Timeless Torah

Axiomatic to Judaism is that historical events are rooted in the Bible. This surely holds true for the holiday of Chanukah which has lit up our lives for more than twenty centuries. In fact, already in the first chapters of Genesis, the treasure trove we call Torah, unearths sparkling nuggets that connect the Festival of Lights with the light of Creation.

“In the beginning…G-d said, “Let there be light!”…G-d saw From this verse, it would seem that originally darkness and light were one, coming together to form a seamless expression of goodness and perfection. In separating the two, G-d challenged us to cultivate the day and sublimate the night. Our task was to harness the light of the day so that it extends to illuminate the night. This process was exemplified by the Menorah in the Holy Temple that reached from its inner sanctum of holiness to cast its rays throughout a world shrouded in physicality.

But there are times when this standard operating procedure no longer applies for the darkness has invaded the Divine lighthouse and extinguished the menorah and defiled its oil. At such moments in history, when we can no longer draw upon the day to brighten the night, we turn to the darkness itself as a source of illumination.
This Primordial Resplendence of light and dark- ness served man for thirty-six hours before G-d hid it. Tradition has it that this Heavenly Sheen was concealed and saved for the righteous in the World to Come. The Chassidic master, the B’nei Yisachar however reveals that the original light of creation was also hidden in the thirty-six candles of Chanukah.

What abuse warranted the hiding of the Primordial Light? And what is it about the thirty-six candles of Chanukah that reminds us of that Divine beacon?

After Adam and Eve sinned,“G-d called the man and said to him, “Ayekah - איכה? - Where are you? To which the Midrash Zuta quoting Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi relates: The word Ayekah (comprised of the Hebrew letters: Aleph, Yud, Kof, Hei) is not a question in the usual sense, but rather a Gematria (a numerical equivalent) equaling thirty-six. This of course is most surprising. For that would mean that when G-d approached Adam to see about his whereabouts, or more precisely, to give him an opportunity to take responsibility for his sin and repent, He asked, Ayekah; a word that is really not a word. Indeed, a word you will never find again in the entirety of the Jewish Scriptures! A word that could have been translated as, “Where are you?” but instead, as Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi says means: the number thirty-six! But why would G-d come to Adam with a number instead of a real question?

Adam’s violation of the commandment to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge contravened the very purpose and concept embodied by the Supernal Light, a light alluded to by the number thirty-six. Thus the question Ayekah or number thirty-six really should be read as, “Have you Adam acted in a way that reveals the Hidden Light that shone for thirty-six hours, or are your actions going to compel Me to conceal its luminescence?”

It’s a tough question to answer, for Adam and all of his progeny. However, in it is an important clue that indicates that, as much as the Original Light of creation was hidden early on, it is still possible to reveal it through our actions, or conversely, keep it hidden. If so, we can understand why there can be an allusion to this otherworldly brilliance a millennia later in the Chanukah Lights, a holiday that not-so-coincidentally celebrates a victory that occurred in the thirty sixth century from creation.

Unlike the Temple Menorah that stood in the holiest place on earth, our Chanukiahs are placed in the outer doorway or windows of our home. There they test the very limits of our light-generating abilities. Specifically lit after nightfall. (once again unlike the Temple Menorah that was lit during the day) they straddle the two surface realities of home and street, day and night to prove that we can still see the goodness that was inherent in the Original light before it was divided.

Each year when we prepare our Chanukah lamps, G-d asks us the 36 million dollar question of Ayekah. Hopefully we’ll be less tongue tied than Adam and be able to respond, “I’m your man…You can count on me…In fact, look at my jersey… See my number…It’s the big 36.