BS’D
Our war for light is a fight for the truth to be revealed. When we live in darkness we are cut off from reality – we do not benefit from HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s presence or take pleasure in our relationship with Him. We are left empty and alone – separate.
However, within this darkness we can find ourselves; it is a road to self-discovery to make positive changes in our lives. The Ba’al Shem Tov HaKadosh teaches that the greatest difficulty we endure is when we live in darkness and don’t realize that it is dark. We reside a blackness and sense it being brightness.
The galut becomes comfortable and we adjust to our surroundings not feeling that anything is wrong or out of place. How can we find our way through that? A fundamental rule in psychology is that you cannot help someone if they refuse to be helped. How can we work towards the geula if we don’t sense discomfort in the galut?
This is the delusional power of the yetzer hara. Rebbi Nachman ztk’l brings down that during our generation the yetzer hara will be renamed – the power of delusion! We are lacking our natural habitat and yet accept it. Therefore it is here where we need to fight.
Tonight, when we light the menorah we must turn to Hashem and ‘demand’ the geula. We should tell Hashem that we refuse to live in darkness and need light – Borei Olam’s light, the light of truthful reality. Chazal teach us that this is the tefilla that Hashem ‘craves’ and ‘yearns’ for. A demand for Him to reveal Himself and for His name to be universally recognized and glorified.
A fight on the emuna battleground is what it should be called. Our constant conflict between body and soul, clarity and confusion, emuna and doubts must be done with once and for all.
Tonight, request light; peaceful light in your homes, intimate light in your relationship with Hashem, loving light in Klal Yisrael, joyful light in every home, healing light for the sick, zivug light for singles, baby light for childless parents, blessed light for our parnassa, and the light of teshuva to the wandering souls in B’nai Yisrael. This is one war we all need to fight together … and cannot afford to loose!
