Reply To: Chanukah Thoughts

The Meiri says that finding of the pure pitcher of oil was itself a neis which reflects the validation of the Oral Law by not having to use rabinically impure oil and the reflection of being able to be bechadesh new ideas by revealing hidden secrets from the Torah through heavenly help. The Hafloh says to be able to pose a question which helps in this endeavor comes from heavenly help. He demonstrates this with a parable where a simple person received a diamond. He says to himself, what am I going to do with a diamond when I happened to like gold. He goes to a goldsmith to get it covered in gold. He is not the best master of his trade, so he leaves some holes. The simple person sees the gold, but the smart clever person sees the diamond under the gold. Through our question we find the diamond. We find where the Jews in the desert found a bitter well. When they threw into a bitter tree it became sweet. How can we compare this to the Torah? I think, a person learns a piece of gemorah and it is so bitter when he doesn’t understand it. Hashem gives him heavenly help by providing him a question which without an answer is also bitter, but he finds an answerand it becomes sweet.