... Erev Chanukah 5743... Our People Israel, everywhere... G-d bless you all!
... As we are about to begin the celebration of Chanukah by kindling the Chanukah Lights each night of Chanukah, this is a time of reflection on the meaningful lessons of the Festival of Lights. To quote my father-in-law of saintly memory: “We should listen attentively to what the Chanukah lights are telling us.”
It would be fitting, therefore, to take a few minutes to reflect on some aspects of the mitzvah of kindling the Chanukah Lights.
To perform this mitzvah one needs, of course, a candle or an oil lamp. The candle, or oil and wick, are common material things; yet, when kindled in fulfillment of the divine mitzvah, in remembrance of the miraculous events “in those days at this time,” after reciting the appropriate brochos — “these lights become sacred, and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to look at them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations.” [Haneros hallo’lu kodesh heim... Al Nisecha, v’al Nifl’osecha, v’al Y’shuosecha!]
The mitzvah of the Chanukah Lights symbolizes — in a tangible and visible way — all the mitzvos of the Torah, all of which are defined in terms of light: Ner Mitzvah v’Torah Or -- “A mitzvah is a candle, and the Torah is light,” Mishli 6,23. In the case of all mitzvos, some material object and/or physical and mental activity is involved (such as wool in tzitzis, leather in tefillin, etc.) Yet, when that material thing is dedicated to a sacred purpose, in fulfillment of G-d’s command, it becomes sacred, and the performance of the mitzvah creates a light which, though invisible to the physical eye, irradiates the person performing the mitzvah as well as the surrounding material world, making them more spiritual, and enabling them to transcend the confines of the physical world...
==== Excerpt of Rebbe’s letter Erev Chanuka 5743 – 1982. Chabad.org
