YWN Coffee Room Chanakah Party!!! ☕🕎🎉🍩

how can we make are game of dreidle work any ideas

The Jew Shines Alone

based on a ma’amar by Rebbe Shaul Yedidya Elazar in Yisa Bracha

“Haneiros halalu kodesh hein, v’ein lanu r’shus l’hishtamesh bahen, elah lirosan bilvad – These candles are holy, and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to gaze upon them” [from the Chanuka candle-lighting nusach]

There is verse in Bamidbar [23:9] that says, “Hein am l’vadad yishkon – Behold, they [the Jews] are a people that shall dwell alone”. The Midrash [Shemos Rabba, 15:7] explains that all the letters of the alphabet have a “partner”, except for the letters of the word “hein”. That is, if you take an Aleph, numerical value of 1, and pair it with a Tes, numerical value 9, you arrive at 10. This works similarly with Beis [2] and Ches [8], and so on. When you get to Heh [5], the only way it can arrive at 10 is to pair with itself. Following this through in the double-digit numbers, Yud and Tzadi, Chaf and Peh, also give you 100 [10 times 10]. When you get up to Nun [50], again you cannot find a “match,” and must pair it with itself.

The Midrash goes on to inform us that Hashem says, “Just like these two letters have no partner with any letter other than themselves, so too the Jewish people – they cannot join up with the non-Jewish nations, but only with each other, they must be separate, as it says, “Hein am l’vadad yishkon, uvagoyim lo yischashav.” Reb Shaul points out that that’s the significance of the word “vadad” [alone] as well, since its numerical value [beis, daled, daled] is 10. Therefore, when the Jews are alone, only joined to one another – they achieve achdus [unity].

Therefore on Chanuka, when we light the candles we say, “Haneiros halalu kodesh hein” – the Jewish people are likened to a candle, which gives light. “V’ein lanu r’shus l’hishtamesh bahen – we are not allowed to make use of them”, meaning, they are not to be utilized by others, or intermingled. “Elah lirosan bilvad – but to see them alone” — to see to it that they remain alone, as in the verse, “Behold, they [the Jews] are a people that shall dwell alone” [as cited above], separate and unto themselves.

Reb Shaul then tells us that it’s with this power of separation that the Jewish people can withstand and survive the influence of the nations of the world. The Jewish people are compared to fire, as in the recent Haftorah [Ovadiah, 1:18], “And the House of Jacob shall be fire”. The nations are compared to water, as the Midrash [Shemos Rabba, 49:1] explains that “Mayim Rabim [many waters]” refers to the nations, citing the verse [Yeshayahu, 17:12], “Woe to the multitude of many peoples, who make a noise like that of the seas.” When water comes together with fire, it extinguishes the fire. But when there is a barrier [such as a pot] between them, then we see the opposite – that the fire dominates [boils] the water.

Translators note: This can also be seen in that the Jews are compared to a candle. On Chanuka, we strive to kindle the menorah with olive oil. Oil, when mixed with water, separates itself and rises to the surface. So it is with the Jews [compared to a candle, as above] and the rest of the nations.

Translated by Reb Yitzchak Dorfman of Yerushalayim, a Modzitzer Chassid

asdfghjkl your truly welcome

where is everyone tonite

How ’bout everyone try to guess everyone else’s age??

Btw, the yw editor wrote on a diff thread that he will be accepting applications to be a mod. Anyone know how we can apply?

MOD72 did MOD99 fall asleep on the couch again i havent heard from him for a while

wait, let me check? …I don’t see him on my couch. Actually we live and Moderate in different parts of the planet, so I don’t know. YW Moderator-72

hey mods this place is too boring tonight! what happened??? i miss one night and after that the place crashes??? wow i didn’t realize i was so important around here!

let me rephrase that. i KNOW i’m Miss Chashuve. but i thought there were some people that MIGHT be able to TRY and fill in at least HALF of what i do. i guess not.

:}

you were born in 1972. Or 1872.

your birthday is on 7/2

qwertyuiop – this side, over here.

asdfghjkl – I am friends with everyone.

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so far nobody guessed it correctly and nobody is close.

the gematria of your name=72

i know! the 7/11 in your neighborhood used to give out free slurpees on july 2 instead of july 11th. lol

Your 72nd anniversary was this year.

The real answer: random made up combination of numbers to confuse us

hey don’t diss 90-year-olds! they’re so cute!

(mod – that was to get on your good side… :})

7-2=5 and the new website started in May i think which is the 5th month

yes, I’m going to tell you… at the Chanukah Party tomorrow… so keep guessing and, who knows, maybe someone will guess correctly.

there were 72 posters when you became mod

thats true

Add 6 zeros after and you get your salary? I’m out of ideas!

asdfghjkl:

check out my wikipedia page, my age is no chiddush 🙂

can you guess everyone elses?

can anyone else guess everyones ages?

72 because thats the number you were given when you became mod

im out of ideas ….a freilichen chanukah