It's time for all of us to rejoice together. The menuval is really feeling desperate, and going totally wild. It's no coincidence, that in the last day or two, three of our greatest soldiers have reported setbacks. At the same time there's been an attack of filth-posting on our holy forum. (I personally deleted two posts, in addition to one reported. Is there anything practical to do? Maybe, at least the forum could be text only. [One of them actually posted pictures])

This is all very typical. When you're going up and Hashem want's to give you a new Madreiga, first you have to brake the k'lipah that's surrounding the great light. So Hashem lets the menuval loose. (The menuval, of course is more than happy to do his part and try to take revenge for the beating he's been getting.)

But the real purpose of him popping up his ugly head, is to give us the opportunity to chop it off!!! By staying strong and not giving up at all, we are going to BUST HIM. And he is going to have to be "modeh al hab'rachos"

I want to share with all of you, how I see this all as a preparation for Chanuka.

The Me'or Einayim and many other tzadikim, explained: The Gemoroh says, that we must light Ner Chanuka 1)at night  2)Lower than 10 tefachim
3)outside  4)on the left side  5)we start at the end of the month (when the moon, which represents Am Yisroel, is disapearing)

All these things represent darkness, distance and weakness. The night, of course, represents darkness and galus. Lower than 10 tefachim is the place where, the gemoroh says, the Shechina never goes. Outside represents distance and tumah and "Reshus Harabim" is, according to kabalah, the place of the sitra achara. Left represents weakness and harshness.

We are told to go davka to that place and at that time, and to light a candle. Not to banish the darkness, though that will indeed be the end result, but just to light a little candle. The darkness is still there and the candle even burns out. But tomorrow we'll be back, ignoring yesterday's seeming lack of success, and we will light two candles...

It is these little lights in the darkness that will bring to the world the ultimate light -"B'orcha nireh or".
And it these little lights, that Hashem was referring to, when He told Aharon Hakohen, "Shelcha leolam kayum" - even in the darkest of the dark there will always be the little lights. And this pacified Aharon, because he knew the super power of these little lights.

Guard, his projects and friends are the Ner Chanuka of the world, and the stronger the wind blows the more we will be mischazek together!!!!!!!!!!
And by doing that we most definitely will prevail!

I wish you all a happy (in the true sense of the word) Powerful, meaningful, fruitful, successful and lechtiger Chanuka!

Ashrecha General Battleworn. It's not for nothing Hashem put someone like you on the front lines!

Thank you, Guard!

Just a little "hosafa": Today is the shortest day of the year, and of course also, the longest night. And that is the time to light the first Chanuka light. Remember to keep the lesson in mind when you are mikayem the mitzvah. The mitzvah gives us an extra koach to learn the lesson and to remember it throughout the year!

CHAZAK VEEMATZ!!!

Hashem is smiling at us! Yesterday, He illustrated for us how when the menuval pops up his dirty head, it's to give us the opportunity to chop it off. "lifnei shever gaon" - before something gets destroyed it first gets stronger. We've had this problem with spam for a long time, but now it got really bad -as mentioned above- in order for it to be destroyed. We all hope and pray that with this it's over for good!

I again wish everyone a meaningful, powerful, fruitful and very happy Chanuka!

R' Shimsho Pincus zt'l (the first piece in the sefer on chanuka) says: The underlying message of chanuka is that Hashem loves us an Ahava she'aino t'luya b'davar - unconditional love. We know that Hashem also loves Mishpat and Seder (that's why it's considered -kaviyachol- a "tircha" if Hashem makes a miracle for us). But Hashem's love for us is more powerful and more intrinsic than anything else (we can see this in the zohar that is printed in the Rosh Hashonoh machzorim before Tekias Shofar).

When Hashem changes nature for us despite the fact that He doesn't "like" to, it reminds us how much He truly loves us. But why were the Chashmonaim Zoche to this unusual occurence? The answer is very simple: Because they demonstrated their great love for Hashem with their tremendous mesiras nefesh - fighting against all odds, when things seemed so dark and so hopeless. Midah kineged midah. On chanuka we have the power to tap in to our inner koach of mesirus nefesh and awaken that tremendous mutual love between Hashem and us. On Zos Chanuka this power gets the strongest. This is hinted to in Halel -"Me'eis Hashem hoysoh Zos he niflos b'eineynu" - "Zos" is a special gift from Hashem, it's wondrous in our eyes. And it continues "Zeh hayom osoh Hashem nogilah vinismicha bo"!

Let us all try to use this great gift optimally. {The end of the day is the strongest.}