Today’s class is dedicated for the Refuah Shelema of Bolisa bat Chana and Shaul Ben Adel- Priscilla and Charles Sutton. May they have a speedy recovery.
The Ben Ish Chai has a nice mnemonic (a memory device) to remember the order of the three blessings on the first night of Hanukah (there are two blessings on each other night). On the first night, LeHadlik is the first blessing on the candles, then we say SheAsah Nissim, that He made the miracles, then Shehechiyanu. Those are three blessings of the first night. How can we remember this?
There is a pasuk in Bamidbar, the context of which is that Jewish people were dying because they spoke against G-d and Moshe. Snakes came and attacked. Hashem told Moshe to make a serpent and put it on a pole. Then whoever got bitten would look at the pole, and they’d live.
In that pasuk, the Ben Ish Chai says the order of the Berachot is hinted to.
Hashem told Moshe : עֲשֵׂה לְךָ שָׂרָף -Make a fiery serpent.
This “fiery” word refers to LeHadlik- kindling the flames of the candles.
Then He says, --וְשִׂים אֹתוֹ עַל נֵס Put it on a pole
The word Ness means pole because it lift things up, and when a miracle happens, people get uplifted, therefore a miracle is called a Ness. This refers to the beracha of Al HaNissim.
וְהָיָה כָּל הַנָּשׁוּךְ וְרָאָה אֹתוֹ וָחָי
And whoever is bitten will see it, and will live. This refers to the beracha of Shehechiyanu - that G-d caused us to live to this time.
Very nice.
But this is deeper than a simple mnemonic.
The Ben Ish Chai didn’t just pick any pasuk that has these three words, to hint to the Berachot.
There’s a lesson here that I’d like to share
The Gemarah in Masechet Rosh Hashanah ( perek ג) brings this pasuk down and asks a question:
וְכִי נָחָשׁ מֵמִית, אוֹ נָחָשׁ מְחַיֶּה
Do snakes give life and death, that if you stare at the snake you’ll live?
No. When the Jewish people looked up at the snake, and they subjugated their hearts to their Father in heaven, and they were healed. It was not the snake, it was G-d. That is what the Mishnah says.
We see that there is a Bitachon lesson in the snake, and so too, Hanukah is all about Bitachon- both the winning of the war, and with the miracle of the candles. They won the war with the power of Bitachon.
And the candles lit for Rabbi Hanina Ben Dosa’s daughter, when he said, “Let the One who says that oil will light say that vinegar lights. There is no difference between oil and vinegar.” This is the power of En Od Milevado- Its only G-d.
The Jewish people realized that there is nothing else but G-d.
The Nefesh HaChaim asks why they couldn’t have just looked straight up to G-d? Or why not put picture of G-d’s throne? Why a snake?
He answers that first you look at the snake, and think,”this snake is scary.” But then you delve deeper, and look into the powerful force of these snakes and then, בטלוהו מלבם-Annul it in your heart. And then, don’t pay attention to this powerful, evil force of the snake. Overcome the snake. Subjugate your heart to G-d, in truth. Realize you have a Father in heaven. That will heal you.
That’s the way, says the Nefesh HaChaim, to sweeten bad judgements- it’s when you realize that the bad judgements are all G-d.
Today, I overheard people having a discussion about the pandemic. One fellow said that China sent the pandemic, but then another fellow said, no it wasn’t China, it was G-d that sent it. That is the right way to look at this- to know that, yes the pandemic is scary, and it’s fierce- but whatever you call it, or whatever the challenge, the way to overcome it is by realizing that the Power behind it is Hashem. That is the Ben Ish Chai’s lesson. We want to invoke this mnemonic, but not just as a memory tool. In fact, it’s probably easier to remember the order of the Berachot on their own, than it is to remember the whole pasuk.
So why do we need the pasuk?
Because it’s one of the lessons of Hanukah: Look at the snake. Don’t just ignore it. Look at it, then look above the snake. That’s what makes miracles. That’s the source of miracles, and the source of life.
It’s the source of Refuah. When you realize that there is a G-d above all diseases, above everything. That is the source of Refuah. This is a powerful Bitachon lesson, that is hinted to on the first night of Hanukah.
B’ezrat Hashem we should take the lesson and get with it, the refuot. Have a wonderful day.