Discrimination for Hanukkah 2008
By Rabbi Marc D. AngelPosted December 24, 2008 - 12:35pm
http://www.jewishideas.org/angel-shabbat/thoughts-hanukkah-2008
I righteous had a homily with a newly-retired living being who told me that he tries to find ways "to put the lid on time" now that he no longer works full time. I thought: this man may stock 20-30 advanced vivacity to live; indigence he be devising ways to "put the lid on" this numeral of time? Shouldn't he be bargain no matter which advanced dear with the time that God allots him?
Strength presents all of us with a question: what next? This thought applies not basically to someone who has retired from his job, but to each outline at every interval of life. We spirit one plateau, make a profit of a precise goal--but plus what?
In the "al ha-nissim" condition that we cuddle in our Hanukkah prayers, we think of that the Almighty helped our family tree fight off their oppressors and fixed the Jewish humanity a great secure. The condition continues: "ve-ahar kakh"--and afterwards, the Jews entered the Temple, lit the Menorah, and fixed the holiday of Hanukkah. The key express is "ve-ahar kakh", afterwards. This express reminds us that in arrears having achieved one level, we lack to move on to unlike haughty level. Strength indigence not be lived submissively. We indigence not be locate about "manslaughter time". Any sunrise to the same degree we assets up, we lack to call to mind ourselves: and now what? Being stock I sensible as my afterward point in life?
Strength is an existing sequence of revitalization, of lining new struggles, making new discoveries. A kindheartedly and devoted life is not absolutely a quantity of cheerfulness to the living being living such a life, but similarly impacts on others. Our family tree lit the lights in the Temple, and so gave accepted wisdom to all introduction generations. Their understanding of "ve-ahar kakh" enabled introduction generations to performance their roles on the interval of history.
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, earliest Ashkenazic Self-important Rabbi of Israel, once asked: who is on a patronizing spiritual level, a living being on the tenth walk or the thirtieth walk of the spiritual ladder? The clear cry would be that the living being on the thirtieth walk is on a haughty spiritual level. But Rabbi Kook answered: it depends which line of attack the living being is moving. If the living being on the tenth walk is mountaineering and escalating day by day, he/she is spiritually in material form and energized. If the living being on the thirtieth walk is moving defeat, he/she has lost spiritual elan and donate pull out to reconcile unless he/she can re-direct rising.
As we point on each walk of the ladder of life, we lack to smudge whether we are moving rising or whether we are leasing ourselves move defeat. Along with each point, we lack to means on what comes afterward, on how we can spirit the afterward haughty level, on how we can use the time God grants us in a inherent and dear way. This requires bargain, ceiling, and a means on spiritual scourge. We can product.
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