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Ahavat YisraelAhavat Yisrael Daily Podcast - Ahavat Yisrael By Rabbi David Sutton Author: Rabbi David Sutton
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Chanukah Everlasting Unity'
Friday, 2 December, 2022
Today we will share one last Ahavat Yisrael thought related to Chanukah. As we mentioned, weread the Nasi'im/princes on Chanukah. One ofthe reasons for this is that right after the 12 Nasi'im comes Parashat Baha'alotcha ,which talks about the Menorah. What's the connection between the lighting ofthe Menorah and the Nasi'im ? Rashi tells us, in the beginning of Baha'alotcha that Aharon HaKohen had what is called Chalishut HaDa'at. He was down.He said, " My tribe is not connected to the 12 Nasi'im offerings? So Hashem said, " Don't feel bad. You have somethingbigger than they have. And that is the miracle of Chanukah ." The questionalways is How is Chanukah the answer to the fact that they have the Nasi'im ? Rabbi Aaron Walkin, in his sefer Aaron Haim, page 301, answers that what bothered Aharon about the Nasi'im was their Achdut . Each one of them brought the same exact offering.No one tried to outdo the other. No onesaid, " I'll do more flowers. I'll have a better wedding. I'll have a biggerparty." Everyone kept tothe same exact program. They didn't try to outdo each other. There was tremendous achdut . They boughtcaravans together- six caravans and they chipped in, two together, to show thatthey weren't trying to steal the wholeMitzvah. Everything about the Nasi'im indicated Achdut . So Aharon felt bad- Where was his tribe ? And the answer was, he would get themiracle of Chanukah. Because, as we mentioned, Chanukah has in it, the aspectof Achdut/unity , as we we discussed this past week- the many hints of unity in the miracle of Chanukah. And he further brings down that it says about the Menorah that there's Kaneh Echad/one main branch which everything comes of, andthat symbolizes the unity of the Jewishpeople. Furthermore, the Menorah cannot be made piecemeal. It has to chiseled out of one block , which was a miracle. And that one block is further symbolism of the oneness ofthe Menorah. So that's what it means that Aharon was told, " Yours will last forever." The Nesi'im's unity was a one-time thing, but Aharon HaKohen has the miracle of Chanukah, which lastsforever. And as we see, Chanukah is a time when families get together. Such is the Achdut aspect Chanukah. Have a wonderful day.
