In the beginning of the Parsha Yakov sends a message עם לבן גרתי. Rashi says Yakov was sending a message to Eisav: אם לבן גרתי ותריג מצוות שמרתי ולא למדתי ממעשיו הרעים. In the past we have said over the Baal Shem Tov idea that Yakov was lamenting the fact that he didn’t take lessons from Lavan – negative acts of how to serve Hashem in a positive way. One of the great stories that illustrates this idea is said of the Chafetz Chaim, who in his ripe old age woke up one morning and found himself arguing with the Yetzer Hara. The Yetzer Hara was trying to convince the Chafetz Chaim not to go to get up because he is old and needs more sleep. The Chafetz Chaim didn’t have a good response until it hit him: wait you, the Yetzer Hara, are even older than me, and yet you still get up every morning like now to challenge me! So why should I be different? It’s a cute idea, but today I want to share a different idea on the words of Chazal.
Yakov was teaching us the lesson of Chanuka. How so? For Yakov living with Lavan the trickster was a very big challenge, not just in doing what is right but also keeping it pure. So many times we might be doing the right thing, but with the wrong intentions. Many times we are convinced that we are doing the right thing, and in truth we are not, but our blind spots do not allow us to see our own fallacy. This was Yakov’s message to Lavan and, more importantly, to us: make sure our motives and actions are pure. It can take a real check in within ourselves, and many times it requires an outsider to be truthful and let us know if our actions are genuine or not.
I once had a couple that was fighting with a school regarding their internet use. The parents didn’t want to give up their websites; it was their life, and they were willing to risk their children's education for it. This reminded me of the famous question they ask the father by a Pidyon Haben, מאי בעי טפי? What do you want more, your son or your money? The question is not just for the Pidyon Haben; it;s forever and it applies to everyone on different levels.
The Chidush of the Chashmonim on Chanuka and the whole celebration of Chanuka itself is about purity. As the Pnai Yehoshua and the Meiri explain we really didn’t need the miracle of the oil because טומאה הותרה בציבור who could have used impure oil however Hashem was sedition a message about the nature of the victory of the Chashmonaim it was a message of purity they represented the pure approach to Torah versus the Jewish Hellenists who tried to change the authenticity of Torah and fit it in with the Greek culture.
May we be Zoche to the purity that shines through the lights of Chanuka and especially the hidden light of Mashiach.
