Torah Ohr

The Dreidel vs. The Gragger:

We spin the dreidel from its top, as the miracle of Chanukah happened in an open way. It was clearly G-d’s hand orchestrating it all from Above.

The gragger, by contrast, is held from the bottom, as in the Purim story the many miracles were concealed. G-d orchestrated “natural” events instead of clear miracles.

The avenues of G-d’s miracles differed, but a miraculous salvation occurred in both stories nonetheless.

When we light the menorah, one of the blessings we say is: Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
➡️“At this time!” G-d performed miracles then, and He still performs miracles TODAY.

When you play dreidel this Chanukah, it’s more than just a game. It’s an opportunity: tap into G-d’s miracles. It’s an inheritance: this is your heritage; own it. It’s a prayer: may we see miracles, revealed miracles, in all of our lives. (Based off of Taamei Minhagim)

Happy Chanukah!

Picture: The Rebbe is presented a Dreidel during "Sunday Dollars".

Torah Ohr

On 19 Kislev 5559 (1798), the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi was released after being imprisoned by the Russian authorities. After his liberation, Chasidism began to spread in earnest.

Since then, the anniversary of the Alter Rebbe's release has been celebrated as the New Year of Chasidism. Each year, the Rebbe would celebrate 19 Kislev with a special Farbrengen.

Pictured: The Rebbe commits to study a tractate of the Talmud over the course of the year together with participnts of the Farbrengen.