The Secret of the Flame of the House of Yosef: Seeing the Glory in Every Jew

Lesson No. 49 | *Monday, Parashas Vayigash, 2 Teves, Zos Chanukah 5756 - The children of Kruvei HaNachal at the home of the Rav*

A profound discourse explaining how the light of Chanukah continues to shine even after the festival, in the aspect of:

From the House of Yaakov to the House of Yosef: The Ever-Increasing Light

The verse states:

"The house of Yaakov shall be a fire, and the house of Yosef a flame, and the house of Esav for stubble" (Ovadiah 1:18).

Until the eighth day of Chanukah, the first seven days were in the aspect of "the house of Yaakov is a fire" – corresponding to the seven Middos (Divine attributes). But on the eighth day, we reach the aspect of "Notzer Chesed" (He who preserves kindness). Reb Noson explains that the letters of "Notzer" (נוצר) spell "Ratzon" (רצון - will or desire). Now the flame is revealed, "the house of Yosef a flame," and this flame must ignite the heart more and more from day to day.

Chanukah has passed, and it seems we no longer have the vessels to draw down the light. We actually want to continue lighting the Chanukah candles, because the miracle is for all generations and for all eternity. Now, when we lack physical vessels, we continue this only with desires, enthusiasm, and joy. In truth, the light is constantly increasing and ascending, only that in the aspect of isgalya (open revelation) we can no longer light, because these are lights so immense that they cannot be contained in a small glass cup with a little oil and a wick. Now, everything continues through the letters of the Torah and the letters of prayer. The tikkun (rectification) is accomplished through strong desire and the enthusiasm of the heart that grows stronger from day to day.

Mehadrin Min HaMehadrin: Searching for the Glory in Every Jew

Reb Noson explains (in Hilchos Bircas HaMazon 4) that the entire essence of Chanukah is to ignite and see the good in everyone. This is the entire point of Breslov Chassidus: never to degrade any person in the world, but only to see the glory within them. "Mehadrin min hamehadrin" (the most beautiful way of performing the mitzvah) means seeing more beauty in a Jew, and even more beauty in a Jew.

Rebbe Nachman taught us to light the small candle with such enthusiasm and deveikus (attachment to Hashem) that it will create a great light which will bring everyone back in teshuvah (repentance). The tzaddik gathers all the good points of every single Jew. He sees glory, and more glory, and more glory.

Therefore, the first resolution a person must take upon himself is not to speak about any Jew and not to mock any Jew. How can I, the smallest Jew, mock another Jew? We must only see the glory in every Jew and search for more beauty. One Jew gives Torah classes, another prays with enthusiasm, a third distributes charity. In every Jew, there is something special that he does which another Jew does not do. Every Jew is an entirely new creation, and this is the true light of Chanukah.

The Secrets of Creation are Revealed to One Who Sees Only Good

Why did the tzaddik merit to become a tzaddik? Rebbe Nachman says: For only one reason – he constantly searches only for good points in every Jew. He sees no flaw in a Jew; he does not degrade Jews nor does he nullify them. He will never say about a Jew's action, "This is worthless" or "This has no value." Everything a Jew does causes endless delight Above.

A person can bring the Geulah (Redemption) with a single mitzvah. If Reuven had taken Yosef on his shoulders and brought him to his father, the Geulah would have come and we would not have suffered the sale of Yosef. But the brothers were afraid of one another. Sometimes a person is afraid to pray with strength, afraid to pray with enthusiasm, afraid to dance or sing, because he worries about what others will say about him. But the tzaddik is not ashamed before anyone and does what needs to be done, and he searches only for the good points.

Hashem glorifies Himself in every Jew, and He created the entire creation with awesome secrets. Why is there a lion in the world? Why is there a mosquito in the world? Everything contains awesome secrets. If you will only see the glory in every Jew, they will reveal to you even why Hashem created mosquitoes and lions, and what the awesome secrets of all creation are.

Yishuv HaDaas and True Humility

The foundation is to know: "I am the worst of all, and therefore I need the best treatment." The greater the illness, the stronger the treatment required. A person must always know that he is the smallest of all. Rebbe Nachman writes in Sichos HaRan that the Chanukah candle is meant to help me see my own lowliness. When will a person not speak about anyone else? Only when he truly knows that he is the lowest of all.

The verse states:

"And Yaakov settled in the land of his father's sojournings" (Bereishis 37:1).

The word "Vayeshev" (וישב - and he settled) shares the letters of "Yishuv" – Yishuv HaDaas (settledness of mind). The first thing a person needs is Yishuv HaDaas. When Hashem said to Avraham Avinu:

"Your reward is very great" (Bereishis 15:1),

An immense secret is hidden within this. The numerical value (gematria) of the words "Sechar'cha harbeh me'od" (שכרך הרבה מאד - your reward is very great) is exactly equal to the words "Yishuv HaDaas" (ישוב הדעת) (797). That is to say, a person's greatest reward is to merit Yishuv HaDaas. A person must dance and be enthusiastic, but always remain with Yishuv HaDaas, which means seeing his own lowliness.

A person's entire spiritual work is to see his own lowliness, and then he will not speak about any person in the world. He will only see that the other person is better than him: this one prays better, this one learns better, this one distributes charity, this one is quieter than me. What do I care if my friend is better than me? On the contrary, let him be better than me! This should only spur me on to pray with more concentration, to dance, and to rejoice.

Until the Foot Ceases from the Marketplace: Nullifying the Lust for Money

Chanukah brings about the aspect of "until the foot ceases from the marketplace" (a Talmudic phrase regarding the time for lighting Chanukah candles). Rebbe Nachman explains that this alludes to nullifying the "foot on his tongue" (habitual gossip) – that no one should speak lashon hara (evil speech) about another. Additionally, it alludes to nullifying the marketplace and business dealings. Chanukah is meant to nullify the lust for money and the desire to hoard wealth. Money is the worst odor in the world, and even small children have a terrible lust for money that must be uprooted from the very beginning.

When Mashiach comes, whoever has not accustomed himself to learning Torah now, it will no longer help him. Mashiach will tell him: "How can I help you? You can't sit and learn? Go to work." This one will open a carpentry shop, that one will open a vegetable store, another will make shoes. There will be no business dealings or lust for wealth, but rather a committee that will distribute things. People want Mashiach now, but if Mashiach were to come now, everyone would bury themselves in the ground out of sheer shame over their spiritual state.

The Secret of Mashiach: The Most Humble of All Men

Mashiach will be the epitome of humility and lowliness. The Chasam Sofer says that if a person begins to think, "Perhaps I am the Mashiach," he has already lost this possibility. Mashiach will be a person who never thought he was worthy of being Mashiach.

Moshe Rabbeinu argued with Hashem for seven full days, claiming that he was unworthy. He said: "Master of the Universe, surely there is some mistake here; I am not Mashiach." Only Moshe Rabbeinu could argue with Hashem for seven days that he is not Mashiach, and therefore, he specifically merited to be the Redeemer. Mashiach will truly be Mashiach because he will know that he is the least of all. Whoever knows that he is the least of all will be ready to argue with Hashem that he is not Mashiach.

"You are Spies": Stopping the Search for Flaws

On Chanukah, we read Parashas Miketz, in which Yosef shouts at his brothers:

"You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you have come" (Bereishis 42:9).

What is a spy? A spy is a person who speaks lashon hara, who passes secrets from one to another, who searches for flaws in others. Yosef shouts at them: "You are spies! You are speaking lashon hara!" The tzaddik shouts this same cry to us on Shabbos Chanukah: Stop being spies on one another!

Through the aspect of the oil of the Chanukah candle, a person merits true intellect – to see that he is the lowest of all. This is the resolution one must make after Chanukah: to no longer speak about any friend or any Jew. No Jew takes my bread or my money. Lashon hara is simply a lust with no purpose whatsoever. If a person breaks free from this, does not speak about anyone, does not fall into arrogance, and sees only his own lowliness and the glory of the other – we will truly merit that the Geulah will come today, and the earth will shine from His glory.

Lesson No. 49