It was Chanukah eve, and a large group of chassidim had gathered in the home of Rabbi Dovid of Tolna [1808-10 Iyar 1882, son of the famed tzadik, Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl, had thousands of chasidim that relied on his leadership. His works include Magen David] to witness their Rebbe’s lighting of the menorah. Rabbi Dovid held the lighted shammash in hand, and prepared to recite the blessings; suddenly, he turned to one of the assembled chassidim and asked:
“I’ve always wondered: You are a very tall fellow, while your wife is a short woman. What do you do when you wish to speak to each other? Do you stoop down to her or does she crane upward toward you?”
Without waiting for a reply, the Rebbe turned his attention to the menorah, set on a stool in the doorway, recited the blessings, and lit the flames.
Standing among the Chasidim at the time was Rabbi Mordechai Dov of Hornsteipel, a grandson of one of the Rebbe's brothers, who was already known as a tzadik. He had come to visit with his relatives for a while. Seeing how perplexed the Chasidim were by their Rebbe's words, he explained the Rebbe’s mysterious remark. The Talmud tells us that, as a rule, “the Divine Presence does not descend to lower than ten tefachim (approx. 31 inches) above the ground.”[1] And yet, the laws of Chanukah specify that it is preferable to place the menorah below this height.[2] "The holy Ari of Safed stated that this secret of the descent of the Divine Presence is the mystical root of the Talmudic statement, 'If your wife is short, bend over and whisper to her.' It is this secret that the Rebbe, my great-uncle, wished to hint at and invoke with his words to that tall chasid."
The next evening, when it was time to kindle the second light, the Rebbe of Tolna turned to a different chasid, and again said something baffling that no one could penetrate. Then, as he turned back to the menorah, he addressed his great-nephew, the young tzadik, and remarked, "This time you will not be able to decipher it for them."
And so it was.
[1] Talmud, Sukkah 5a.
[2] Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 671:6.
