The Maccabean war and the holiday of Hanukkah were not accidental events in history. This is a story about how a person builds his soul and ignites the Light within it, which is symbolized by the sacred pitcher of oil that we find inside ourselves, in the middle of the whole breaking. There is a part inside us that we can ignite if only we find it!

When it ignites, we will correct our egoism in a specific measure. We will thereby receive an opportunity to prepare the sacred oil, which means that we will be able to correct Malchut on our own.

The sacred, holy oil is the desire to bestow and love without any reward for oneself. The oil is the desire. Regular oil is the egoistic desires, whereas sacred oil is the desires with the intention to bestow. The spark we receive in order to begin our inner work is like a small candle which each person needs to seek out in himself. When we are able to light this spark, we will begin correcting our main egoistic desire, or preparing the oil for the lamp.

“Hanukkah” comes from the words “Hanu Ko,” which means “they stopped here.” This is just a brief stop in the middle of the path, between the inner states called Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, at the beginning of the path, and Purim – the Final Correction.

During Hanukkah we correct only the bestowing Kelim as we light a candle above our desire to enjoy. However, when we reach the holiday of Purim, we use the desire itself. Therefore, the symbol of the holiday of Purim is not a candle that burns above the oil (desire), but wine, the Light that fills the desire.

In order to light a candle, we have to unite Malchut and Bina, the desires of reception and the desires of bestowal, in order to light it in Bina. This is the meaning of the holiday of Hanukkah, when we raise Malchut to Bina, and Malchut thereby becomes a part of Bina, adding the force of its desire to it.

Then the Light ignites in Bina, in the wick, which rises from the oil. The wick is Zeir Anpin, which is called the middle line. It connects the oil, Malchut, with the Light, Bina.

All of this occurs above our desire. This is a correction where we attain the quality of bestowal, receiving it above our egoistic qualities. We achieve the state called Tshuva mi Ira – bestowal for the sake of bestowal.

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