Machshava:

Chassidut 

Parsha:

Vayeitzei 

Description

Rabbi Weinberger starts speaking at 37:30. Vayetze is a closed parsha, with no indentations.Yaakov was on the run and experiencing a concealment of God’s face. Our exile and concealment has been unfolding, beginning with Vayetze. We feel as if the sun is setting due to tragedies and massacres. The grip of God seems to be loosening. However, Yaakov dreamed, and God revealed that His embrace is as tight as ever, regardless of the circumstance. Even when we seem rooted in dirt and filth, God is still embracing us, even tighter. Yaakov Avinu bequeathed this belief and feeling to us. The Greeks wanted us to feel that God let go. Chanukah reinvigorates the Jewish Soul. The Lights of Chanukah are the belief and feeling of God’s embrace.