On the 5th Kislev we celebrate the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of Reb Shemuel Eliezer Eidel’s (1555-1631), the “Maharsha” and on the 9th of Kislev we recall the day that Reb Dov Ber. the son of Reb Schneur Zalman·of Liadi was born and died on. On the 10th of Kislev (1826) Reb Dov Ber was released from prison, a day that is celebrated by Chabad Chassidim and on the 18th of Kislev the body of Reb Baruch Mezhibuzher, the son of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov’s daughter, Adel, and her husband, Rabbi Yechiel Ashkenazi left this world. On the 19th we remember the death of the The Maggid of Mezeritch and on the 19th of Kislev we recall the release of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi from prison. On the 21st of Kislev we recall how in 1944 the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum was rescued from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, along with 1,368 other Jews. On the 27th of Kislev we recall the time that the Flood rains ceased (forty days and nights of rainfall which covered the face of earth with water in Noah’s time) and the death of Reb Chaim of Tchernovitz (Be’er Mayim Chayim (“Well of Living Waters”)) who was a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch and of Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov.

Read

• Chanukah: The great light when we see each other again
• Chanukah: Taking care of our children, Taking care of the little candles
• Chanukah: Seeing in the shining lights only the beauty of people
• Chanukah: Giving us the Strength to Perform the Greatest Miracles
• Chanukah: Light reaching the darkest corners of our hearts
• Chanukah: Kindle one more candle to shine into the world, until all the streets of the world are full of light
• Chanukah: All the Doors and the Windows of our Hearts are Open to Each Other

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 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.

Shlomo Carlebach

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

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

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

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.