Our connection to the mitzvos--even those that have reasons that we can understand--is ultimately suprarational. It is this level of devotion to Hashem's will that the Hellenists sought to eradicate as symbolized by their purposely defiling the oil in the Temple.

Chapters 4-6 of the maamar Tanu Rabanan Mitzvas Ner Chanukah 5738.

Chapters 1-3 of the Rebbe's discourse Tanu Rabanan Mitzvas Ner Chanukah 5738 are studied in this text-based class. We examine the meaning of the number eight and its connection to transforming darkness to light.

In the final chapter of the discourse Mayim Rabim we learn about how ordinary mundane life actually contains tremendous spiritual potential. The return to our everyday lives after the excitement of the High Holidays is compared to the soul's embodiment on the physical plane following its having been in the spiritual realms.

Previously we explained that although the mayim rabim (worries about making a living) are from a lofty spiritual source, the soul is from an even higher source, ie the Essence of G-d. However, we also said that the purpose of the descent into embodiment was so that the soul can have an even greater ascent. But how can it ascend higher if it is already coming from the highest level?

The soul descends from a place of spiritual perfection and is plunged into the harrowing conditions of embodiment. All of this is actually a descent for the sake of a subsequent ascent. The soul in heaven is a "tzadik" but the embobied soul can become a "baal teshuvah," an incomparably greater level in closeness with Hashem.

The flood waters of financial worries are rooted in the lofty spiritual level known as Tohu. Yet the source of the G-dly soul is ultimately even higher. The G-dly soul's love of G-d is likened to the fire that is hidden inside of a coal or on an even higher level, the potential spark that remains in a flint stone even after it has been submerged in water.

Studying the Rebbe's discourse Mayim Rabim 5738, which metaphorically compares financial worries to a flood, inundating us like raging waters. Despite their overwhelming nature, these concerns not only fail to extinguish our spiritual passions but, unexpectedly, end up fueling and strengthening them. Chapters 1 and 2 of the discourse.