An Enlightening Encounter
One day of Chanukah, a young woman approached me and asked that I bless her to become engaged to a specific young man. I asked for both their names and gave her a warm blessing that my fathers’ merits should bring them together, to build a true Torah home. But the girl was not satisfied. She was disturbed by thoughts of an old friendship she had had with a gentile and could not banish these thoughts from her mind.
I told her that the days of Chanukah are most auspicious for bringing one back to the path of purity. It was in these days that the Chashmonaim removed spiritual darkness from our nation. They fought the battle of Torah against the Greeks, eventually triumphing over them and bringing back the light of Torah to its rightful place. We light candles on the eight days of Chanukah in order to publicize the tremendous light of salvation caused by the house of the Chashmonaim, in the face of Greek darkness. These little lights can illuminate the path of every Jew, guiding him back to his waiting Father.
I added that if she still felt the effects of the past, it was a clear indication that she had not yet completed the teshuvah process. “B’ezrat Hashem, when you merit completely repenting for your former deeds, you will be able to sever your ties with them. Then you will truly feel the great light of Torah shine upon you.”
Baruch Hashem, my words fell on open ears. The girl returned to Hashem. She had no interest any longer in her former life. She merited marrying the young Jewish man according to Torah law.
