Chanukah 5770/2009 - Jewish Infertility

SHAAREI TIKVAH/ CHANUKAH 2009
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They too will face seemingly insurmountable nisyonos,
but they will preserve.
pened in between? He answers that the Al-mighty told Avrohom
to go outside and count the stars, even though that is
completely beyond Avrohom’s or any other human being’s
ability. But if the Al-mighty asked of him to do it, then Avrohom
set out to achieve the impossible. For that is his Master’s
request. On that the Al-mighty declared, Koh yihyeh
zarecha, “So too will your children be.” They too will attempt
to achieve the impossible. They too will face seemingly
insurmountable nisyonos, but they will preserve. They
will attempt to reach the level of koh.
When the Kohanim bentch the nation, the instruction
is given as “Koh sevarchu”, “So you shall bless them.” I once
heard said in the name of Rav Moshe Sherer, zt”l, that when
our eyes are open, we can see only a limited amount. But
when our eyes are closed, then our vision becomes infinite.
Thus, when a woman bentches licht she closes her eyes,
dreaming the impossible. She asks for anything and everything
that her mind can imagine. The same holds true for
birchas Kohanim. When the Kohanim bentch us, we close
our eyes and are forbidden to look at them. WE want to be
blessed with the hopes and dreams that we thought before
were impossible to achieve. The Kohanim bless us and we
“keep our eyes closed,” dreaming for the impossible to happen,
hoping for Hashem to make our dreams come true.
Isn’t it remarkable that the prayer we daven for when the
Kohanim are singing is one about our dreams? What more
appropriate time could there be for our dreams to be realized
and interpreted for the best?!
This is the essence of Chanukah. It is a fine balance between
the two. On the one hand the Yidden were not simply
handed a miracle. We fought valiantly to overcome
enormous odds to defeat the Hellenistic forces. We stood
by our convictions, desperately tying not to fall into the
trap which so many Misyavnim fell into. In esoteric terms,
there was an isarusa de’lasata, an awakening from below.
This was the koh. But it was only because we were given
the opportunity. Hashem loved us – we did nothing to derive
the victory. The vast majority of the Jews had assimilated
with the Yevanim, but we were lifted up and given
the chance to achieve the impossible. The isarusa de’le’aila,
awakening from Above, enabled it to happen.
This can be better explained by a beautify story about
the great Reb Dovid of Tolna. It was moments before lighting
of the Chanukah menorah and the Chassidim gathered
around Reb Dovid. They waited and waited for him to
begin lighting but nothing was happening. Suddenly the
Rebbe called over Moshe, a young man who was clearly the
tallest of his Chassidim. Reb Dovid asked Moshe, “How is it
possible for you to kiss your little child? You are so tall and
he is so small!” Moshe explained that eh merely bends all
the way down and his child stands on his tiptoes.
Reb Dovid smiled and then lit the menorah. Later he
told his puzzled Chassidim what that simple conversation
had to do wit the lighting of the menorah. He explained
that the Al-might is very great and tall and we are very
small. But because He loves us so very much, He bends all
the way down and we stand on our tiptoes and He then
gives us a kiss.
The same can be said about the Yom Tov of Chanukah.
We were in a sorry state, so very small, lost in a sea of assimilation.
We then stood on our toes, reached deep down
inside of our neshamos and found the koh hidden inside.
Seeing our efforts, the Al-mighty saw how very ba’cheint we
are. He bent all the way down and lifted us up to victory. That
combination of chein and koh is what enables us to feel this
“Kiss of Heaven.”
May we only merit to continue to feel it throughout our
lives.