Chanukah: Accessing His Light
The Infinite Being fills all worlds and provides the Life Force for them all. Each spiritual universe contains countless entities, with myriads upon myriads of levels of angels and souls. The number of such universes is also infinite, one higher than the next.
The essence of the Infinite Being is exactly the same in the lowest worlds as it is in the highest. In this respect, it is just like the soul, which is equally present in all parts of the body. The Tikkunei Zohar (17a) thus says that, “He is hidden from all the hidden.” Even though the highest worlds are absolutely hidden, God is just as hidden in them as He is in the lowest world. The Tikkunei Zohar thus concludes, “No thought can grasp Him at all,” even the highest worlds.
God therefore exists in the lower worlds in exactly the same manner that He exists in the highest worlds. The only difference between the highest spiritual worlds and the lowest ones, involves the transmission of the Life Force.
The Infinite Being transmits an illumination to all worlds through an aspect of, “Revealing out of concealment.” Indeed, this is one of the reasons that the influence and transmission of Life Force is called, “Light.” He thus gives Life Force to all worlds, as well as to the entities that exist in them.
The higher worlds received this in a somewhat more revealed manner than the lower ones. The entities that exist in each world then received it, each one according to its own particular nature and strength. In each case, this depends on the particular mode through which the Infinite Being transmits Life Force to each one and illuminates it.
The lower spiritual worlds do not receive this Life Force in such a revealed manner. They must receive it through many garments, in which the Infinite Being clothes the Life Force and the Light that He transmits to them. He thus illuminates them and gives them existence.
These Garments are so numerous and powerful that the Infinite Being is able to close at and conceal the Light and Life Force enough so that He could create this physical, material world. The physical world is then given existence and sustenance through the Light and Life Force hidden and concealed in these numerous, powerful Garments.
These Garments concealed the Light and Life Force to such an extent that the latter are not visible at all. All we can detect are corporeal, physical things, that appear utterly lifeless.
Actually, all things contain Light and Life Force, giving them being, and constantly bringing them from nonexistence to existence. Were it not for this, they would revert to utter nothingness, just as they were before creation.
This Light comes from the Infinite Being, but is clothed in many Garments, as discussed in Eitz Chaim (Drush Egolim VeYashar 4). Each level contains the spiritual level above it. All of these contain the Ten Emanations of Atzilut. These in turn, are unified with their Emanator, Who is the Infinite Being. (Tanya 51)
Application: The Hanukkah candles represent the emanation of this Light that infuses the world, all worlds, with Life Force. We can use the mitzvah of lighting the Hanukkah candles as our means of accessing this Light, through the very high level of creating our own Light using His Light.
Hanukkah is a time when this Light is revealed in and to this world with the same level of intensity as it is to the Highest Worlds. It is our opportunity to access this level of Illumination, using it to create our own Light (Hallel – as in Halo of Light).