exile came out from his holy eyes. And he said, “My whole family are Chassidim from the time of the Baal Shem Tov, and my holy grandfather told me in the name of the holy Baal Shem Toy, that the way we chant prayers on the High Holidays is the way they were singing them in the Holy Temple – the way King David composed them.”

That evening changed my life. Whenever I give a concert, I always include the prayers of the High Holidays. The melodies reach, like the Shofar, to the deepest chambers of our souls.

Just imagine Baron Rothschild, suffering from amnesia, standing on it street corner, dirty and filthy, begging for dimes. The first thing he needs is to remember is that he is Rothschild and then to wash up and change his clothes, and then to go back to his home. All year long everyone in his own way is suffering from amnesia. We forgot what a Jew is, we forgot what a human being is, and we forgot who G-d is. Rosh Hashanah when we blow the Shofar, we remember everything. On Yom Kippur, we wash up and on Succoth we move back into our heavenly abode –to the palace we are meant to live in.

There is war in the world and hatred because the world has amnesia and his forgotten what it is to be human. There is so much trouble in Israel because the whole world refuses to remember that G-d gave us the land.

Let this Rosh Hashanah wake up the world.

Let this Yom Kippur clean us and the whole world.

Let this Succos, when we bring sacrifices for all the seventy nations in the Holy Temple, restore dignity all the nations of the world.

There were never so many homeless people in New York as today and this phenomenon is actually all over the world. It is as if G-d is reminding us that if true humanity, true belief in G-d has no home in the world yet. Succos we are building a new home for G-d, for all of Israel and, via Israel, for the whole world.

Let the New Year be the year we have been waiting for.

Love,
Shlomo

New York, Elul 5748
Reprinted from Cong Kehilath Jacob News

Chanukah: Seeing in the shining lights only the beauty of people

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Sun, 21 Dec 1986 20:30:41 +0000

Sometimes, I ask myself, after the destruction of the Holy Temple nearly two thousand years ago we still cannot stop thinking about it. How come? How come? Who ever heard of mourning for a house destroyed so long ago? But, let me tell you. Imagine that I loved this girl very much, and then we had a fight, but before we separated we agreed that once a year for eight days, that we would be as close as we once were. Can I then ever forget her? I want you to know that our Holy Rabbis teach us that on Chanuka we are once again in Jerusalem and not here in Poughkeepsie. We are not ordinary people on Chanuka, but we are all High Priests and we are kindling the lights in the Holy Temple.

Kindling the Chanuka lights is a lesson in Jewish history. Knowing the past is vital, but living it and re-living it is the obligation of the Jew. History is important, but merely knowing facts is pagan, an aspect of Greek culture. A Jew survives in the present because he also experiences his past. And what is it about Chanuka that we celebrate? Not the amazing feat that seventy priests defeated a highly trained army of Greek soldiers. Do not think that Judah the Maccabbee, or his father Matisyahu, the High Priest studied military strategy. I can assure you that they never held a weapon in their hands before they fought the Greeks. A priest in the Temple does not train with weapons. The priests are the pillar of peace and forgiveness. Our Holy Rabbis taught us that Aaron, the first High Priest, loved peace and alvays pursued it. The Maccabees fought to restore the glory of G-d, but today we celebrate the miracle of the lights. Each day that the candles burned was a great miracle. G-d promised the Maccabees that the lights rekindled by them would burn forever. Each day that the candles burned was a great miracle. G-d promised the Maccabees that the lights rekindled by them would burn forever. Each day we add one more light. We must teach our children to remember the holy ancient lights, but also to add new lights, new ways.

Modernity is not alien to religion, it enhances it.

The young people of today are not unlike the young people in the days of the Maccabees. They too have strayed from their holy tradition. We need someone like Judah Maccabee to show us how beautiful it is to be a Jew. Young people must understand that G-d needs each of them to make a special contribution to our religion, that only they are capable of making. Every day we are supposed to add new lights. G-d wants even the most alienated person to be a shining light. On Chanuka we see in the shining lights only the beauty of people.

You know what I consider the worst possible meeting that a person can attend– a parents and teachers meeting, where teachers tell parents how bad their children are. Basically, parents see only good in their children, but unfortunately sometimes they let the bad things teachers tell them about their children affect them. A so-called rebellious child must be viewed like seeing Miss America in the mud– she is still beautiful but all she needs is to be washed off. Yes, sometimes our children do not behave well and so require a little bit of fixing and that must not detract from the fact that they are still basically good. If we can transmit to our children how our grandparents blessed the Chanuka candles, then and only then can we guarantee that our grandchildren will also offer holy blessings over the candles and continue to serve as shining lights.

Poughkeepsie, NY Chanukah 5747
Transcription by Sam Intrator

Reprinted from Connections v 2 no 4
Copyright (C) Congregation Kehilat Jacob, 1986 Reprinted with permission of Connections Magazine

Commercial redistribution prohibited without written permission of copyright holder and the Estate of Shlomo Carlebach.

Chanukah: Giving us the Strength to Perform the Greatest Miracles

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Wed, 21 Dec 1983 20:48:48 +0000

Every month we are fixing a certain aspect of our lives. The fixing of this month, Kislev, is sleeping. Inasmuch as light disturbs your sleep, if it is too dark, you are afraid to sleep.

Hanukah is the holiday of the hidden light, the light which shines into the deepest darkness. What is utter darkness to the soul? To think that I am utterly alone. Hanukah is the holiday that even if all the vessels of the holy temple are defiled, the holiest miracles are happening to us every second – miracles from another world, from the world of deepest holiness where defilement doesn’t reach.

What is it to be alone in the world? To think that there to nobody in the world who can perform miracles for me.

Hanukah is the Initiation of the holy temple:

G-d temple.

Israel temple.

Husband and wife temple.

Pparents and children temple.

You can do anything in the world outside your house. For sleeping, you need a house. Nothing brings parents and children closer, than when parents put their children to sleep. Why do children need their parents to put them to sleep? Because they need to know that there is someone watching who can and will perform miracles for them – someone whose love comes from a world of utmost purity and undefilement.

Every year, Hanukah the festival of miracles, the festival of rebuilding the house, the festival of Aaron the High Priest, fixes all our relationships, teaches us to love each other, and especially our family, with the utmost undefiled love. Yom Kippur we become one with G-d again — Hanukah we become one with our children again. Yom Kippur I promise G-d I’ll do right again. Hanukah I promise my children and G-d and the whole world: I’ll perform the greatest miracles for you.

Please, please let it be clear to you that Hanukah is the greatest holiday, that on Hanukah G-d gives us strength so that you and I – the Macabees of today – can perform the greatest miracles.

Moshav Meor Modiim, Kislev 5744
Reprinted from Cong Kehilath Jacob News

The Holiness of Chanukah: Putting the Light at the Door of our Homes

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Sun, 30 Nov 1980 07:57:45 +0000

Shlomo Carlebach
You know, my sweetest friends — Listen, I’m sure the children wouldn’t mind if you tell them just to be a little bit quiet, without hurting their feelings. I’m sure they’ll be with it. It’s okay, it’s okay, just — Friends, let’s concentrate, okay?

Everybody knows, Tuesday night is Chanukah, the Festival of Light. And, you know, sometimes it’s so obvious — you know, there’s the book, “Who is Who in Judaism,” you know? “Who is Who in the World,” right? Sometimes it’s so obvious who is real and who is not. For those who are not so real, they say, Chanukah is a very unimportant holiday — ‘cause it really is, and what’s so important about it, you know? Basically, on Chanukah you can do anything you want to. It’s not like Yom Kippur — you’re fasting, you go to shul. Chanukah, you can sell your herring. In the middle — in between one piece of herring and the other — you run to the window, you kindle a little light, so who cares, right? So it’s not important.

But the truth is, the Holy Baal Shem Tov, the holy of holiest, told us that Chanukah is higher than the highest in the world. Yom Kippur is very special — Simchas Torah is special — it’s all beautiful. But how does it compare to Chanukah? How does it compare to what a person feels when you kindle light?

Okay, now, sweetest friends, in a nutshell, I’d like to share with you what our holy rabbis teach us — what is light? What does it mean? Okay, I’m sure everyone has about ten million answers. Let me tell you the Torah from the holy Ishbitzer. I just want you, really, to open your hearts.

You know, I can tell you something — something very holy and exalted, which you didn’t know before. And now you know it. So, you have an added [piece of] information. Imagine a person didn’t know that there is one G d. I meet this person. I explain to them, and I prove to them — there is one G d. “Oh,” they say, you know, “that’s very nice, very beautiful. Thank you very much. I didn’t know it.” Now they know.

Or I’ll tell you something. Did you think the whole world — the way it is now — that’s the way it’s supposed to be? People cheating each other, killing each other, hating each other? Let me tell you that our great prophets prophesied that tomorrow morning there’ll be peace in the world. And you’ll say, “Oh, I didn’t know that. But it sounds good.” You know? “Thank you for telling me. Where can I get that book?” “Oh, it’s a dollar twenty-five.” “So do you have any second-hand, where I can get it for seventy-five cents?”

Okay! What are they missing? What are they missing? They know the words. There’s no light behind it, right? Let me tell you what light is. Light is that which lifts you up beyond you. Beyond you. Suddenly I’m reaching somewhere, to a place [which] I didn’t even know existed.

You know, let’s put it this way. Imagine I didn’t know there was one G d, and suddenly somebody tells me, “There really is one G d!” So, gevaldt, am I reaching! Suddenly my soul expands two billion miles. Somewhere else. So, you know, sweetest friends, all the holidays, all our life is beautiful, but unless — unless there is light in it — you’re dead.

You know, I always tell my friends, What do you think is happening in cemeteries? They have a committee — a cultural committee — they’re having lectures, they have all the dead people get together, and they exchange ideas, you know? Without hurting anybody’s feelings, if someone has a problem, he goes to a psychiatrist, right? Try one in the neighborhood, right?

What are they missing? They’re dead, right? It doesn’t change them. Doesn’t lift them up to a higher place. You know what dead is? Can’t move, right? Always the same. I’m the same when I say hello; I’m the same when I say good-bye. I’m the same when I eat an apple, and I’m the same when I kiss my child. Always the same.

You know what light is, sweetest friends? This is so precious. But now, one more step, friends. Light can only burn on pure oil. You know, the Maccabees came back, and they wanted to kindle G d’s light, and they realized, we need at least one drop of pure oil. Defiled oil — impure oil — doesn’t produce light. Yeah, at the window maybe, but not in the heart, not in the soul.

I’m sure you share my feelings. Sometimes you hear a word from somebody, the same word you heard from a holy man yesterday — nothing happens to you. And the next time you hear the word you heard from somebody unholy — somebody holy — someone who’s operating on pure oil — and suddenly a great light is shining inside of you. Such a deep light. So precious, so holy.

And you know, sweetest friends, do you know where we can reach? Does any of us know how high and how deep we can reach? Infinite, right? We’re [made] in G d’s image. You know what’s so special about the light of Chanukah? The Talmud says that basically G d’s light does not get that close to this world. There must be at least a little in-between of ten inches. {Ten tefachim (handbreadths). Shlomo is choosing not to get too technical here.} Chanukah, it goes all the way to the ground. You know what that means? All year long, without light, I understand “holy” is cute, sweet, beautiful, but let’s face it — it doesn’t reach down to this world, right? Really, let’s face it. Do you really think you can sell herring and be holy? Do you really think you can be a stockbroker and be honest? Let’s face it. You can’t. You know why you can’t? Cuz you have no light. If you have light? The lowest place.

And now, sweetest friends, listen to me. All of us know a lot of holy words. You know why it doesn’t change us? Because we have this little in-between. I say, “You know, don’t get too deep into me. Leave me a little space where I keep my unholy stuff. You know, really. Don’t overdo it.” So I never get anyplace. I never change. Chanukah is that moment when G d’s light reaches me in the lowest, lowest places in the world. The lowest.

And you know, friends, what’s so beautiful about it? And here I want you to open your hearts. Do you think G d wants you to be somebody else? Is there really such a thing as “low”? There is no such a thing. It is only because I had no light I thought there was high and there was low. Until the light of Chanukah reached me, I understood when I’m standing in the synagogue, I’m praying, I’m high. When I sell herring, I’m low. [On] Chanukah, I realize — what’s wrong with selling herring? It’s G d’s world, right? I can be the highest when I’m selling herring. Do you think I’m only close to G d when I yell “HaShem Echad!” G d is one? A person can come into my store and buy herring, and I give him change from a dollar, but the way I give it that person — that person knows there is one G d.

So Chanukah is so good — so good. It’s just the highest there is. And just one more thing, sweetest friends. You know what’s wrong with the world? Any person who has a little bit light in his heart, just a little bit light — they always close the doors on you. I say, “Listen, face it. You are not as high as I am. I have a lot of light, but you can stay outside,” right? “I mean, who are you? I mean, really. Let’s face it. I cannot tell you all the great mysteries of the world, of the Bible — I mean, really, who do you think you are? You have no titles — “ And whatever it is.

The holiness of Chanukah is that I’m putting the light right at the door of my house. Because if I have light, I’m just waiting for you, please, please come to my house.

One more thing, friends. G d’s light burns forever. G d’s light burns forever. Don’t worry. Sometimes we think the world is going to the dogs, ‘cause tomorrow morning nothing will be left. We don’t have to worry. It looks to you like the oil is just enough for one night. What am I going to do the rest of the week? You don’t have to worry. G d’s light is burning forever! If you have enough courage to kindle G d’s light for one night, I swear to you it’ll last forever. It’ll last forever.

Someone comes to you and he says, “Would you like to keep Shabbos?” You’ll say, “Yeh, this Shabbos it so happens that I have time. But, really, next Shabbos, I can’t.” You just keep one Shabbos. But that Shabbos will burn inside of you until you keep the next Shabbos.

Someone will tell you, you know, “It’s very bad to get angry.” So, you say, “Today I just came back from my vacation in the Bahamas, and I am relaxed. Today I can manage not to get angry, but really, tomorrow, when I’m back in my business, don’t tell me stories about ‘not getting angry’ — you cannot. You gotta yell at your secretary — you gotta yell at everyone; otherwise nothing is ever done.” According to them, the way G d created the word, first He yelled — and then he created the world. ‘Cause otherwise nothing would have been done, right?

So you tell me you can just not be angry for one day. Okay. You start. You start for one day, for one minute, and G d says, I promise you — Can I ask you why you’re laughing? [Individual answers:] “I was thinking to myself, when you said you were high selling fish, it’s the idea that you did something that you liked…so much and it made you enjoy life so much. I was talking to a dealer in Puerto Rico — “ [Shlomo interjects:] “He’s saying good stuff, this man. Okay, let’s hear it.” [Man resumes speaking:] “I was talking to a dealer in Puerto Rico, and I said, ‘What a job you have — you get to deal blackjack all day long.’ He said, ‘Not me. If you do it for a living it’s just work.’ And you were describing just how high you were, just on life.” [Shlomo says:] “How about becoming partners with me, brother?” [Man responds:] “I didn’t hear.” [Shlomo repeats himself:] “I said, how about becoming partners with me and selling herring?” [Man replies:] “Not a bad idea.”

[Shlomo strums his guitar and launches into another song.]

Temple Beth Ami in Santa Rosa, 23 Kislev, 5741 / November 30, 1980

Recorded by Reuven Goldfarb, and subsequently transcribed by him on the 29th anniversary of the event, in honor of Juliet Lowenthal, z”l, his wife Yehudit’s mother, and Eliana Devorah, his granddaughter. The two honorees share the same Hebrew birthday, 23 Kislev, the day this recording was made, though they were born 95 years apart. Eliana’s Daddy, Yeshayah Simcha, was then 2 ½ years old, and quite vocally present. Her uncle Elishama Hesed was also present, in utero. Thanks are, of course, due to Jerry and Leah Strauss, who organized Shlomo’s visit to Santa Rosa.

Chanukah: Light reaching the darkest corners of our hearts

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Fri, 21 Dec 1973 20:42:53 +0000

Everybody knows that Hanukkah is really the end of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Simchas Torah. That means that the High Holidays are all beautiful, but the highest point of them all is on Hanukkah.

On Rosh Hashanah, I am in awe before the King of kings. On Yom Kippur, I stand before G-d again and measure myself. Inside I am saying to myself, “I did such and such good deeds and such and such not so good deeds.” But on Hanukkah I stop thinking this way altogether because the deepest question is not how many evil deeds and how many good deeds I have done.

The deepest question is “What do I have inside of me?” When the whole story is over, what remains inside of me? How do I feel? Am I closer than I ever was with G-d? Am I in touch with the inside of my soul? Is there any light left in my heart? Where am I?

If after all these questions, I discover that there is still light left inside of me, then I owe it to the world. I must be the one to help bring the Mashiach. I must be the one to open the doors for G-d’s Light to shine into the world.

However, if after all these questions, I am still left in the dark; If after all these holidays, the world around me is still in the dark, then I must ask myself, “What good was it all?”

On Yom Kippur, G-d forgives us for our mistakes. On Simchas Torah we dance them all off. But that still does not answer the question, “When does G-d fix our hearts? When does G-d take all the hatred and pain from our hearts? When are we healed? When does G-d give us back the holiness of once again being able to see that Light in others and being able to bless them in our own hearts? When do we recognize the light in ourselves and in all of those beautiful people around us?”

The answer my beautiful friends, is on Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is the time of the Macabees, descendents of Aaron the High Priest. Aaron’s specialty was making peace between people. How can someone make peace between people? Aaron HaCohen had the level of holiness of actually being able to cleanse a person’s heart of all hatred and pain. It was only after that cleansing that they could see the light in others and make peace with the entire world around them. This is a very special blessing he gave to us.

Face it. If each time I make a mistake, I feel more bitterness towards others, its only because I feel bitterness towards myself. And with every bit of this bitterness, I become further and further away from my Neshama, and from my own heart. On Yom Kippur, it may be that G-d fixes my soul. But its on Hanukkah that the Great Light shines into my heart. And so when I stand before a mirror, I see a beautiful person instead of a Shmendrik.

So on Hanukkah, my beautiful friends, the lights are burning, even into the darkest hours of the night. And while that light flickers, we are praying, “Master of the World, if it is my mistakes that have kept me in darkness, let this Hanukkah Light shine into all areas of my darkness. Let this Hanukkah Light keep me from ever hating people. Let this Hanukkah Light give me so much holiness that all the darkness of the world can not take away my love for myself and all the beautiful people.”

And so I want to bless you and bless myself that this Hanukkah should fix us and its Light should reach the darkest corners of our hearts. And we should all be blessed to realize that when we do kindle a candle, it is G-d’s Light we have brought into the world.

Chanukah: Kindle one more candle to shine into the world, until all the streets of the world are full of light

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach — Fri, 21 Dec 1973 20:09:52 +0000

Teaching and Giving Over.

There is such a thing as teaching, and there is such a thing as giving over.

Giving something over to someone is much deeper than teaching. The Torah says Moses received the Torah on Mt. Sinai, and he came down, but it does not say he taught the Torah to Joshua. It says ‘u’m'sora’ , gave it over to Joshua. This is the deepest depths there is. Sometimes one meets someone one can study with for ten years, they can teach you for ten years and they don’t give anything over to you. Sometimes you meet someone, and maybe they don’t teach you so much but they give something over to you.

Reb Mendele Vorker, the silent Rebbe, was a rebbe for 40 years, and in those 40 years he only spoke eight times. Even those times, on a teaching level he didn’t say anything. At one time he was sitting with his Chassidim for fourteen hours and at the end he said, haShem Echad”. “G-d is One” and then he said, “Happy is the one who knows that ‘G-d is one’ means G-d is One”. On a teaching level he didn’t say anything, but when he said “Hashem Echad”. “G-d is One”, he gave it over. We need someone to give over Yiddishkeit to us. We need someone to give over to us, not to teach us that there is one G-d.’

The Torah says

‘Jacob, Yisroel, loved Yosef more than all his children

Naturally today, on the low level we are, if a father loves his son, he says to him, “Man” – Oh no, he would never say man, that would be too far out. He says, “Son, I want to do something special for you – buy you a trip to Bermuda!” But what does it mean Jacob loved Yosef more? Listen what Rashi says, All the things which Yaakov learned at the Yeshiva of Shem and Aver he gave over to Yosef. You see, he taught all his children the same information, but to Yosef he gave it over. The Bais Yaakov says the most unbelievable thing. Sometimes the holy prophets knew everything clearly, and sometimes they knew everything, but it wasn’t clear. The Midrash says “Yaakov loved Yosef more than all his children” and it also says G-d says to Isreel “I love you”. This is my humble explanation. What did Yaakov give over to Yosef? He gave over to him that he should know that G-d says I love you.

Knowing that G-d loves you is something you can not get via teaching. It has to be given over to you. So the thing is like this, Yaakov didn’t have clear prophecy, because he was not to know that Yosef was to be a slave. But Yaakov knew that Yosef needed something special, because he was the first Jew in exile.

Chanuka is the one holiday which has no tracates in the Gemora. Every other holiday has a long tractate, even Purim, which is a minor holiday. Chanuka has only about a page and a half in the Gemara. Chanuka is a holiday of giving over. It says in the Krias Shma that you shouId teach your children when you sit in your house and when you go on your way. Teaching is ‘at home’ and giving over is ‘on your way’ because there is no time for teaching on the way, only time for giving over. Chanuka is teaching and giving over become one, because on Chanuka I have to put lights at the door of my house so that the light the house (teaching) shines into the street (giving over).

When you teach someone you are not sure his light will increase, but when you give over to someone vou know his light will grow. That is why each night of Chanuka we kindle one more candle to shine into the world, until all the streets of the world are full of light.

House of Love and Prayer, San Francisco. Hanuka, 5733.