Page 596 - BERESHIT

The words contain the letters of . The reason we

light an additional candle every night of Chanukah is because we try to

ascend in all spiritual matters. Our Avodat Hashem should always be

constantly advancing, step by step.

Yosef kept his faith and preserved the sanctity of his brit milah by
continuing to advance in the Torah he learned with his father, even in the
foreign land of Egypt. To prove his level of spirituality, Yosef sent wagons
to Canaan, to remind Yaakov of the topic they had learned together before
his abduction.

The words also contain two approaches for dealing with

the Yetzer Hara. The first is to constantly ‘slaughter’ our foe, by choosing

good over evil and ascending gradually. The second is to prepare for his

temptations and advances from beforehand.

Chanukah is celebrated on Shabbat, whereas Purim is not. This has to do
with the essence of the festivals. Chanukah celebrates the triumph of the
spirit. The Greeks tried to destroy the Jewish soul, and our celebration is
demonstrated by giving praise and thanks to Hashem, in a more spiritual
manner. Shabbat also stresses ascending in Avodat Hashem and together
they can boost us to higher levels.