a Yid hasn’t begun to serve the Ribbono Shel Olam, the concealment and the hiddenness are greater than in the past generations. This was always the plan—since בראשית ימי ששת—that the world will become darker, and Hashem’s Presence more concealed, with each ensuing generation. But at the same time, the Ribbono shel Olam has also designed that in every generation, there is the potential for the light to descend lower and lower. When a Yid toils for it, he is able to illuminate even the greatest and deepest darkness.
We find ourselves currently in the generation of דמשיחא עקבתא, a time of מעשרה' 'למטה. Rav Chaim Vital teaches us that if we want a sign of the imminent coming of Mashiach, we should look to see how low the generation has fallen. If we have hit rock bottom and we can’t fall any lower, we should expect to be redeemed soon. This is because we must illuminate the lowest places in the world before the world can be rectified and redeemed.
Painting Until the Bottom
This is akin to a painter who prepares to repaint a room. He takes a ladder, and starts from the top. He begins with the ceiling, and then goes to the upper part of the wall. From there, he moves on to the middle part of the wall. But then, as he prepares to paint the lower part of the wall, he must get off the ladder, and stand on the ground. And when he wants to paint the very bottom, he must get all the way down on the ground in order to do so.
This painter has lowered himself on to the ground—but he has an important purpose for doing so; to brighten and whiten the room! The same applies to all of us. We experience lowliness and darkness in order to bring Shechinah there and lift up the entire world. This is all in the design of the world, and on Chanukah, we celebrate this descent of the light to the lowest places.
In this vein, the Me’or Einayim tells us regarding the halachah that the types of wicks and oils that may not be used for שבת נר can however we
