Chanuka

The Rebbe (Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn) asked a question at a Yud Tes Kislev Farbrengen in 5713.  Does time flow continuously or is it a set of points (infinite set of points) - similar I think to the question asked in physics whether light is a set of particles or a wave.  The Rebbe said we can learn the answer to this from the first mishna in Tractate Brachos.  The sons of Rabban Gamliel come back from a wedding and aske their father if they are still allowed to say Shma.  The Rebbe points out that the mishna specifies that they were preoccupied until then with the mitzva of bringing joy to newlyweds - this seems to indicate that if they weren't preoccupied with another mitzva they would not be allowed to say Shma now.  Since the mishna is telling us we have to take prior history into account, this means that time is a continuous flow where the past occurrences are relevant and significant for determining my present decisions.

These two concepts of continuous flow as opposed to discrete events we find by Chanuka.  Chanuka is split up into two miracles.  The miracle of the Jews winning the war and the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days.  The celebration of the oil lasting for eight days, and the lighting of one additional candle each night seems to draw from the concept of the continuity of time that each day is supposed to build upon draw from the previous days.  While the Jewish victory according to Maimonides at least, should be celebrated through increasing in joyous meals/get-togethers (seudat mitzva).  The Rebbe emphasized in our generation this aspect of increasing in joy especially by Chanuka.  Since joy taps into a deeper reservoir of divine revelation than simple acknowledgement and thankfulness.  Therefore, we recognize the big picture relevance of the Chanuka miracle, there is a a particular relevance to the military victory in that it signifies the victorious nature of the Jewish people and our ability to bring down victory even in the lowest levels of physicality.

The attribute of Netzach, victory is essentially connected with our power to reveal the final victory of light over darkness with the imminent arrival of our Righteous Moshiach.

Parshat VaYeshev

Gen. 37:14 - "Out of the vale of Hebron" - raises a question.  In Num. 13:22 it says "and they went up into the South and came unto Hebron" indicating that Hebron is on high.  Rashi explains:"the vale of Hebron alludes to the profound (deep (in Hebrew the word for vale and deep share the same root)) counsel of that righteous one (ie Abraham) who is interred in Hebron to fulfill that which was told to Abraham in the covenant of the split offerings (Gen. 15) 'for they seed will be a sojourner'".

Chassidus explains (based on the Zohar) that Hebron represents the connection of the four physical elements in this world that come together in order to form the body, the physical vessel in which the spirit can dwell.  The choice that Abraham had to make at the covenant of the split offerings is whether his descendants should have their fixing in Geheinom, outside the material plain, or in exile, in the material reality.  Abraham chose exile because he recognized that the elevation of the soul that is possible inside the physical body, even as it experiences the trials and tribulations of the exile, is much higher than any refining that can be accomplished outside the physical body in Geheinom.  Tanya explains in Chapter 4 that the physical commandments, the external expressions or garments of the soul's dominion over the body unite the soul with G-d on a level that cannot be achieved in any other dimension or world.

Parsha Vayishlach- Rambam Laws of the Injurer

In Genesis Chapter 35, Verse 22 "And it came to pass while Israel dwelt in that land that Reuben went and lay with Bihah his father's concubine and Israel heard of it.  Now the sons of Jacob were twelve" Rashi comments:  and lay: Since he (Reuben) disarranged his (Jacob’s) bed, Scripture considers it as if he had lain with her. Now why did he disarrange and profane his bed? [It was] because when Rachel died, Jacob took his bed, which had been regularly placed in Rachel’s tent and not in the other tents, and moved it in to Bilhah’s tent. Reuben came and protested his mother’s humiliation. He said,“If my mother’s sister was a rival to my mother, should my mother’s sister’s handmaid [now also] be a rival to my mother?” For this reason, he disarranged it. — [from Shab. 55b]and so, the sons of Jacob were twelve: [Scripture] commences with the previous topic (i.e. the birth of Benjamin). When Benjamin was born, the marriage bed (i.e. the destined number of sons) was completed, and from then on, it was proper that they be counted, and [so] it (Scripture) counted them. Our Sages, however, interpreted that these words are intended to teach us that all of them (Jacob’s sons) were equal, and all of them were righteous, for Reuben had not sinned. — [from Shab. 55b]. 
Now without the sages we would have no way of unederstanding in this verse the juxtaposition of the two phrases.
Chassidus teaches us that Reuven corresponds to the first paragraph of the Shma prayer - representing with its 42 words the concept of loving Hashem with no bounds.  And so here we could think that Reuven did not limit himself with his father's concubine.  But the truth of the matter is that Jacob's marriage bed was complete- his sons were not outside the bounds of human decency but rather their personal drives were always kept in check by their father's example of virtue and integrity in all matters.

In Rambam Laws of One who Injures or Damages, Chapter One- the Rambam explaines the concept of Eye for an Eye ( Ex. 21:24) cannot be understood literally for we have another verse(Ex. 21:18): If men quarrel and one strikes his fellow with a stone or a fist...Only for his lost time shalle he pay, and he shall provide for healing. So the Torah itself tells us we can only collect monetary damages for bodily harm. Chassidus teaches us that in spiritual terms money represents the love and fear of the soul and that a small hole in the body means a larger hole in the soul.  If the soul does not maintain the body and causes harm to befall it, it must pay for the damage it has caused with a loss of its own service and connection through love and fear.