5th Day of Chanukah

It is a well known Chanukah concept that the 5^th day of Chanukah can never fall on a Shabbos. All the other days can be on Shabbos but the 5^th day cannot. The Chabad Rebbes all said that therefore it’s imperative on us, Klal Yisroel, each to bring a lechtikeit, a special light of our own, into the 5^th day of Chanukah. We should begin by understanding why the 5^th day can’t fall on Shabbos.

I would like to posit the following seminal concept. The Hebrew letter “heh” often has been noted to connote the concept of Olam Hazeh, while the letter “yud” connotes Olam Haboh.  It would seem appropriate that Shabbos, a day which is noted as being an Olam Haboh day, would not have a 5^th day, a “heh” day fall out on this day.

We can add to this the following. Chazal say that Chanukah was not an accepted holiday to have its own Tanach sefer, lo nitan lichteiv, it wasn’t given to be written. In fact according to Chasidic teachings it’s because Chanukah is not Torah she’biksav but rather Torah she’baal pe, Oral Torah. Written Torah is a constant. It can’t be changed or added to in any way. Chanukah, as an Oral tradition is open to the constant interpretation of our holy sages. Therefore, Chanukah, which has an Olam Hazeh concept, has a day, the 5^th day, through which each individual can bring his own light, his own spiritual Olam Hazeh effort to bring light and kedusha into this 5^th day.

This spiritual effort included in the mitzvah of Chanukah lights completed in a material gashmi world will bring down a spiritual “levush”, clothing for our neshomos. We light up the 5^th day of Chanukah with both the Ner Mitzva, light of the Mitzva being done, and the Eternal Light that we merit through our Mitzvos, which consists of the holy spiritual “clothing” for our neshomos.  In turn, we have corrected the situation of the 5^th day not falling on Shabbos. We have given the 5^th day its own Olam Haboh spiritual clothing, the same type of clothing that Shabbos observance brings to us.

The Coin of Avrohom Avinu

The first Rashi in parshas Lech Lecho says that Hashem told Avram to go out into the world and that Hashem would publicize Avram's character to the world. Rashi uses the word "tivacho", your nature, your character. Chazal tell us that Avrohom minted and circulated a coin which had the image of an old man and old woman on one side and a young man and young woman on the other. This symbolized that he wanted everybody to be part of his quest to teach monotheism to the world.

I would like to posit that Rashi's usage of the word "tivacho" can also mean that Hashem would publicize Avrohom's coin to the world, as in "matbeah", a coin. Avrohom's goal was to unite all the members of a society as one community. Further I think that homiletically we can view the coin as being the strength of youth and its ability to constantly renew itself. Mechadesh b'chol yom maasei bereishis. To renew each day ideals of a new world. Unite this faculty of "hischadshus", the renewal ability of youth, with the wisdom and experience of the maturity of elders and you can really grow intellectually and constantly, every day.

Chazal say that when Eliyahu Hanovi will herald the advent of Moshiach, he will reunite the parents and the children. I think this can connote what Avrohom was trying to do by showing the two images on his coin. The union and conciliation of the concept and faculties of youth with that of the mature members of society. As the Torah states in Haazinu "ask your father and he will relate to you, your grandparents and they will tell you".  And as Shlomo Hamelech says in Mishelei, "al titeish Toras imecho". Do not forsake the teachings of your mother.

Klal Yisroel was given a mitzva of making a lunar calendar that begins with the month of Nissan. The language the Torah uses is "hachodesh hazeh lochem", this month is yours to begin the year. We can express this idea homiletically as the concept of "chodosh" renewal, is being given to you. Nissan always comes out at the onset of spring, an occuring renewal of nature. Just as the corporeal, gashmiyus, world renews itself, so too can the ruchniyos, spiritual world renew itself. And as stated earlier, mechadesh b'chol yom, we can constantly renew ourselves each day. How? By listening to our fathers, mothers and elders and following in their footsteps and Yiddishkeit path. Uniting the renewal ability of youth with the wisdom and experience of the mature.

Birth of Creation and Judgement Day

On Rosh Hashonoh during the Mussaf prayer we blow the Shofer and say a small prayer after the Shofer blowing, "Hayom haras olam, hayom yaamid ba'mishpot" - Today is the birth of the universe and today we all stand for our judgement. We know that when phrases are juxtaposed next to each other that they are connected for a reason. What connection does the creation of the universe have with the concept of its judgement on this day?

Chazal tell us that our corporeal existence was created by Hashem with an opposing and complementary spiritual realm. Whatever we see in Gashmiyus, the material world, we can also find a similar concept in Ruchniyos, the spiritual world. In addition, the verse Yeshayoh chapter 43 verse 7 says, "kol hanikro bishmi ule'chevodi borosiv yetzartiv af asisiv". Everything that is called in My Name, I created, I formed it, and I established it. Everything that G-d created in this universe, He created for the honor and glory of His Being.  That means that if we see a material item or concept, it was created for G-d's glory. Gold was created for the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdosh. Once gold exists, we can now use it for our materialistic purposes. So too any concept we see was created in order to accomplish some spiritual need.

There is a very important concept and operational area in accounting called "budgeting". A Budget is an operational plan for a future accounting period, normally the coming year. This plan puts forth what management feels they should accomplish for the coming year. Also, the budget is used to compare on a monthly basis the actual operating results to determine how they compare with the budget or plan. This can be used for accountability of operational sections of the business.

A budget can be prepared by using past operational results as a guideline or basis. A budget can also be prepared using another budgetary concept called "zero-based budgeting".  This idea doesn't start with past performance but rather makes management start at zero and requires a rationalization of each item for its existence. In this way management can obviate the reasoning, well that's the way we always did it. Not only will we have the accountability of a budget plan to compare current operational performance but also the rationalization of each item as being necessary.

As I said earlier, every material concept has not only a spiritual partner but also that the spiritual side was created for Hashem's honor.  When Hashem wanted to create the universe He looked at the Torah and its value system and created a universe to match. But He also created a universe that had no past, requiring basically a zero-based concept to rationalize each component of creation, not only as a corporeal part of creation but also a spiritual part.

Hayom haras olam, today the world and universe was created. Just as in accounting budgeting, the company generally starts a budget at the beginning of its operational year, so too will Hashem begin His budget or judgement of the world at the beginning of its operational year, Rosh Hashono. As in a company's budget, management's performance is judged in comparison to the budget for the year, the world too is judged by G-d in accordance to its performance for the past year.

Thus we see that the concept of Hayom haras olam, the idea of judgement as compared to what we, with Free Will, decided would be our plan for the year, is a concept of Hayom yaamid ba'mishpot, today the world stands in judgement. We are judged according to the values in the Torah and our observance and physical actions of doing mitzvos. We are judged by the spiritual budget, the Torah, with accountability for our own personal budget and actual performance.

May we all be judged favorably on Rosh Hashono and written and inscribed in the Boof of Life, and Health, and Happiness.