HOW NOT TO INSPIRE YOUR KIDS

At Key Food, Yenta and Zlata were chatting as they shopped. Yenta said, “Your kids seem so well behaved. What child-rearing approach have you been using?” Zlata answered, “I frequently use a very powerful book called, How to Listen so Kids will Talk, and How to Talk so Kids will Listen.” “You read it too?” Yenta interjected, “Tell me, which chapter did you find most helpful?” “Oh, I’ve never actually read it,” said Zlata, “When my kids are acting crazy, I hit them with it.”

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Mikeitz: Why We Give Chanukah Gelt

The portion of Mikeitz begins with Pharaoh dreaming that he was standing over the Nile River when seven fat cows emerged from the river, followed by seven gaunt cows that consume the fat cows.[1]

QUESTIONS
The words “And Pharaoh dreamt”, U-Pharaoh choleim, can also be read as ‘Pharaoh possessed a Cholam.’ Cholam is the nekudah, the vowel-dot that sits on top of a letter: . What does ‘Pharaoh possessed a Cholam’ mean?

Pharaoh’s dream has seven cows. Chanukah has eight candles. What is the difference in meaning between the number seven and the number eight?

Finally, what is the connection between Chanukah and Pharaoh’s Cholam?

CHANUKAH: EDUCATION & RENEWAL
One of the meanings of the word chanukah is chinuch, ‘education’, as King Solomon taught: “Chanoch–educate your child according to his way so that when he grows old he will not go astray.”[2] The struggle of Chanukah was primarily spiritual: the Jewish soul was challenged more than the Jewish body. Therefore, despite the Hellenist ban upon Torah education, the Jewish children studied in secret, hiding behind the guise of dreidel-playing. The Macabees fought for Judaism even if it meant that they would die, because for them life without Torah was more bitter than death. Their miraculous victory, and their self-sacrifice beyond nature, were mirrored in the miraculous jar of oil that was sufficient for one day, yet burned for eight days.

Chanukah also means ‘renewal’, as the Psalmist [3] suggests, “A song of chanukas“– ‘inauguration’–”of the Temple”. Historically, the Greek Hellenists took over the Holy Temple, contaminated its vessels, and attempted to manipulate its power of holiness for use in their nature-cult. The Jews rose up, reclaimed and re-dedicated the Temple, renewing the Divine service commanded by the Torah.

Chanukah is thus a potent time for the renewal of our dedication to Jewish education.

UPSHERIN: SPIRITUAL CATAPULT
All renewals or beginnings are difficult.[4] For most people, just getting up in the morning is difficult. Completing our Shabbos preparations before the beginning of Shabbos always seems hectic, too: even in the Summer, when dusk occurs late on Friday evening, we find ourselves running around until the last minute. Why is this? It’s because at these times we are challenged to make a quantum leap from one state of being into another. For every beginning and transition in life, we need some kind of acceleration device. To launch an airplane from an aircraft carrier, a powerful catapult is required to accelerate the plane from a stationary position into flying speed. What spiritual catapults does Judaism offer to help us accomplish the greater beginnings and transitions in life?

One example is when a child turns three-years-old, and he formally begins his Jewish education. It is customary at that time to give him his upsherin, his first hair cut.[5] After the upsherin, we wrap the child in a tallis [6] and toss candies at him. He then formally begins to learn the Alef-Beis.[7] The candies signify ‘additional blessings’ of sweetness and love coming from Above to make his transition easier. The tallis is also part of the spiritual catapult that propels this young soldier toward his new mission of serving God.

CHANUKAH GELT
Chanukah is celebrated for eight days. The number ‘seven’ represents the natural world-as exemplified by the natural cycle of a seven-day week, and the agricultural cycle of seven years, etc. The number ‘eight’, however, represents transcendence, or a power that’s beyond nature. The power of ‘eight’ gives us the catapult of energy we need to rededicate ourselves to Torah despite all natural obstacles or challenges.

This explains the custom of giving Chanukah gelt,[8] gifts of coins, to our children all eight days [9] of Chanukah. In this way we act as G-d’s emissaries, showering additional love upon our children, giving them new strength to dedicate themselves to Torah-study and mitzvah-observance.

CHOLAM MEANS ‘STRENGTH’ [10]
We can now understand the connection between Chanukah and Pharaoh’s dream. Cholam means strength, as it is written, “Their children grow up strong.”[11] Furthermore, the vowel Cholam sits on top of a consonant letter, i.e., its origin is above nature. Pharaoh kabbalistically means, ‘to uncover or reveal’, as it is written, “u-phaurah…”, ‘and uncover….’[12]. Therefore U-Pharaoh choleim means, ‘to reveal in oneself the strength that transcends nature’.

What does it mean that seven gaunt cows consumed seven fat cows? Humans are capable of manipulating nature to bring forth “seven fat cows”-a productivity that appears to be robust and healthy. Yet, other natural forces can eventually emerge to consume or destroy it.

On Chanukah, however, Al-mighty G-d grants us the power of ‘eight’; the power of Cholam’. This is unleashed when we rededicate ourselves to Jewish values, Torah-study and mitzvah-observance. Then G-d will give us the greatest Chanukah gift ever: the arrival of our righteous Mashiach. Amein, so may it be.

A STORY
In 1989, Mr. Charles Kupferman, a friend and supporter of NCFJE, went with my grandfather, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht to the Rebbe to receive from him a blessing and a dollar. Mr. Kupferman asked the Rebbe, “I have two daughters that are a little farther away from Judaism than I would like them to be. How can I bring them closer?” The Rebbe answered, “By showing a living example. This is a very peaceful measure, and a very effective measure.”[13]

ACTION: Each of the days of Chanukah, give your child Chanukah gelt or a gift. If you don’t have children give your neighbor’s children gifts, or donate to Toys for Hospitalized Children.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Genesis, 41:1
[2] Proverbs 22:6
[3] Psalms 30:1
[4] Mekhilta Yisro, “Bachodesh”, 2
[5] One of the purposes of this custom is to leave peyos, or side-locks, in front of the boy’s ears.
[6] Sefer Nitei Gavriel on upsherin
[7] Sefer HaSichos 5701, p. 30; Sefer HaSichos 5748, p. 171
[8] Talmud, Shabbos 22a alludes to Chanukah gelt. See also, Lekutei Levi Yitzchak, Igros, p. 358, and Sefer HaSichos 5748, p. 163
[9] Sefer HaSichos 5748, pp. 162-163
[10] See Letters of Light, p. 238.
[11] Job, 29:4; See also Rashi there.
[12] Numbers, 5:18
[13] As seen on The Living Torah DVD, #44.