Zot Chanukah

Chanukah the Eighth Day: a Force to be reckoned with

By Ariella Bracha Waldinger

The 8^th day of Chanukah is almost upon us and it behooves us to glean a deeper understanding of its profound dimensions, in order to access its dynamic power.

The 8^th day of Chanukah is called Zot Chanukah and it encapsulates all of Chanukah. The number eight alludes to the departure from the natural world into the supernatural realm…..the realm of the spiritual. In fact, the number eight represents the uniquely Jewish concept that man has the ability to transcend his nature. Rav Yitzchak Ginsburg states that eight symbolizes the power of the soul to contact light and emit light. No wonder Chanukah, the festival of Light, which represents G-dly wisdom, is celebrated by lighting a Chanukah Menorah just like in Temple times.

The most auspicious act you can do on the 8^th night of Chanukah, after lighting is to meditate on your powerful, light filled Chanukah Menora. A beautiful meditation is to visualize a waterfall of cascading light spilling out from your fully lit menorah and flowing over your entire body, like a torrential waterfall, drenching you with the deepest Torah wisdom (represented by your lights) and infusing every pore and cell of your being with an astonishing closeness to Hashem, the source of all light. Another beautiful meditation is visualize your candles dancing to the music of your soul fed by the enormous bounty of spiritual insights embedded in the holiday.

After your meditation, take an imaginary ride on the inter-galactic energetic force field called Zot Chanukah and see what it looks like from above.

Zot Chanukah: a view From Above

Radiant Lights of opalescent beams ascend upwards and dance though the skies.

Making their way heavenward, they catch the updraft of the powerful emotions of joy and awe spilling out of Jewish homes.

They begin to merge at the higher elevations looking like a billion iridescent fireflies, as the light of the cumulative eight nights and eight lights consummate the union of 36, a metaphor for the hidden light of creation—the Divine Infinite Light!

Spiritual fireworks explode into the heavens. The angels and celestial beings sit on air mattresses in the billowy clouds in the higher spiritual elevations watching the cosmic light show, as the lights rise and return to their G-dly source.

The angels, gazing at their luminescent magnificence, eagerly fly upwards to embrace the light and dance with the shower of sparks trailing behind their powerful turbo updraft.

The lights, broadcasting the name of HaShem, rush through the air currents intertwining like multi-wick Havdalah candles in the sky.

The lights having risen heavenward can now broadcast the deepest meaning of the Chanukah message from a higher vantage point and energetically emblazon their message on the heart and soul of the Jewish nation, as we once again return to our day to day lives.

We can then take the life-force of the energy and depth of the lights and with a spirit of renewed dedication live with more noble actions in line with our re-dedication to G-d and His Torah.