Shabbos as you never knew it - taste the Shabbos foods, dive into the essence of Shabbos!

The book that will Shabbos into focus, to everyone who has kept Shabbos once or never in their life:

Recipe for Esrog Jam

Recipe for Esrog Jam 

Rinse all esrogim.

Put all esrogim in water.

Put a heavy object on top, so the uppermost esrogim stay under water.

Change the water every morning – for one week.

Rinse all esrogim.

Cut off the pittem and set aside for the Segula.

Peel all esrogim.

Take care with the peeling process as it is fraught with danger of bruising/cutting the skin . . .

Set aside one big, nice chunk of peel for each esrog.

Rinse all peeled esrogim.

Dice the esrogim into cubes, rings or sticks – you choose!

Depending on your choice of colour, choose one of the two options below:

1) Boil sugar until it becomes dark brown, which will result in brown/black-ish-coloured jam

2) Add white sugar to a pot of water, which will result in yellow-ish/orange-coloured jam

Now add the diced pieces of esrog to the pot

Add a jar of honey to the pot.

Boil for 14 hours on a low-to-medium flame (from 6:30AM to 8:30PM)

Stir the pot every hour; 13 times in total!

Prepare containers with lids; small ones for a small family and large ones for large families.

Prepare name labels with e.g. “Esrog Jam for Family Scharf” and stick on each container.

Taste the broth every three hours to see if the sharpness of the esrogim is still present.

If so, add a glass of sugar (depending on the above two options)

Let the pot cool down naturally.

Start dishing out the jam into the containers.

Add to each container some larger chunks that may have dropped to the bottom of the pot.

Do not close the containers until the jam has reached room temperature.

Now cover the jam with the large piece of peel that you set aside.

Cover the containers.

You may now store / freeze the containers until Tu Bishvat

Do not fall victim to modern technology

This gives us something to think about with all our new electronic technology. 

GPS 
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. 

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. 
 
The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen. 
 
MOBILE PHONES 
I never thought of this...

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen.. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... etc...was stolen. 
 
20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our PIN number and I've replied a little while ago.' 
 
When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account. 
 
Moral of the lesson: 
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.. 

Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....

And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back. 

Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them.. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you. 
 
*PLEASE PASS THIS ON 
*I never thought about the above! 
As of now, I no longer have 'home' listed on my cell phone...

אהבת קדומים - צהר בעיר בעלזא

לכבוד הנהלת צהר שלוחי דרחמנא

בשליחות כ"ק מרן עטרת ראשנו האדמו"ר שליט"א מבעלזא.

תכלה היריעה ולא אוכל להביע במילים את רחשי ליבי, אך איני יכול שלא לומר את אשר על ליבי, כל אשר אומר תמציתו במילה אחת גדולה - "תודה"!!!

ראשית תודה לאבינו רוענו האיש על העדה, מנהיג בחסד, עיניו צופיות למרחוק הלא הוא כ"ק מרן שליט"א שיזם את המסע הקדוש "אהבת קדומים" מסע זכרונות לבית ולטעם של פעם. שהאציל עלינו מרוחו הגדולה, התרגשתי מאוד שזכרוננו עלה לפניו באהבה ואהבתו הגדולה אלינו, אשר אולי נסתרה מעינינו, הורגשה בעוצמה רבה בכל שלב ובכל מהלך המסע המופלא הזה בכל פרט ופרט.

אברכהו מעומק הלב ובאהבה הדדית, בבריאות איתנה בכל רמ"ח אבריו ושס"ה גידיו, יאריך ימים על ממלכתו וימשיך להשפיע משפעו הטוב לצאן עדת מרעיתו ולכל עדת ישראל.

המסר שמרן שליט"א רוצה שנפנים בתוך הסטון הזה (באנגלית - סליחה!)

תודה - על מסע מרגש, קסום ומושקע עד לפרטים הכי קטנים.

תודה - על אנשים מדהימים שליוו את המסע כאו"א בשמו הטוב יבורך.

תודה - על חברים מופלאים, בעלזרס בעבר ובהווה, שותפים למסע עומק.

תודה - על רגעים מרגשים של תפילה והתחברות. 

תודה - על סדנאות מעצימות, מרגשות ומעמיקות.

תודה - על הקשבה, הכלה, תמיכה וקבלת האחר ללא תנאי.

תודה - על הזכות להרגיש חלק מקהילה חמה ומגובשת.

תודה - על ההכרה בנו כאחים בלב ונפש.

תודה - על כל הפינוקים הגדולים והקטנים, (כולל משחת נעלים וקיסמי אוזניים)

תודה - על הגפילטע פיש, השניצל והצ'יפס, כולל הראסל של ערב שב"ק.

תודה - על צוות מדוייק, כל אחד הוא זהב טהור.

תודה - על שיחות אל תוך הלילה, שיחות נפש בדרכים ובתחנות.

תודה - על מחשבה ותכנון של מקומות מדהימים ביופיים.

ללא ספק שזכרונות המסע עוד יהדהדו ימים ארוכים, זהו מסע נדיר והיסטורי שעוד ידברו בו רבות בעולם החסידי, זכיתי להשתתף בו יחד עם חברים שכל אחד מהם הוא עולם ומלואו, ביחד נוצר תמהיל מדהים שיצר חוויה מרגשת, נוגעת, מטלטלת ועוצמתית.

אזכור:

את שירת בר יוחאי ביום ל"ג בעומר בתצפית סטראחוב המשקיפה על פראג העתיקה.

את הטיולים המשותפים בנופים קסומים שפתחו את הלב והרחיבו את הדעת.

את התפילה המשותפת, תפילת אהבה תפילת השתפכות לרפואתה השלימה של כ"ק מר"ש.

את קדושת השבת שננסכה עלינו בסתם יום של חול על מימי נהר הוולטובה, כששרנו על הסיפון בצוותא חדר "כל מקדש שביעי" על כוס שכר מלא..

את דממת הלב מכל קברי הילדים ביער הילדים - זוויליטובסקה גורה, שם נשפך לב כמים על דם ישראל שנשפך כמים, עין לא נותרה יבשה. לבבות נפתחו אל מול השקט המחריד.

את הוד הקדומים שחשנו עת דרכו רגלינו על אדמת קודש מכורת אבותינו הקדושים מנוחתם עדן, בעיר בעלזא אשר הייתה מעטירה וניטלה העטרה, הייתה תל תלפיות ועצה היא תל, ובכל זאת שמך לא שכחנו...

את סיפורי העבר המרגשים של הרב עקיבא אשר פדווא שליט"א שעורר בנו רגשות געגועים לימים כקדם.

את עונג השבת נועם הנשמות בשירים ודיבורים ומיני מטעמים ותפנוקים סמוך ונראה לקברי רבותינו הקד', אשר בוודאי השפיעו עלינו מהודם ורוחם.

את המרגליות והפנינים ששזר לנו משמח אלוקים ואדם הרב ישראל שטרן שליט"א בלב פתוח ורגש נובע להתענג בתענוגים...

את פרקי תהילים לאור בוקר בציון הקדוש של הרבי ר' אלימלך בליזענסק, בשיר וקול תודה נברך...

את הניגונים המרגשים במוזיאון היהודי בפראג אל מול שמות הנספים בשואה, תושבי צ'כיה החקוקים על קירות בית הכנסת, זכור דמם נשפך כמים...

את רגשי הקודש בתפילת רבים בבית הכנסת אלטנוי שול, קרוב למקום מושבו של המהרל מפראג, לרפאותו השלימה של מרן שליט"א, שפכו כמים ליבך...

את השבת אחים גם יחד בלילה הראשון בלב פראג, על כוס בירה או וודקה יחד עם ניגוני קודש - נפתחו הלבבות. לב טהור ברא לי.

לך היקר באדם, איש תבונה ומעש עם לב וחיוך ענק, ר' מנחם הלל קליין שליט"א ועמו אחיו היקר הפרוייקטור של המסע ר' שלום קליין שליט"א.

תודה ענקית לכם על ההזדמנות המדהימה לשוב הביתה ולטעום את הטעם של פעם לתקופה קצרה.

אי אפשר בלי להגיד תודה לעומדים בשליחות הקודש מאחורי המסע ר' אהרן מאנן, ר' שמואל וינד.

תודה ענקית לכם.

ועל כולם אנשים מיוחדים ומתוקים. גרמתם לנו להוריד את המחסומים, לפתוח ולקבל, בלעדיכם המסע הזה לא היה כפי שהוא היה.

ר' יוסי פיקסלר, ר' שמשון פרבר, ר' שמואל וייס, ר' אהרן גרוסמן.

לסיום אני רוצה להעריך אתכם על התעוזה והאומץ, על האמון וההכלה שנתתם בנו. את ההזדמנות להחזיר אותנו ולו במעט, על ההכרה שלכם בנו, על ההרגשה שנתתם לנו שאנחנו חשובים ויקרים לכם.

השארתם טעם של עוד...

מקווה שזה ימשיך לעוד מפגשים...

תודה ענקית

אוהב אתכם מאוד

א. ה.

Travel Resources for Bike, Car, Bus or Train

Travel Resources

http://www.visitlondon.com/

https://www.seat61.com/

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/

https://www.travellers.com/

www.daysoutguide.co.uk

www.tfl.gov.uk

Travel by Train – Resources

http://www.railcard.co.uk/network

http://www.raileasy.co.uk/?admetasaid=880609

http://www.seat61.com/UK-train-travel.htm#How to buy train tickets online

http://www.takethetrain.co.uk/apps/WebObjects/TTT.woa

https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en

https://www.interrail.eu/en

www.eastcoast.co.uk

www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk

www.mytrainticket.co.uk 

www.nationalrail.co.uk

www.quno.com

www.railteam.eu

www.redspottedhanky.com

www.thetrainline.com

Travel by Bike – Resources

http://cyclejourneyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/cycle/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2

http://swiftyscooters.com/

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/

www.bikeandrun.co.uk

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www.h2bikerun.co.uk

www.swiftyscooters.com

www.thecyclingcommuter.com

Travel by Bus – Resources

http://www.bususers.org/

https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

www.plusbus.info

Travel by Car – Resources

www.carplus.org.uk

www.gocarshare.com

www.jbgb.com

www.liftshare.com

Travel abroad from the UK

קישור להנפקת תו ירוק בשביל כניסה מהירה יותר לארץ ישראל https://corona.health.gov.il/green-pass

https://travel.info-coronavirus.be/public-health-passenger-locator-form

Charred Charedim vs. Liberated Liberals?

When COVID-19 and the headlines was raging - the first against the whole world and the latter against the Charedim in Stamford Hill.

Here's one in favour of the Charedim:

Wed, 3 Feb 2021 at 23:26, by S. K. K. 

They have been completely wrong to do it, however their understanding about Covid through lack of media of all forms is not like ours. That is not an excuse, that’s the reality that's unfortunately prevented them learning of the statistics and world effect. 

The other point is although their infection rate is much higher than the general population due mainly to living in such overcrowding, their mortality rate in comparison is much lower, probably due to the fact that there average age is younger than the general population, therefore they are not seeing the death rate like us in their own community and they are not aware outside the community what’s really going on. 

So for them, who mainly all had it last year and recovered well, they are feeling such low risk now and like the rest of the population the longer the restrictions go on the harder people are finding it to maintain restrictions. 

Their lives in crammed housing with little outlet, for example no football team to follow, no social media, no TV etc, leaves them totally reliant on just the joys of Simcha’s to focus on. Again this is NOT an excuse but it’s reality. 

If, you then add to the equation a historic somewhat lack of trust from the outside world, as their lives are governed by Torah. Which generally do coincide perfectly with keeping all the civil laws. 

Hence despite this they have always had a great relationship with Hackney Police because they are all bar exception of a very small minority of them, they are extremely law abiding and charitable. Probably pro rata for their numbers the most law abiding group of people. 

Now please take this all into consideration when you are singling just them out for not abiding by Restrictions. To finish, the good news is that Janet Clifford I and other had a zoom meeting with a representative of their community on Sunday, we were completely clear in our condemnation of any weddings taking place. 

The person told us that he hadn’t (like no one in Stamford Hill does) seen the JC or Jewish news reports, so he had no idea of the outrage from fellow Jews. However he told us a very productive meeting had be held by the police after the wedding and a booklet produced in Yiddish and Hebrew and it’s all been very clearly explained and understood by them. 

It’s a shame this has taken till now, but at least it’s happened. They see Secular as fellow Jews and they would never meddle in the rights and wrongs what we do. We don’t have a perfect track record, we are not all societal covid saints. 

The difference is we don’t dress the same so we are not identified as one. Is anyone not up in arms at the celebrities who’ve been highlighted in the news for breaking it, no, because people in the main judge their rule breaking as one bad incident amongst all the other non bad things that they know about the celebrity. 

A lot of People here do not know other things about the Charedi to focus on and believe me all the other things about them are really good and endearing. Again I will reiterate, I completely condemn the weddings that took place but I completely condemn equally the witch hunt against all the Charedi. They are not all holding weddings. 

Please see the whole picture about them and what has happened. Please stop the hatred towards them, we have enough antisemites out there who hate all of us, we don’t need to hate each other. Please see the good in fellow Jews, They do.  With very best wishes, S.K.K.

My reply, dated Friday, February 5, 2021

Hi,

Following the welcome news that the editors have started to back-paddle on the wave of hatred they engendered in last week's edition of the LJN, I would like to clarify one point:

A positive change in attitude towards COVID-19 guidelines by the North London Charedi Kehilla (aka the Stamford Hill Jewish community) is evident on local streets, in shops and in public buildings across the neighbourhood.  

This is mainly due to high-level talks between the Metropolitan Police and functionaries of local synagogues, who verbally transmitted the Met's recommendations on the last Sabbath; these were also disseminated by way of printed notices.  

Increased patrolling and policing of the area to enforce guidelines, coupled with the commitment by the local population to follow these guidelines have resulted in more people wearing masks, which will hopefully lead to less people requiring medical intervention.  

In no way can the change in Stamford Hill be credited to the mud-slingers peddling vitriolic venom from their ivory towers.  As the late Harry Stern (full name: "Meir Menasche Stern", a decades-long police liaison for the Jewish community vis-a-vis local and national government) once said: "there are nice ways to be nasty".  

When dealing with sensitive issues there is no need to pour oil on the fire, which may (or may not?) have sold more newspapers for one week, but lost many customers to the LJN forever.  

I am full of hope that at the same time that the we have learned a lesson in obedience, the publishers of the JC and the LJN - together with all purveyors of juicy gossip on social media will put a stop to this mindless regurgitation of ages-old baseless self-hatred. Amen! Menasche Scharf

Followed by the next instalment, on 08 February 2021:

Good morning,

I'm not aware - I was told that the community came to an agreement with the Metropolitan police that there will be no weddings in Stamford Hill for two weeks or until a solution can be found.  

In light of the above, I'm wondering how a person of Rabbi Shochat's stature could make such an assertion - unless I'm totally misinformed.  Should his statement be true then it's sad for our community to be led by seemingly spineless leaders whose promises to the authorities are breached by their own community members.  

Whilst there were some weddings that I heard about, they were in people's front rooms, which usually can hold up to 20-30 people in the most expansive house in the area. You also have to take into account the cultural divide which precludes the mixing of genders, especially at weddings (e.g. dining & dancing) so there could have been a maximum of 15 people in each room.  

Regardless of all the above, me thinks that all this should be a wakeup call for the Jewish community as a whole to stop this social distancing and start titillating each other's way of life so that when the government's guidance and recommendations on social distancing is finally lifted we could start working together instead of flying into each other's hair whenever there is a scoop...

To which came the reply, on 08 February 2021:

Morning, Absolutely brilliant and thank you so much for the informative reply. I know you are busy working so I wont bother you any more but I will let you know if Rabbi Schohet does reply, although I doubt he will.  I will let you know, have a good day.

THE FRAGILITY OF FREEDOM - HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 2024

 HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 2024 – NORTH HERTS, UK

THIS YEAR’S THEME: THE FRAGILITY OF FREEDOM

YANKY FACHLER’S ADDRESS (VIA ZOOM)

 

On the website of Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, we read that in every genocide, those who are targeted for persecution have had their freedom restricted and removed. Freedom is indeed fragile. It cannot be taken for granted.

My late father, who escaped from Nazi Germany and survived the Holocaust thanks to the Kindertransport programme, and who lived in Letchworth for 30 years, told me that it is impossible for people born in free societies to imagine what it is like to live in a totalitarian society like the Nazi regime. He escaped, but the fragility of freedom was not accorded to his parents and most of his family who were devoured by the Nazi killing machine.

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust website mentions several ways in which the freedoms of people targeted during the years preceding the Holocaust were restricted. Among these fragile freedoms, I have chosen 4: Freedom of religion. Freedom to self-identify. Freedom of movement. Freedom of expression.

The Nazis had a cynical habit of committing their worst atrocities on Jewish holidays. Almost 4 months ago, on the happiest day in the Jewish calendar, Simchat Torah, the Rejoicing of the Law, Hamas murderers committed the worst pogrom, the most unspeakable atrocities against Jews, since the Holocaust.

But today, I do not want to dwell on this genocidal orgy of hatred against the Jewish state of Israel. I want to talk about the atmosphere of hate and fear that has gripped Jews outside Israel since 7 October. Jews everywhere are feeling vulnerable in a way that is very reminiscent of the period before the Holocaust.

Let’s start with freedom of religion. In scores of synagogues, in Britain, the USA and elsewhere, services have been cancelled, synagogues have been evacuated, graffiti has been daubed on synagogue buildings, and antisemitic crowds have jeered at Jews entering and leaving their houses of prayer.

Let’s look at freedom to self-identify. Official Jewish representative bodies around the world have warned Jews to stop wearing Star of David pendants in public. Jewish males have been warned not to wear a yarmulke – like the one I am wearing - in public. Jewish students on university campuses have been advised to take down the mezuzah from the doorposts of Jewish society premises to avoid these premises being attacked.

Let’s look at freedom of movement. In an official poll last month, 90% of British Jews said that they were afraid to go to city centres when pro-Hamas demonstrations were taking place. A Jewish peer told the House of Lords that he is more afraid when his teenage daughter travels on the London Tube than when his son serves in the Israeli army.

And let’s look at freedom of expression. Using the excuse of intersectionality, safe space, and other woke mantras, Jewish students’ voices are being stifled on university campuses. A former Jewish minister of Justice in Ireland has warned parents to think twice before sending their children to Irish universities, such is the poisoned atmosphere on Irish campuses.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is bad enough for me and my fellow Second-generation Holocaust survivors to witness the insane jump in overt anti-semitic incidents in Britain and elsewhere. But spare a thought for the impact that this is having on Holocaust survivors. I sat with my 97 year old aunt last month in Jerusalem. She, like my father, reached Britain with the Kindertransport, and lived in Letchworth for several years. She is in a state of despair and disbelief. She kept repeating: We were told “Never again.” “I believed that we had seen the end of the worst excesses of antisemitism,” she said. “I never believed that in my lifetime I would see the genie of barbarous, baseless hatred escape from the bottle once again.”

My friends, the world stood idly by and watched during the 1930s as Jews were systematically stripped of their precious, fragile freedoms – and we know where that led. It is now 2024, and the world is again standing idly by as Jews around the world – including in the UK – are watching the fundamental freedoms that they had taken so much for granted, once again being trampled on.

In sending out a warning about the fragility of the freedoms we hold so dear, I want to address the organisers of today’s event. Carol Roth Eini, a former Letchworth resident, is a Second Generation Holocaust survivor, whose grandson is now in rehab following his injuries fighting against the modern incarnation of the Nazis. You told Carol that her prepared words for today were not impartial enough. Not impartial enough? As someone who lost dozens of family members in the Holocaust that we are commemorating today, I think you may be missing the whole point of Holocaust Memorial Day.

Thank you.

 

Yanky Fachler

yankyfachler@gmail.com +353 86 8575162

• Content creation, ghost-writer, corporate trainer
• Chair, Jewish Historical Society of Ireland
• Member, Jewish Representative Council of Ireland
• Columnist, Wessex Jewish News

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Accumulating Lights - All About Chanukah

Unlike most other mitzvot, which can be (and usually are) performed indoors, the laws governing the kindling of the Chanukah lights stipulate that they be placed within the doorway or window of the home, so that their luminance should radiate outward to the street. The night may be dark, the street may be teeming with alien and commonplace elements, but if there is a Jewish home in the vicinity, the street will know that it is Chanukah.

It will also know which night of Chanukah it is. On each of the eight nights of Chanukah, a different number of flames are kindled, expressing that night’s particular place in the festival. On the first night of Chanukah, there will be one flame illuminating the street; on the second night, two flames; and so on.

Actually, the Talmud records two opinions on how each Chanukah night should identify itself and cast its unique light upon the world. This was one of the halachic issues debated by the two great academies of Torah law, the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel: the sages of Hillel held that the Chanukah lights should increase in number each night, in the familiar ascending order; the sages of Shammai were of the opinion that eight flames should be lit on the first night, seven on the second, and so on in descending number, until the eighth night of Chanukah, when a single flame should be lit.[[i]]

The Talmud explains that the sages of Shammai saw the Chanukah lights as representing the “upcoming days” of the festival—the number of days still awaiting realization; thus, the number of lights decrease with each passing night, as another of Chanukah’s days is “expended.” The Hillelian view, on the other hand, sees the lights as representing Chanukah’s “outgoing days,” so that the ascending number of flames reflect the accumulation of actualized milestones in the eight-day quest for light.

In practice, we follow the opinion of the school of Hillel, and an ascending number of lights chronicle the progress of the festival. This is even alluded to in the very name of the festival: the Hebrew word “Chanukah” forms an acronym of the sentence Chet Neirot V’halachah K’veit Hillel—”Eight lights, and the law follows the House of Hillel.”[[ii]]

Our acceptance of Hillel’s perspective on Chanukah is also expressed by the name traditionally given to the eighth day of Chanukah—the only day of the festival to be distinguished by a name of its own—“Zot Chanukah.”

The name “Zot Chanukah” is based on a phrase from that day’s Torah reading, and literally means “This is Chanukah.” This is in keeping with the Hillelian vision of Chanukah, in which the final day of Chanukah—the day on which all eight days of light have been actualized—marks the climax of the festival; only on the eighth day can we say: “This is Chanukah; now we ‘have’ the entire Chanukah.” (From the Shammaian perspective, the first day of Chanukah would be “Zot Chanukah.”)

What is the basis for these two visions of Chanukah? And why is the view of the House of Hillel so overwhelmingly embraced, to the extent that it is implicit in the very name “Chanukah” and in the name given to its culminating day?

The Debate

There are two basic ways in which one might view something: in light of its potential, or its actual state. We might say of a certain person: “He has tremendous potential, but his actual performance is poor.” The same can be said of a corporation, a relationship, an experience, or anything else. Or we might say: “There’s potential for disaster here, but it might be contained and prevented from actualizing.”

Some of us are potential-oriented, which means that we would admire the person, invest in the company, stick it out with the relationship and treasure the experience—depending upon its potential. Some of us are more actual-oriented, viewing things in terms of their “bottom line”—their actual tactual impact upon our reality.

This is a recurring theme in many of the disputes between the schools of Shammai and Hillel. For example, the sages of Shammai consider the moment of the Exodus to be the eve of Nissan 15, when the people of Israel were free to leave Egypt; the sages of Hillel place the moment at midday of the following day, when the Jews actually exited Egypt’s physical borders.[[iii]] In another debate, the sages of Shammai consider a fish susceptible to ritual impurity from the moment the fisherman pulls his catch out of the water, since at this point the fish has been removed from the environment in which it might possibly live; the sages of Hillel disagree, contending that as long as the fish is actually alive (though its potential for continued life has been destroyed), it is immune to contamination, as are all other living plants and animals.[[iv]]

This is also the basis of their differing perspectives on Chanukah. The House of Shammai, which views things in terms of their potential, sees the first day of Chanukah, with its potential for eight days of light, as the point in which all eight days are “there”; but after one day has “gone by” and passed from potential into actuality, we “have” only seven days in their most meaningful form—the potential form. The sages of Hillel, on the other hand, see the actual state as the more significant; to them, the eighth day of Chanukah, when all eight dimensions of the festival have been actualized, is when the festival is at its fullest and most “real.”

G-d’s Reality

We are creatures of the actual. We cannot live on potential nourishment, or be emotionally satisfied by potential relationships; on the whole, we judge people by their actual conduct, as opposed to their potential to behave a certain way. Reality, to us, is what is, not what might be.

This is largely due to the fact that we are physical beings. It is a most telling idiom of our language that “immaterial” means “insignificant”: if we cannot touch it or see it, it’s not real to us. Also, because of our finite and limited nature, we possess potentials that we will never actualize because we haven’t enough energy, resources or willpower to carry them out, or simply because we won’t live long enough to do so. So the existence of a potential or possibility for something is not enough, for how do we know that it will amount to anything? Indeed, we often tend to view the actual as the measure of potential: if this much has been actualized, this “proves” that there is potential worthy of regard.

Envision, however, a being who is neither physical nor finite; a being not limited by space, time or any other framework. In such a being, potential does not lack actualization, for everything is “as good as done.” On the contrary: potential is the purest and most perfect form of every reality—the essence of the thing, as it transcends the limitations and imperfections imposed upon it when it translates into physical actuality.

For G-d, then, the potential is a higher form of being than the actual. This is why we say that, for G-d, the creation of the world did not constitute an “achievement” or even a “change” in His reality. The potential for creation existed in Him all along, and nothing was “added” by its translation into actuality. It is only we, the created, who gained anything from the actual creation of the world.

So when the sages of Shammai and Hillel debate the question of which is more significant from the perspective of Torah law, the actual or the potential, they are addressing the more basic question: Whose Torah is it—ours or G-d’s? When the Torah enjoins us to commemorate the Exodus, when it legislates the laws of ritual impurity or commands us to kindle the Chanukah lights, does it regard these phenomena from the perspective of its divine author, in which the potential is the ideal state, or from the perspective of its human constituency, which equates actual with real?

The Torah

Whose Torah is it, ours or G-d’s? Both Shammai and Hillel would agree that it is both.

The Torah is the wisdom and will of G-d. But as we proclaim in the berachah (benediction) recited each morning over the Torah, G-d has given us His Torah, for He has delegated to mortal man the authority to interpret it and apply it. Thus, He did not communicate His will to us in the form of a detailed manifesto and a codified list of instructions. Instead, He dictated a relatively short (79,976-word) “Written Torah” (the Five Books of Moses), together with the “Oral Torah”—a set of guidelines by which the Written Torah is to be interpreted, decoded, extrapolated, and applied to the myriads of possibilities conjured up by the human experience.

So while the entire body of legal, homiletic, philosophical and mystical teaching we know as “Torah” is implicit within the Written Torah, G-d designated the human mind and life as the tools that unlock the many layers of meaning and instruction contained within its every word.

Torah is thus a partnership of the human and the divine, where a kernel of divine wisdom germinates in the human mind, gaining depth, breadth and definition, and is actualized in the physicality of human life. In this partnership, our human finiteness and subjectivity become an instrument of the divine truth, joining with it to create the ultimate expression of divine immanence in our world—the Torah.

Which is the more dominant element of Torah—divine revelation or human cognition? Which defines its essence? What is Torah—G-d’s vision of reality, or man’s endeavor to make his world a home for G-d? At times the Torah indicates the one; at times, the other. Thus we have the rule that “The words of Torah are not susceptible to contamination.”[[v]] A person who is in a state of ritual impurity (tum’ah) is forbidden to enter the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple); but there is no prohibition for him to study Torah. Why is he forbidden to enter a holy place but permitted to think and speak holy words? Because the Torah is not only “holy” (i.e., an object subservient to G-d and receptive to His presence)—it is divine. It is G-d’s word, and the divine cannot be compromised by any impurity.

On the other hand, another law states that “A teacher of Torah who wishes to forgive an insult to his honor, can forgive it.”[[vi]] This is in contrast to a king, who if insulted, has no right to forgive the insult, and no recourse but to punish the one who insulted him. For a king’s honor is not his personal possession, but something that derives from his role as the sovereign of his people; one who insults the king insults the nation, and this is an insult that the king has not the authority to forgive. Yet does not one who insults a Torah scholar insult the Torah? How does the scholar have the right to forgive the Torah’s insult? The explanation given is that “the Torah is his.”[[vii]] He who studies Torah acquires it as his own; G-d’s wisdom becomes his wisdom.

Whose Torah is it—ours or G-d’s? Both descriptions are valid; both are part of the Torah’s own self-perception. In certain laws and circumstances, we find the divinity of Torah emphasized; in others, its human proprietorship.

Thus, in a number of laws, the schools of Shammai and Hillel debate which definition of Torah is the predominant one. The sages of Shammai believe that in these particular applications of Torah law, the divinity of Torah predominates: the Torah’s perspective is synonymous with G-d’s perspective, meaning that the potential of a thing is its primary truth. The Sages of Hillel see these laws as belonging to the “human” element in Torah, so that Torah’s vision of reality is the human, actual-based perspective.

The Human Festival

In the great majority of the disputations between the schools of Shammai and Hillel, the final halachic ruling follows the opinion of the House of Hillel. Halachah is the application of Torah to day-to-day life. In this area of Torah, it is the human element which predominates; here, reality is defined in terms of the actual and tactual, rather than the potential.

But nowhere is the supremacy of the Hillelian view more emphasized than in the debate on Chanukah, where the very name of the festival, and the name given to its final day, proclaim that “the law follows the House of Hillel.” For Chanukah is the festival that, more than any other, underscores the human dynamic in Torah.

As noted above, the Torah consists of two parts: the divinely dictated words of the Written Torah, and the Oral Torah, also communicated by G-d, but delegated to man. In the Oral Torah, G-d provides the guidelines and principles, while man follows theses guidelines and applies these principles to derive and express the divine will.

The Oral Torah has two basic functions: to interpret the Written Torah, and to legislate the necessary laws, ordinances and customs required to preserve the Torah and Jewish life through the generations.

Most of the festivals are explicitly ordained in the Written Torah. This is not to say that there is no “human element” involved: the Oral Torah is still required to clarify each festival’s laws and observances. For example, the Written Torah commands us to dwell in a sukkah and take the Four Kinds on Sukkot, but the Oral Torah is needed to interpret the oblique biblical allusions that tell us how a sukkah is to be constructed and which plant species are to be taken. Yet the festivals themselves were instituted by direct divine revelation.

There are two festivals, however, that are rabbinical institutions: Purim and Chanukah. These belong to the second function of the Oral Torah: to institute laws and observances that derive not from a verse in the Written Torah, but which arise out of the historical experience of the people of Israel.

These, too, are Torah, for they were enacted in accordance with the principles revealed at Sinai. Before reading the megillah on Purim, or kindling the Chanukah lights, we say: “Blessed are You, G-d... Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to read the megillah... to kindle the Chanukah lamp.” G-d is commanding us to observe these mitzvot, for it is He who granted the leaders of each generation the mandate to institute laws, ordinances and festivals. Yet in these festivals, it is the human element of Torah which predominates, while the divine element is more subdued.

Of the two rabbinical festivals, Chanukah is even more “human” than Purim. Purim was instituted during the Era of Prophecy, when G-d still communed directly with the greatest individuals of the generation. The story of Purim was written down and incorporated within the Holy Scriptures that are appended to the Written Torah. Thus, while Purim is technically an “Oral Torah” festival, it is closely related to the Written Torah.

Chanukah, however, occurred several hundred years later, when prophecy had ceased and the canon of the twenty-four books of the Tanach (Bible) had been closed. It thus belongs wholly to the Oral Torah—to the predominantly human element of the partnership. So Chanukah is the environment in which the Hillelian perspective on Torah—Torah as it relates to our tactual experience of the world we live in—reigns supreme.

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[i] Talmud, Shabbat 21b.

[ii] Avudraham, Seder Hadlakat Ner Chanukah.

[iii] The question of the precise moment of the Exodus has certain halachic repercussions, such as the procedure for reciting hallel on the seder night. See Talmud, Pesachim 116b; Jerusalem Talmud, Pesachim 10:5; Rashi on Deuteronomy 16:1.

[iv] Talmud, Uktzin 3:8; Bartenura’s commentary, ibid. For more examples of Shammai-Hillel debates that hinge on the question of potential vs. actual, see Beit HaOtzar 1:27 and 2:2; Le’or HaHalachah, LeShitot Beit Shammai U’Veit Hillel; Sefer HaSichot 5748, vol. II, pp. 645-668.

[v] Talmud, Berachot 22a.

[vi] Ibid., Kiddushin 32a.

[vii] Ibid.

Based on the Lubavitsche Rebbe’s talks on Chanukah 5740 (1979) and Tevet 4, 5733 (December 9, 1972). Likkutei Sichot, vol. XXV, pp. 243-251 (see the essay “Debating Truths” in Beyond the Letter of the Law [VHH 1995], pp. 269-285).