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.