{"id":46633,"date":"2018-11-30T14:08:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T14:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=46633"},"modified":"2023-02-23T04:53:40","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T04:53:40","slug":"the-kohen-quality-in-every-jew-rabbi-abraham-isaac-kook-ztl-on-chanukah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/the-kohen-quality-in-every-jew-rabbi-abraham-isaac-kook-ztl-on-chanukah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kohen Quality in Every Jew:\u00a0Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook zt\u201dl on Chanukah"},"content":{"rendered":"

In only a few short lines the Talmud tells the remarkable story of Chanukah. We know it well: A single jug of oil with the seal of the Kohen Gadol<\/em>, the High Priest, was found and used for lighting the Menorah. Oil that should have lasted for a single day miraculously lasted for eight (Talmud<\/em> Shabbat 21<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Rabbi Abraham Kook zt\u201dl taught that behind the basic facts of the story lies a deeper and more profound lesson (Ain Aya,<\/em> Shabbat Vol. 1, p.65).<\/p>\n

Oil is the inner part of the olive, its essence. When the Greeks entered the Temple and destroyed hundreds of flasks of oil, this attack represented only one aspect of their vicious assault. The Greeks most destructive assault was on the inner essence of the Jewish people. They began to defile and corrupt the very character and constitution of the Jew. As time went on, the Greeks aggressively attempted to quash the Jewish nation\u2019s unique personality.<\/p>\n

But there is something wondrous about the nature of the Jewish nation, says Rabbi Kook. We are a nation of priests – Mamlechet Kohanim<\/em> (Exodus 19:6). Every single Jew is called a \u2018kohen\u2019, a priest. Every Jew has a \u2018kohen quality<\/em>\u2019; an inner longing to live a life of holiness, sanctity and closeness to the Creator. This is the symbol of the little jug of oil sealed with the stamp of the High Priest. The deepest part of the Jew is his\/her neshama<\/em>; the heart of the Jew is always attached to the Divine.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Kook uniquely taught that this remarkable idea is demonstrated in a Torah law. In the category of halacha <\/em>that relate to the giving of tithes, we find that generally such donations were given to the Kohen and to the Levite. And yet there is one tithe, known as \u2018maaser sheni\u2019<\/em>, which is not given to the Kohen. Rather, this tithe is designated for every Israelite. Every person in Israel would take a portion of their fruits and vegetables to Jerusalem and eat it in the holy city. At that moment each individual truly sensed his\/her inner \u201ckohen quality.\u201d By eating holy tithes in a sacred setting, the Jew is likened to a Kohen.<\/p>\n

Despite how things may appear on the outside there remains a \u2018pure jug of oil\u2019 on the inside.\u00a0 The Jewish soul simply cannot be corrupted; stored carefully away in each of us is a purity that remains untouched and unblemished. This beautiful perspective sheds light on Rabbi Kook\u2019s capacity to see the good in every Jew and his steadfast conviction that every Jew longs for holiness. This viewpoint when taken to heart is transformative. It sensitizes us to judge others not <\/em>based on exteriors, rather to look for the depth in every person. It also affects the way in which we think of ourselves and our relationship to our Creator.<\/p>\n

One of Rabbi Kook\u2019s inspirational role models was the Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, Reb Yehuda Aryeh Leib Alter (1847-1905). Rabbi Kook could often be seen on Shabbat clutching in his arms one particular book, the Sfat Emet<\/em>, the Rebbe of Ger\u2019s insights on the weekly parsha.<\/p>\n

In a passage from this book, the Sfat Emet <\/em>asks: how could the Torah demand love of God from every Jew (Ve\u2019ani Tefilla<\/em> p.123)? Love is not something that can be dictated – either you love something or you don\u2019t. The Rebbe suggested that the answer to this question can be found within the question itself –\u00a0 the love of God is embedded within the soul of every Jew. It is not something that needs to be acquired, rather it is something that resides within each of us and merely needs to be cultivated and developed.<\/p>\n

The flames of the menorah remind us of our inner holiness. Every person is a light.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook expressed this celebrated perspective with these poetic words:<\/p>\n

Everyone must know
\nThat deep within burns a candle.
\nNo one\u2019s candle is like someone else\u2019s;
\nNo one lacks a personal candle.<\/p>\n

We all must know
\nThat it is our task to reveal our light to the world,
\nTo ignite it until it is a great flame
\nAnd to illuminate the universe.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Rabbi Goldscheider\u2019s book on Chanukah, \u201cThe Light that Unites: A Chanukah Companion\u201d is available from\u00a0OU Press<\/a>.\u00a0Click here<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In only a few short lines the Talmud tells the remarkable story of Chanukah. We know it well: A single jug of oil with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was found and used for lighting the Menorah. Oil that should have lasted for a single day miraculously lasted for eight (Talmud […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133037,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[344],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chanukah"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Kohen Quality in Every Jew:\u00a0Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook zt\u201dl on Chanukah - Jewish Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When the Greeks entered the Beit HaMikdash why did they specifically defile the olive oil? Oil is the essence of the olive. 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