Shabbos Chanukah
Reb Henoch of Alexander zt'l (Chashava l'Tovah) taught, "The good Yidden (tzaddikim) say that this Shabbos is a great Shabbos, and on this Shabbos, one can attain clarity in emunah in Hashem." He explains that every Shabbos teaches us emunah, as it states (Shemos 31:13) 'ה ֲנִיא כִּי ַתַעָדל ...ׁמֹרוְִּּשת ַיׁבְּתֹתַש ֶתא ַ ךְא, "Only keep My Sabbaths! ... to know that I am Hashem..." Chanukah is also a time to teach us emunah and to believe in His miracles. When both come together on Shabbos Chanukah, it is a very special time to acquire emunah in Hashem.
The Meor Einayim (Mikeitz) writes, "Hashem gave Shabbos to the Jewish nation so we can be close to Him. When one keeps Shabbos, all his sins are forgiven. However, it is hard to tap into the holiness of Shabbos because the holiness of Shabbos is so extremely exalted. שבת is Hashem's name, how can a person ascend to this high, exalted place? On Chanukah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, keviyachol, comes down lower than ten tefachim to the people at very low levels and draws them up so they too can experience Shabbos. This is the explanation of שאין פתילות בחנוכה בהן מדליקין בשבת מדליקין, 'Wicks that one can't use on Shabbos, one may light with them on Chanukah.' The wicks represent people, בשבת מדליקין שאין, who don’t become illuminated on Shabbos, בחנוכה בהן מדליקין, they can become illuminated on Chanukah. Hashem, Himself, keviyachol, lowers Himself down to the person and kindles his neshamah."
Reb Yisrael of Ruzhin zy'a would repeat in the name of his father, Reb Shalom Shachna of Prohovitch zy'a, that the Shabbosim until Chanukah are alluded to in the words (Bereishis 1:2) ובהו תהו היתה והארץ, "The earth was astonishingly empty..." Even the Shabbosim at the beginning of the year lack an element of shine and brilliance. But when Chanukah comes, it states, אור יהי אלקים ויאמר, "Hashem said, there should be light," as from then on, one can more easily attach himself to the holiness of Shabbos.
