Kislev - Reb Shlomo Carlebach
By Emuna Witt
May our נִסָּיוֹנות nisyanot (tests!) turn into ניסים nisim (miracles)
The letter of Kislev is ס / the Samech, the round circle, a hug.
The pasuk, the special line in the Torah for this month is, “Somech Hashem L’Kal HaNoflim, G-d holds up all those who fall.”
Samech, this hug, if G-d forbid you are falling, I’ll hold you up. You can always fall on me. I hug you with a big Samech and keep you from falling.
The Kodesh Kadoshim, the Holy of Holies is G-d’s bedroom. Too deep to even try to comprehend.
“Ose Samech B’Shaina, the letter Samech, in the attribute of sleeping….”
The fixing of this month is the holding each other up while sleeping. This is the “Kodesh Kadoshim”, the Holy of Holies.
How close are you to each other when you sleep?
This is the samech, if I can fall asleep when someone is holding me, we are very close.
Children fall asleep on their mothers. How much can I give you support when you are sleeping? You can be “asleep”, you can do anything wrong and I’ll support you…
Chanukah is not the fixing of food;
Chanukah ~ it’s the fixing of Adam and Chava, their relationship. Why didn’t you support each other?
When do I stop being lonely? When there’s one person in the world who gives me a samech /ס , no matter what I do. That person holds me up when I’m asleep and when I’m falling.
~Reb Shlomo Carlebach
The Gemora says that husband and wife should be together when it’s dark.
The torahs of the galus, being in exile, is the torah of the Mem. Benyamen was born in the Holy Land; he can’t go into exile. He is the torah of the Samech. Not only can you fall on me, but I’ll carry you on my shoulders!
The Beis HaMikdash is a Samech. Binyamen is deeper than the Samech. Yerushalayim, the Holy City, is the Samech.
Fixing the letter Samech, fixing sleep…
Chanukah is “L’Mihadrin min haMihadrin”, the very best, the best of the best.
Teaching my children about beauty, about the depths of the Torah. Every night of Chanukah is more and more beautiful.
When we are looking at the moon, we can be very close. Sitting by a candle makes everything beautiful.