How To Expel Darkness

VOOOS MEINT CHANUKEH??

What is Chanuka all about - בימים ההם בזמן הזה

I'll tell you what I think. There is evil in the world. Lots of it. Rabbi X is a pedophile! Did you hear what he did?? Despicable. Rabbi Y sexually abused women who came to him for help. A rasha. Rasha Mirusha. Did you hear about Mr. L.? Big businessman and huge baal tzedaka and they caught him stealing millions of dollars. Otisville - where he is going - has two daily Shachris minyanim, daf yomi and a gemara bi-iyun shiur given by one of the inmates. And how about all of the battered wives, kids on drugs, people addicted to the internet, unfaithful spouses etc. etc. These are just a few examples but there is sooooo much more.

And all in the frum community....

You want to know more? Surf the net! You can read all about all of the evil that is so ubiquitous in our darkened world [please don't. My tongue is deeply embedded in my cheek...].

Comes Chanuka and says "Light ONE candle" [that is the basic obligation every night]. One spark of light that expels all the darkness that is Greece and the modern Greekian phenomena that are so prevalent in our world.

Don't leave the house. "Out there" is schmutzy. You can even look at a billboard while driving down the highway or at a storefront window. Everything is appealing to our [if I may borrow a term from Tanya] animal soul. Just go to your doorway and light that candle and the darkness will eventually dissipate.

People are so deeply immersed and entrenched in all of the darkness that they are overcome by cynicism, anger and venom. STOP READING THE NEW YORK POST/DAILY NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES etc. It is all about evil. Who did what bad things. Who killed. Who stole. Who lied. Who cheated.

The Torah is Light. "Oraita" means Torah and means Light. Jump into the light of Torah.

Smile. Smiling is called הארת פנים  - a light face.

Do chesed, give tzedaka. We say every day in shmone esrei that with the Light of Hashem's face he gave us the love of chesed and tzedaka.

Focus on your neshama. The neshama is called a candle. כי נר השם נשמת אדם - It is a candle of Hashem. The more neshama-dik you become the more light you bring to the world.

Focus on the light and the darkness will go away.   

At the end of days we are promised והיה יום אחד הוא יודע לה' לא יום ולא לילה והיה לעת ערב יהיה אור - It will be a unique day, it will be known as Hashem's day, neither day nor night, but towards evening there will be light [Zechariah 14/7]. Chanuka, when towards evening there is so much light, heralds that period for which we all yearn.

A lichtige [light] Chanuka:-)