Chanukah reminds us that things are not always what they seem to be. A tiny army can overturn a giant opponent — with Hashem’s help. Since we always have Hashem’s help we can be sure that we too can vanquish fierce opponents. This is good to know because when we are confronted with seemingly overwhelming internal forces this knowledge can encourage and strengthen our resolve. Yes we can — with Hashem’s help — emerge victorious.
The Enemy Within
Family living brings a certain amount of conflict. There are conflicts of opinion between husbands and wives. There are battles of will between parents and children. There are wars between siblings. However the external opponent — whichever family member happens to be bothersome at the moment — is not the real enemy. The enemy is the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) that is triggered within us during the conflict.
For instance the problem is not that Husband disagrees with Wife. That’s just normal a common consequence of the fact that any two people have their own minds and any two genders see things differently a lot of the time. Rather the problem is that Husband feels an overpowering urge to prove his point an urge that is equal in strength and determination to the one being experienced at the very same moment by Wife. These two urges the fight-to-the-death impulses within each person are fierce enough to tear apart the marriage the home the Jewish People and the universe.
The yetzer hara is no small foot soldier. It is a force stronger than a nuclear blast. It stands in wait hovering around every conversation that occurs in the home ready to pounce at the slightest opportunity.
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