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Miracles IX



When they come down to earth, the angels clothe themselves in the garments of this world.
Had they not clothed themselves in garments after the fashion of this world, they would not have been able to exist in this world, and the world would not bear them to exist.
If this is so with regard to the angels, then how much more so with regard to the Torah, which created them and all the worlds, and everything exists for its sake.
When the Torah did come down into the world, were it not clothed in garments of this world, the world would not have been able to bear it.
Therefore the story of the Torah constitutes its garment.
He who thinks that the garment is actually the Torah and not something more, let his spirit deflate and let him have no portion in the World to Come.
It was in this connection that David said, “Open my eye that I may behold wondrous things out of Your Torah,” (Psalms 119:18) meaning that which is under the garment is really Torah.
Come and see:
A garment is visible to all.
Those fools, when they see a man in a garment that appears good to them seek no farther.
They think that the garment is the actual thing.
However, the essence of the body is the soul.
Just so, the Torah has a body.
The commandments of the Torah are called the “body” of the Torah.
This body is clothed in a garment made up of the stories of this world.
The fools of the world look on nothing save the garment, which is the story of the Torah and nothing more. They do not look at that which is under the garment.
The wise, who worship the Most High King, those who stood at Mount Sinai, look only at the soul, which is the most essential thing of all.  (Zohar, Volume III 152a)

The Zohar teaches us that when we delve beyond the Torah’s stories or garments, we access the “Wondrous part of the Torah.” When the Chashmonaim searched for the single jar of pure oil, they were actively searching for a wonder; they were seeking the deeper meaning of their victory. They did not institute a new festival, Chanukah, because of their miraculous victory. They added Chanukah as a celebration of the “soul” of the events, the spiritual implications of their battles and victories.

We do not celebrate the miracle, which was only the garment. We celebrate the hidden lessons of the Chashmonaim’s efforts, determination, successes and failures. We too must search for the miracle of the oil, for the lessons of the Chanukah story.

Note: Consider how this Zohar about garments can be applied to Tzniut.

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