כתובות וגיטין הלכה ה' א

Yairu-eh el avudechu fu-ulechu vahadurichu al binaihem. This halachah is based upon the Torah discourse that begins, "Posach Rabbi Shimon v'omar, Ais la'asos laHashem hefayru Sorasecha" — Rabbi Shimon opened and said: "It is a time to act for the Lord, for they have violated Your Torah" (Tehillim 119:126; Likutay Moharan §60). For there is a level of hisbonenus [deep contemplative understanding] that cannot be attained except through extraordinarily great wealth — see there. And this corresponds to the pesoles shel luchos [the hewn-off chips of the Tablets], from which Moshe became wealthy, as explained there.

Let Your deeds be seen by Your servants, Your glory by their children.

And to this wealth one attains through the aspect of Atik [the Ancient One, the most concealed level of Divinity], which is the aspect of arichas yamim [lengthening of days] — that is to say, one must add holiness with each and every day that follows, and this is the aspect of lengthening of days. And to this one attains through yir'ah [fear of Heaven], in the aspect of "Yir'as Hashem tosif yamim" — "The fear of the Lord adds days" (Mishlei 10:27). For through yir'ah, the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee [the vanity of beauty] is subdued, in the aspect of "Sheker hachein v'hevel ha'yoafee, eesha yir'as Hashem hee sishallal" — "Grace is deceptive and beauty is vain, a woman who fears the Lord — she is to be praised" (Mishlei 31:30).

And therefore, through yir'ah one merits wealth, for through the vanity of beauty, one has no wealth. Because hevel ha'yoafee [the vanity of physical beauty] is drawn from the interruption of the breath — hefsek hanesheemah — whereas wealth is drawn from the lengthening of the breath — arichas hanesheemah. And through yir'ah, hevel ha'yoafee and hefsek hanesheemah are subdued, and one merits arichas hanesheemah. And through the lengthening of the breath one merits hisbonenus [deep contemplative understanding], for the essential faculty of the intellect — saichel — comes through the lengthening of the breath, as in the verse "Ner Hashem nishmas adam" — "The lamp of the Lord is the soul of man" (Mishlei 20:27) — see there all of this very, very carefully.

Veehee noa-am Adoanuy Eloahainoo ulainoo oomaasay yudainoo koaninu ulainoo oomaasay yudaynoo koaninai-hoo.

And to merit yir'ah, one must come through the pekidas akoros [the visitation of the barren ones — that is, the opening of barren wombs]. And the visitation of the barren ones comes about through his'orerus hashainah [the awakening from spiritual slumber]. And the awakening from slumber comes through sipuray ma'asiyos [the telling of stories — the sacred Rebbe's tales].

May the favor of the Lord, our G-d, be upon us; let the work of our hands prosper, O prosper the work of our hands!

For there are shiv'im panim laTorah [seventy faces of the Torah], corresponding to the seventy years. And there are those who fall into the aspect of shainah [slumber] — that is, whose aspect of mochin [divine intellect, expanded consciousness] has departed from them, and they are therefore in the aspect of spiritual sleep. Some have fallen from one or several of these faces, and they need to be awakened. And the essential awakening comes through clothing their face in sipuray ma'asiyos [stories]. For one who has not yet fallen from all seventy faces of Torah can still be awakened through stories of bikehrev shanim [recent times, stories that occurred in the midst of years]. But there are those who have fallen from all seventy faces of Torah — to awaken them one must tell stories of shanim kadmoniyos [primordial times, the most ancient stories], from which all seventy faces flow. And this is the aspect of "rav chessed" — abundant kindness (Shemos 34:6) — see there very, very carefully.

Psalm 105 · פרק קה

And this is the aspect of the shmonas yemay Chanukah [the eight days of Chanukah]. For the wicked empire of Yavan [Greece] rose against Yisroel to make them forget His Torah and to cause them to transgress the statutes of His will — this is the aspect of the klipah [shell of impurity] and the sitra achara [the Other Side] gaining strength, Heaven forbid, wishing to cast a person down, Heaven forbid, into the aspect of shainah [spiritual slumber], which is the aspect of the departure of the mochin [divine intellect], the departure of the seventy faces of Torah. For the sitra achara wishes, Heaven forbid, to cause Torah to be utterly forgotten — that is, to cause one to fall, Heaven forbid, from all seventy faces of Torah.

1 הוֹדוּ לַיי קִרְאוּ בִּשְׁמוֹ הוֹדִיעוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילוֹתָיו This is precisely what occurred in the days of the wicked Greek empire, which decreed strange and varied decrees, and all their decrees were aimed at nullifying Yisroel from Torah and mitzvos. For they wished to cause the Torah to be completely forgotten, Heaven forbid — that is, to cause Yisroel to fall from all seventy faces of Torah. And therefore they defiled all the shmanim [oils] of the Menorah [candelabrum]. For the seven lamps of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash [Holy Temple], which the Kohain [Priest] would kindle each night, correspond to the aspect of the seventy faces of Torah which are contained within the seven lamps — the seventy faces are contained within the seven lamps, each lamp comprised of ten — in the aspect of "ki ner mitzvah v'Torah or" — "for the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light" (Mishlei 6:23). For the seventy faces of Torah are seventy lights, in the aspect of "Torah or" — "Torah is light" — in the aspect of luminous faces. And these seventy faces, seventy lights, are contained within the seven lamps of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash.

And therefore the Kohain would kindle them each night — this is the aspect of the awakening from slumber through the seventy faces of Torah. For at night, slumber spreads throughout the world, and therefore it was then that the Kohain would kindle the lamps, which are the aspect of the seventy faces, in order to subdue and break the power of slumber so that it should not overpower Yisroel, Heaven forbid. And therefore the wicked Greek empire, which sought to cause Yisroel to fall from all seventy faces of Torah, and wished to cause the Torah to be completely forgotten — which is the aspect of slumber as stated above — therefore they defiled all the oils, in order to nullify, Heaven forbid, the seven lamps of the Menorah, in order to cause Yisroel to fall, Heaven forbid, from all seventy faces.

But the Holy Blessed One stood by us and performed great miracles and wonders for us in those days at this season. And Yisroel merited to subdue and humble them, and a wondrous miracle occurred in that the oil burned for eight days. This corresponds to the awakening from slumber through sipuray ma'asiyos shel shanim kadmoniyos [stories of primordial times]. For the seven lamps correspond to the seven days, which are the aspect of the seventy faces of Torah — seventy years — contained within the seven days. And this is the aspect of the awakening from slumber through stories of bikehrev shanim [recent years]. But at that time, when they had defiled all the oils and wished to cause Torah to be completely forgotten, seeking to cause the fall from all seventy faces and to corrupt and blemish, Heaven forbid, all the oils of the seven lamps — therefore the miracle occurred that the oil burned for eight days. And eight days is the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos [primordial years], which transcend all seventy faces, all seventy years. For the eight days of Chanukah are drawn from the aspect of Binah [the Divine Intelligence, the World-to-Come], which is the aspect of Yom Hashminee [the eighth day], the World-to-Come, as is known. And therefore the miracle occurred specifically with eight days specifically. For this is the essence of the miracle that the Holy Blessed One performed for us — a tremendous wonder — that He drew the aspect of the awakening from slumber from the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos, which is the aspect of eight days. Because, since they sought to cause Yisroel to fall from all seventy faces, it was impossible to awaken them except through the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos, from which all seventy faces flow, which are the aspect of the seven lamps. Therefore it was not possible at that time to kindle the seven lamps of the Beis Hamikdash, which are the aspect of the seventy faces as stated above, except through the miraculous act of the eight days of Chanukah — which is the aspect of the stories of shanim kadmoniyos, the aspect of Yom Hashminee [the eighth day] — for from there all seventy faces flow, all seven lamps, as stated above. And therefore this mitzvah was established for all generations, in every year, for in every generation — and especially in this very long exile, when the sitra achara gains strength at every moment and wishes, Heaven forbid, to cause Yisroel to fall into the aspect of slumber from all seventy faces — the Holy Blessed One has given us these eight days of Chanukah in every year. For through our kindling these Chanukah lights of the eight days of Chanukah in memory of the great miracle that was performed with the oil of the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash, we thereby awaken and draw the illumination of the aspect of sipuray ma'asiyos shel shanim kadmoniyos [stories of primordial times]. For the pirsoom [public proclamation] of the miraculous story of the oil that burned for the eight days of Chanukah is in the aspect of sippur ma'aseh shel shanim kadmoniyos [the telling of a story of primordial times]. For this miracle flowed from there — from the aspect of Yom Hashminee, the World-to-Come, which is the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos as stated above, from which all seventy faces flow, all seven lamps. And therefore through the pirsoom of this miracle-story of Chanukah, which is in the aspect of a story of primordial times, one can thereby be awakened from slumber. Even one who has fallen from all seventy faces can be awakened through this miracle-story of the eight days of Chanukah — which is in the aspect of a story of shanim kadmoniyos from which all seventy faces flow, all seven lamps — and through this, even one who has fallen into the aspect of slumber from all seventy faces can be awakened, as stated above. And therefore the days of Chanukah fall in the long nights of the winter season. For then, when the nights are long, this is the aspect of the intensification of slumber — the lengthening of the exile which resembles night. And precisely then we awaken from slumber and break the power of slumber through the eight days of Chanukah, which are the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos, through which one can be awakened from slumber even the one upon whom the length of slumber has greatly intensified and who has fallen from all seventy faces of Torah, Heaven forbid, as stated above — even so, he can be awakened through the miracle-story of the eight days of Chanukah, which are the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos, as stated above. And this corresponds to what our Sages of blessed memory taught regarding the measure of oil for the Menorah — chatzi log [half a log] for each night — and this measure was calculated for the long nights of the tekufas Teves [the winter solstice season], as stated above. For the essential aspect of the seven lamps of the Menorah corresponds to the seventy faces of Torah — the aspect of the awakening from slumber — as stated above. And therefore our Sages of blessed memory calculated the oil for the long nights of the winter solstice season. And this corresponds to the ner hama'aravi [the western lamp of the Menorah], which served as testimony that the Shechinah [Divine Presence] dwells among Yisroel — for from it the Kohain would begin and with it he would conclude. For this lamp would never be extinguished, to indicate that then Yisroel were attached to their Father in Heaven and had not fallen into the aspect of slumber from any of the seventy faces, which are the aspect of the seven lamps, for there always remained at least one lamp burning — that is, they always remained attached to Torah through at least some of its faces. But when sins multiplied and the western lamp was extinguished, and afterwards Yisroel went into exile and the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed — and even when they returned in the days of the Second Temple, there was no complete redemption, and they were already destined to go into this long exile — therefore the Holy Blessed One, Who is filled with mercy and Who constantly watches over the well-being of Bnay Yisroel so that they not be lost in this long exile, which is the aspect of night, the aspect of very long slumber — He therefore prepared the remedy before the affliction. He performed for us a wondrous and awesome miracle during these eight days of Chanukah, which is in the aspect of a story of shanim kadmoniyos as stated above. And He established this mitzvah for all generations for the sake of pirsoomay nissa [publicizing the miracle] — to tell the story of this miraculous event of the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos — in order to be awakened from slumber even in this long exile, even for one who has fallen from all seventy faces. For from there [from shanim kadmoniyos] all seventy faces are drawn, and therefore through this story, all can be awakened as stated above. And this is the aspect of "l'hadlik ner Chanukah" [to kindle the Chanukah light] — the acronym of which spells nachal [stream], as is cited in the writings of the holy Ari [Rav Yitzchok Luria] of blessed memory. This is the aspect of "nachal nov'e mekor chochmah" — "a flowing stream, source of wisdom" (Mishlei 18:4), from which are drawn the sipuray ma'asiyos shel shanim kadmoniyos [stories of primordial times]. For nachal nov'e [the flowing stream] is the aspect of Binah — the eighth day, the World-to-Come — which is the aspect of shanim kadmoniyos, as is known and as stated above. And through the awakening from slumber, through this comes forth dibbur [speech]. And this is the aspect of "l'hasir peh ilmim" — "to release the mouth of the mute" — as is explained in the aforementioned discourse. And this is the aspect of the Hallel [songs of praise] of Chanukah, for the sake of which these eight days were established, as we recite: "V'kav'u shmonas yemay Chanukah aylu l'hodos ul'hallel l'shimcha hagadol" — "And they established these eight days of Chanukah for thanksgiving and praise to Your great Name." For then, during the eight days of Chanukah, through the awakening from slumber as stated above, through this the dibbur [power of speech] flows forth in Hallel and thanksgiving to the Holy Blessed One — and this is the aspect of l'hasir peh ilmim [releasing the mouth of the mute] as mentioned above. And through the releasing of the mute mouth, through this comes the releasing of the barren mouth — l'hasir peh akoros — and the barren ones are visited through this, as is explained at length in the aforementioned discourse. And this is the aspect of Chanukah [חנוכה], whose letters spell Chanah kaf-vav [חנה כו] — the Name of Hashem in gematria [numerical value] twenty-six — in the aspect of "ki es Chanah ahev, vaHashem sagar rachmah" — "for he loved Chanah, but the Lord had closed her womb" (Shmuel Alef 1:5), as is explained in the writings of the holy Ari of blessed memory in the kavanos [Kabbalistic meditations] of Chanukah. And this is the aspect of pekidas akoros [the visitation of the barren ones] — the visitation of Chanah the barren one, who was visited and gave birth to Shmuel, whose spiritual attribute is the aspect of Chanukah, in the aspect of what Shmuel said: "V'gam Netzach Yisroel lo yishaker" — "Moreover, the Eternal One of Yisroel does not lie" (Shmuel Alef 15:29). For he rectified the aspect of Netzach [Victory/Eternity], as is brought. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, for Chanukah and Purim are the aspects of Netzach and Hod [Splendor], as is brought in the kavanos. And through the pekidas akoros [visitation of the barren ones], through this yir'ah [fear of Heaven] is drawn down. And through yir'ah, the aspect of arichas yamim [lengthening of days] is drawn — the aspect of "yir'as Hashem tosif yamim" — "the fear of the Lord adds days." And through arichas yamim, great wealth is drawn. And through the wealth one merits great hisbonenus [contemplative understanding]. For hisbonenus comes through the lengthening of the breath, for the saichel [intellect] burns through the shmanim [oils] within the body — see there carefully in the aforementioned discourse. And this is the aspect of the eish [fire] of the kindling of the Chanukah light — this is the aspect of yir'ah. For yir'ah is like a burning fire, as it is written: "ki yir'esem mipnay ha'eish" — "for you were afraid of the fire" (Devarim 5:5). And the fire of the Chanukah light is in the aspect of "yir'as Hashem tosif yamim" — in the aspect of "ki Hashem Elokecha eish ochlah hu, v'atem hadvekim baHashem Elokaychem chayyim kulchem hayom" — "for the Lord your God is a consuming fire, and you who cleave to the Lord your God are all alive today" (Devarim 4:24, 4:4). And it is brought in the holy Zohar and cited in the words of Rabbainu [Rebbe Nachman] of blessed memory (Likutay Moharan §49) that this is the praise and the greatness of Yisroel — that fire consumes everything and destroys everything, but Yisroel, who are a holy nation, cleave to God in the aspect of consuming fire, and on the contrary, receive from there life-force, in the aspect of "v'atem hadvekim baHashem Elokaychem chayyim" — "and you who cleave to the Lord your God are all alive." And this is the aspect of "yir'as Hashem tosif yamim" — for it is the nature of fear to kill and to injure, for many die or are harmed through dread and fear. But yir'ah d'kedushah [fear of holiness] — that is, fear of the Holy Blessed One Who is a consuming fire, a great and awesome God — this adds life, in the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim. For on the contrary, from there specifically one receives life and length of days. And this is the aspect of the fire of the kindling of the Chanukah light. For it is the nature of fire to consume everything that burns within it, and with the oil of Chanukah a great miracle occurred in that a small amount of oil burned for eight days and the oil was not immediately consumed. For the fire was drawn from yir'ah d'kedushah, from the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim — through which, on the contrary, blessing was added to the oil that burned in this fire. And this is the aspect of what was established for all generations — to add and increase the kindling each night, for one elevates in holiness — ma'alin bakodesh. This is the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim — for the essential arichas yamim [lengthening of days] is to add and increase additional holiness with each and every day that follows, as is explained there carefully in the aforementioned discourse. And this is the aspect of ma'alin bakodesh — increasing and adding as one goes — which is stated with regard to the Chanukah lights, in the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim as stated above. For from there flows the essential miracle of Chanukah, in that the oil was not consumed and burned immediately upon kindling — rather, on the contrary, blessing was drawn into it, so that it burned for eight days. For this fire was drawn from the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim, since from there, on the contrary, one receives blessing and life and length of days, in the aspect of "ki Hashem Elokecha eish ochlah hu, v'atem hadvekim baHashem Elokaychem chayyim kulchem hayom" as stated above. And through yir'ah — in the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim — through this great wealth is drawn. And this is the aspect of Chanukah, chanu kaf-heh [חנוכה — חנו כה] — "they rested on the twenty-fifth" — in the aspect of "koh s'varchu es bnay Yisroel" — "Thus you shall bless the children of Yisroel" (Bamidbar 6:23), which is adjacent to the parshas Chanukah hamizbeach [the Torah portion of the dedication of the altar], which is read on Chanukah. And there are also those who begin reading from there — from the portion of birchas kohanim [the Priestly Blessing]. For the essential birchas kohanim is wealth, in the aspect of "y'varech'cha Hashem b'mamon" — "may the Lord bless you with money." And this is the aspect of "v'yishmerecha min hamazzeekin" [and may He guard you from harmful forces]. For the mazzikin [harmful spirits] are drawn from the aspect of yir'os hanefullos [fallen fears — fears that have descended to the realm of impurity], and therefore they frighten those whom they encounter, Heaven forbid. For they are in the aspect of fallen fears. And through yir'ah d'kedushah [holy fear], the fallen fears are elevated, and through this one is guarded from the mazzikin. For yir'ah is the aspect of shamor [guarding], which is the attribute of night, the aspect of yir'ah. And this is the rule: wherever the word hishamer [beware] appears in the Torah, it always refers to a negative commandment — a lo ta'aseh. And this is the reason why our Sages of blessed memory prohibited making use of the light of Chanukah — l'hishtamesh l'or Chanukah. This prohibition is the aspect of shmirah [guarding], the aspect of yir'ah, the aspect of lo ta'aseh [a negative commandment]. As our Sages of blessed memory stated: wherever hishamer [take heed] appears, it is a negative commandment. And all the negative commandments of the Torah are in the aspect of yir'ah, for the positive commandments — mitzvos aseh — are from the side of richeemu [love], while the negative commandments — mitzvos lo ta'aseh — are from the side of decheelu [fear], as is stated in the holy Zohar. And this is the aspect of "v'yishmerecha min hamazzeekin" — for through the aspect of yir'ah, the aspect of shamor [guarding], one is guarded from the mazzikin that are drawn from the aspect of yir'os nefulos [fallen fears], as stated above. And through this, "y'varech'cha Hashem b'mamon" — may the Lord bless you with wealth — for through yir'ah one merits wealth as stated above. And this is the aspect of Chanukah — the aspect of chanu kaf-heh — the aspect of "koh s'varchu es bnay Yisroel" — the aspect of the wealth drawn through yir'ah, which is the aspect of birchas kohanim [the Priestly Blessing] as stated above. And through the wealth that is drawn through yir'ah, one merits great hisbonenus [contemplative understanding]. For the saichel [intellect] burns through the shmanim [oils] within the body, as is explained there. And this is the aspect of "ner Hashem nishmas adam" — "the lamp of God is the soul of man" — as is explained in the aforementioned discourse, see there. And this is the aspect of the Chanukah light — the aspect of ner Hashem nishmas adam — the aspect of great hisbonenus that burns through the shemen [oil] of Chanukah. And this is the aspect of the custom to increase tzedakah [charity] during Chanukah, and it is called ma'os Chanukah [Chanukah money]. For the essential aspect of Chanukah — that is, the Chanukah light — which is the aspect of very great hisbonenus, is drawn through wealth. And the essential wealth is drawn through tzedakah, in the aspect of "asser bishvil shetisvosher" — "tithe so that you may become wealthy" (Taanis 9a), as our Sages of blessed memory stated (Bava Basra 9b): one who gives even a single perutah to the poor is blessed. For tzedakah is in the aspect of yir'ah, in the aspect of "yir'as Hashem tosif yamim". For according to the natural order, it would seem that giving tzedakah should diminish one's wealth, since one reduces one's money and gives it to the poor. But in truth, on the contrary — the more one adds and increases in tzedakah, the greater blessing is added to one's wealth as stated above. And this is the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim as stated above — for tzedakah is in the aspect of Malchus [Kingship], the aspect of yir'ah, and therefore one increases in tzedakah during Chanukah, in order to draw wealth through which great hisbonenus is drawn — and this is the aspect of the Chanukah light, the aspect of ner Hashem nishmas adam, as stated above. And all this is the aspect of kidushin b'chesef [betrothal with money]. For the essential bond of connection must be in the aspect of yir'ah, which is the opposite of hevel ha'yoafee [the vanity of beauty]. For one must not set one's eyes upon physical beauty — one must not take a wife for the sake of beauty, which is the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee — but rather in the aspect of "eesha yir'as Hashem hee sishallal" — "a woman who fears the Lord, she is to be praised," which is the opposite of hevel ha'yoafee, as is explained in the aforementioned discourse. And the essential hold of hevel ha'yoafee is upon the woman, and therefore the essential praise of the woman comes through yir'ah, as it is written: "eesha yir'as Hashem" — in order to subdue the hevel ha'yoafee that clings to her, which is drawn from the aspect of the eesha zonah [wayward woman], through yir'ah as stated above. And before she joins with a husband she has no wholeness — and then the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee still clings to her, for "ragleha yordos" — "her feet go down" (Mishlei 5:5). And the essential acquisition — kinyan — with which her husband acquires her at the time of chupah and kidushin is that he wishes to unite her to himself and to rectify her and to elevate her from the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee that is drawn from the eesha zonah, and to raise her to the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem. For the essential elevation through him — for she ascends with him as our Sages of blessed memory taught: "hee olah imo" — "she rises with him." And therefore he betroths her with money — kesef — and through this he acquires her. For wealth — ashirus — is drawn from the aspect of arichas hanesheemah [lengthening of the breath], from the aspect of yir'ah. And hevel ha'yoafee is drawn from hefsek hanesheemah [interruption of the breath], as is explained well in the aforementioned discourse. Therefore, through his drawing to her from his own wealth — that is, through the kesef kidushin [betrothal money] he gives her — through this he elevates her to the aspect of arichas hanesheemah, the aspect of yir'ah. For from there money and wealth are drawn as stated above, and through this he subdues from her the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee and elevates her to the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem, the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim, the aspect of "r'eh chayyim im ha'eesha" — "see life with the wife" (Koheles 9:9). For in truth, holy zivug [marital union] is in the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim. For the zivug is in the aspect of hefsek hanesheemah [interruption of the breath], as is explained well in the aforementioned discourse, and it is the opposite of hisbonenus, and it is the opposite of arichas yamim [length of days]. For it shortens life and da'as [knowledge/awareness], since most people die from this desire — as the wise physicians have said, as is cited in the Shulchan Aruch in hilchos tzne'us [the laws of modesty]. And all those who become insane and are lacking in their minds — this comes from this, as is known to the wise physicians, and as is cited in the words of Rabbainu of blessed memory. However, even so — through holy zivug, with holiness and purity as is fitting, through this, on the contrary, life and length of days are added, in the aspect of "r'eh chayyim im ha'eesha" as stated above. And one merits even greater hisbonenus through this specifically, for one receives mochin milemailah ma'alah [mochin from on high, from ever-higher levels], as is known. And this is the aspect of yir'as Hashem tosif yamim as stated above. For the essential holy zivug is in the aspect of yir'ah — which is the aspect of shmiyas habris [guarding of the covenant], as was said of Yosef Hatzaddik [Joseph the Righteous]: "es haElokim ani yaray" — "I fear God" (Bereishis 42:18). And through the kesef kidushin — in the aspect of the ashirus [wealth] drawn from yir'ah that he gives her — through this he elevates her from the aspect of hevel ha'yoafee to the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem. And through this he acquires her, for then through the aspect of yir'ah she becomes the aspect of reshus hayachid [private domain] — which is the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem — the opposite of the eesha zonah, which is in the aspect of reshus harabbim [public domain], as is known. For yir'ah is the aspect of bayis [a house], the aspect of Shabbos, the aspect of yir'ah, the aspect of yare Shabbos — as our Sages of blessed memory said: "chaval al d'lais layh darta" — "woe to one who has no dwelling" — upon one who has no yir'ah. For previously she was in the aspect of sadeh [an open field], in the aspect of "ki basadeh metzaha" — "for he found her in the field" (Devarim 22:27) — which is an ownerless place, the aspect of reshus harabbim, where the eesha zonah has her grip. But now he elevates her from the aspect of the field, from the aspect of reshus harabbim, to the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem — the aspect of bayis, the aspect of reshus hayachid, the aspect of "kol kevudah bas melech penimah" — "all the glory of the princess is within" (Tehillim 45:14). And therefore through the kidushin she becomes dedicated to him and forbidden to the entire world, for she has become the aspect of reshus hayachid — which is the aspect of eesha yir'as Hashem as stated above. And therefore it is forbidden to dwell with one's wife without a kesuvah [marriage contract] — for one must draw to her the wealth that flows from yir'ah, so that the zivug should be in the aspect of yir'ah. For this is the essential kedushas habris [holiness of the covenant] as stated above. Baruch Hashem l'olam, Amen v'Amen. This halachah expounds kidushin b'chesef (betrothal with money) as a window into the entire chain: sipuray ma'asiyos → his'orerus hashainah → pekidas akoros → yir'ah → arichas yamim → ashirus → hisbonenus. The Chanukah Connection: Greece sought to destroy Israel through spiritual slumber — the departure of the 70 faces of Torah (= the 7 lamps of the Menorah, each comprising 10). The eight-day miracle corresponds to shanim kadmoniyos (primordial times / Binah / the 8th day), which transcends all 70 faces and can revive even one who has fallen from them all. Pirsoom ha-nes (publicizing the miracle) = retelling the primordial story = awakening from slumber. The Fire: The Chanukah fire = yir'as Hashem = a holy fire that, contra natural fire, adds life and lengthens days. The ma'alin bakodesh (increasing the lights nightly) = yir'as Hashem tosif yamim. Prohibition against using the light = lo ta'aseh = the attribute of yir'ah. The Kesef: Wealth flows from yir'ah (lengthening of breath) which subdues hevel ha'yoafee (shortening of breath). The kesef kidushin draws this very wealth — the groom transfers his yir'ah-rooted substance to the bride, thereby elevating her from reshus harabbim (eesha zonah) to reshus hayachid (eesha yir'as Hashem).