Question:  

Answer:

Mrs. Gold's boss has the right to demand that she begin working at 9am and that she be available for anything he needs done during this time. The extra hours she puts in on her breaks and overtime is considered a gift to her boss and she has no right to demand reward for it.

Therefore Mrs. Gold will either have to daven before work, or on her breaks, or ask her boss permission to daven before she begins work. She can explain to him that it won't affect her work and that she is giving him more time after hours. If it does in fact impact her work and she knows her boss is particular, she may not daven before she begins work. The Gemara says that if someone steals your property, you can break his teeth and tell him openly that you're taking your property back. However you should not take it back secretly like a thief, lest people think you are a thief. The same goes for Mrs. Gold. It isn't right that people should think she's doing something she has no permission to do. Therefore she should discuss the situation openly with her boss and try to come to a mutually satisfying agreement.

There's a deep spiritual connection between the potential of a month and the holiday that falls in that month. The month of Cheshvan is symbolized by the letter Nun which stands for nafal, to fall. This signifies the period of oppression preceding the Chanukah miracle when the Jews were at a very low spiritual level. Kislev stands for the letter samech which denotes, "Somech Hashem l'chol hanoflim." Hashem supports those who fall. Kislev signifies hope and salvation. The two letters nun and samech spell the word nes (miracle). Kislev and the miracles of Chanukah embody the secret of how the fallen rise from the depths and how darkness transforms to light.

The Bnei Yissachar notes that the numerical value of Kislev is 306 which equals the numerical value of av harachaman, merciful Father. Kislev is about Hashem's infinite compassion as seen throughout the story of Chanukah. What created the change? What turned an abysmal situation into one of eternal light and salvation? Hashem created the world because he wanted to give us intense and meaningful pleasure. He gave us the means to invest so we could earn reward. But we see that creation itself came into being without prior investment. We weren't there yet to work and reap a return. What made Hashem create the world if there was nothing that preceded it? In Bereishit, Rashi says He did so for the sake of the Jewish people and the Torah. "Yisrael alu b'machshavah lifanei." The thought of the Jewish nation preceded creation. By the very fact that Hashem created the world he established the concept of giving now for what we will do in the future. And for that it was worthwhile for Him to create a world.

The situation of the Jewish people under the Greeks seemed hopeless. Only a minority remained loyal to Hashem. Even the high priests were corrupt. Hashem couldn't let such a reality continue without change. He had a purpose in creation and if it couldn't be fulfilled, the world had no reason to continue existing. Mercy doesn't mean you can do what you want and Hashem will look the other way. It means, "I know you'll get there and I'll bring you there." It's like lending someone money with the hope it will be returned. When Hashem created the world it was as if he said, "I know you're going to make it, so I'll give you on account." Hashem trusted his plan would move ahead and succeed. The non-Jewish nations have no responsibility to the world at large. They must keep the Seven Noachide Laws and believe in Hashem. If they don't live up to this, Hashem gives them time to repent. If they don't, he destroys them. But the Jewish nation will continue to exist for eternity because they are the very reason for creation.

There were many miracles throughout Jewish history but only those that had the potential to stay with us made it to our calendar as a holiday. Chanukah means inauguration. The source of the word is in the Torah. When Lot was captured and Avraham went to free him, the Torah says he went with chanichav, the members of his household. One opinion says they were 318 students. Another opinion says it was Eliezer. Chanichav comes from the word chinuch- to educate. Rashi says it's the start of the formation of a vessel in serving what it is in the future meant to accomplish. Education is investing in a child so that in the future he'll be able to continue on in the direction you've shown him. It's bringing him to a point where he can do it on his own. When the beit hamikdash was defiled, it couldn't fulfill its purpose. After everything was cleaned and made ready to be used, it could be inaugurated again. Judaism teaches us that reaching a peak means the beginning of more investment. It seems to us that the holiday of Chanukah commemorates a high point. The situation was rock bottom, Hashem saved us, and so we celebrate. But it's not so. Interestingly enough, at one of the peaks in our history, when the Jews got the Torah it only took 40 days until they fell again. Before his death, Moshe spoke about a long process of ups and downs and numerous exiles that would culminate at the end of days. What gives us strength is remembering that we have a merciful Father who guarantees that at the end we'll get there. More than this, each time we fall we begin a new path at a higher level. It says, "Seven times a righteous man falls and he gets up." The ability to stand erect the seventh time and not fall again is a result of the strength gained in training, in the process of falling and getting up again. Each time we fail and repent, we gain new spiritual abilities that remain with us for all generations. We carry the strength of the Chashmonaim for eternity. Shlomo Hamelech tells us, "Chanoch l'naar al pi darko gam ki yazkin lo yasur mimeni" Educate a child according to his ways, when he will be old, he will not stray. That's Chanukah. It's not an ending, it's a beginning. It's the eternal strength to face our challenges with faith and fortitude.

Rav Tzadok explains that Kislev comes from the root word kesel (hope). The month of Kislev embodies bitachon (trust in Hashem). How did a small band of untrained Jewish soldiers led by the aged Matisyahu, face the mighty Greek empire? They had to believe completely that Hashem doesn't need numbers to create miracles. He looks for loyalty, self- sacrifice, and dedication. The Chashmonim knew they couldn't let the situation continue the way it was. They went to battle with full faith in Hashem and it was that which created the miracle of Chanukah.

Nes means a flag pole or something that is placed at the front for others to follow. The Jewish people are called nes because they light the way for the nations. Every holiday is a nes, a beacon to follow and leads us to the future. We thank Hashem on Chanukah for what was. But the main idea is pirsumei nisa (publicizing the miracle). The Chanukah lights must be kindled at night outside at a height the eye can see because the whole purpose of the mitzvah is a direction for the future. The remembrance of the past serves to ignite the way for the future. Kislev corresponds to the tribe of Binyamin who is called, "Yedid Hashem yishkon lavetach," A friend of Hashem who dwells with trust in Him. This is the power of the month. Rav Tzadok says that in Shir Hashirim the Jewish people are called bat zug, the partner of Hashem. May we merit the He lead us to our destiny.