Following text of lecture given us exclusevly by
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Following text of lecture given us exclusevly by
Rabbi Dr. Avi Abrahami
CHANUKAH AND YEHUDITH - A WOMAN OF VALOUR
Chanukah begins this year (2003) on the evening of December 19th.
The Greek culture was all about the physical strength and beauty. Judaism is both, spiritual primarily and the physical secondary. The Greeks who wished to strangle the Jews spiritually rather than physically issued harsh decrees for it.
The Greeks demanded that we stop our worship of G-d, terminate the temple services and bow down to their idols. They also wanted our women to stop keeping the laws of family purity, the Jews to stop keeping Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, the festivals, and terminate circumcision of our baby boys.
They also issued a most degrading decree that Jewish brides spend the night with the Greek ruler before they got married. It is therefore fit and proper that the miracle of Chanukah was initiated and facilitated by a most remarkable Lady of Valour and Holiness by the name of Chanukah.
Chanukah was a most righteous and beautiful woman, the daughter of the High Priest. When Chanukah realised that the Jews were scared and despondent and were about to give up, she asked permission to approach the Greek ruler.
Permission was given. Chanukah purified herself physically and spiritually. She fasted, immersed in the Mikveh and prayed to G-d. She then took some food with her, dressed in her best clothes and went together with her maids to the Greek ruler.
The guards brought her to the Greek ruler.
She told him that she did not want to stay with the Jews in Jerusalem and die with them. She crossed over to the Greek side and save herself and her girls, as the city was under siege.
The Greek governor took to her immediately, as her astonishing beauty and wisdom was divine. She told the Greek ruler she had to pray 3 times a day and immerse in the Mikveh daily, and also keep to her strict Kosher diet. The ruler gave the necessary instruction to his guards to allow her freedom to come and go as she pleased.
One night the Greek ruler invited Chanukah to his tent. She prayed intensely to G-d and asked for the strength to remain pure and not be defiled, and for a miracle to happen.
She subsequently gave the Greek ruler to drink a lot of wine and then milk, after which he fell into deep sleep. Chanukah then gathered the necessary strength to remove his sward with which she cut his head off, put it in a bag and took it back to Jerusalem.
Upon arrival in the City under siege she told her story and paraded the Greek ruler's head for all to see.
The Jewish men became greatly invigorated by the miracle. They waited until nightfall, and then sounded a huge amount of noise to confuse and disorientate the Greek army. By that time the Greeks discovered the headless body of their chief and panicked.
They ran away, chased by the Jews, who were led by the Hasmonean.
Every Shabbat evening we sing from Proverbs 31 the famous hymn Lady of Valour.
"A Woman of Valour, who can find? Far beyond pearls is her value..." Why pearls and not gold or diamonds?
The pearl is one of the most unique precious stones from the depth of the seas. It is created by sand and other foreign matter that enters the shell of the oyster (a mussel-like mollusk type creature).
It takes about 3 to 4 years for the pearl to be created by gradually coating its organic cartilage-like material with layers of a mineral substance called nacre - better known as Mother of Pearl.
This uniquely finished gem consists of an aragonite mineral made of calcium carbonate crystallised with organic matter - to form the pearl.
It is difficult to find a perfect pearl which possess the necessary size and properties of a precious stone. Pearls usually come in silvery white, rose pink and other shades of pastel colours.
The sages taught us that precious stones, gems and crystals have unique qualities to promote good health and ambience.
Pearls for example help to promote purity, honesty, love, patience, understanding, harmony and friendship. Pearls come from the depth of the ocean, a place in which unclean matter and marine life exists. It is from this unclean environment that a most beautiful and shiny pearls come from.
Likewise, it is from the depth of impurity of the Greek culture that Chanukah retrieved and reinstated a Jewish life of purity and morality, according to the Torah commandments, which are compared to most precious pearls.
Chanukah, on behalf of the entire Jewish nation, comes to show us what Judaism stands for.
We are a unique fusion between the material world of creation - signified by the mineral - and our organic matter, which envelops our spiritual essence - the soul.
The Jewish priesthood families of Chanukah and Hasmonean, who are integrally connected to the Temple, facilitated the miracles of Chanukahh.
It is the priestly garment containing the 12 precious stones that enabled the High Priest to receive divine messages from the Almighty in reply to specific questions.
These 12 stones have also unique healing qualities, which will be explained in a forthcoming article.
Chanukah resources:
| Traditions & history |
What is the Chanukah? (Russian)
Lighting Menorah Up Right (Russian) Playing Dreydel (Russian)  Why Chanukah Gelt? (Russian)
History of Latkes (Russian)
 Chanukah Recepies (Russian)
Yehudah Makkabi (Russian) The Month of Kislev (Russian) |
What is the Chanukah? (English)
Lighting Menorah Up Right (English) Playing Dreydel (English) Yehudith - Woman of Valour (English)
Chanukah Recepies (English)
The Laws of Chanukah (English) |
| Confusing Time of the Year |
Is the same old New Year or it's Sylvester?! (Russian / English)
To Tree or not to Tree?! – post-Soviet perspective on New Year Tree (Russian / English)
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| Spiritual growth |
Chachmas HaTorah: Not Just Knowledge (English)
Chanukah or essence story of our Life (Russian)
Lights warming night - Chanukah thoughts (Russian)
Child's question or how to be Consistant... (Russian)
Chanukah story: The lights in the Dark (Russian)
Chanukiya or Menorah? (Russian) Chanukah & Purim (Russian) Chanukah & Joseph the Righteous (English)
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Last update: November 15, 2002
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