The Light and the Splendor

Revolutionize the Way You Look at Chanukah and Tu B’Shevat (and your life)! Chanukah - a time of joyous celebration -- the radiance of menorahs glimmering in the darkness, the family gatherings, the traditional foods and songs … Yet there is so much more depth and meaning to the holiday, so many rich and inspiring lessons it has to elevate our lives. And though Tu B’Shevat is often almost overlooked, or simply marked by a few moments of eating dried fruit, it, too, is a day of profound spiritual awakening and significance. The unexplored depths of Chanukah and Tu B’Shevat beckon the thoughtful and perceptive Jew to discover the treasures that lie beneath the surface. In this collection of wide-ranging, stimulating, and original essays, Rabbi Daniel Glatstein draws upon a vast array of sources, many of them rare and some almost unknown, to show us the deep inner dimensions of these two holidays, and how they relate to contemporary times. What makes the mitzvah of Chanukah candles “beloved to Hashem” -- and why is the mitzvah so hard to fulfill properly? Why did we need the miracle of the oil at all … and what does it tell us about our own daily lives? Why was the miracle of Chanukah not recorded in Tanach? What is the connection between Tu B’Shevat and repentance -- and what is the difference between the teshuvah of Rosh HaShanah and that of Tu B’Shevat? Rav and Founder of Machon Maggid Harakiah in Cedarhurst, New York, Rabbi Glatstein is one of the contemporary Jewish world’s most popular speakers and respected maggidei shiur. As you read these brilliant and illuminating essays, you will understand why his more than 5,000 shiurim have garnered literally millions of views and downloads on Torahanytime.com and other venues, while his Hebrew-language sefarim, too, have been acclaimed throughout the Torah world. Like the glowing flames of the Menorah, The Light and the Splendor brings us a luminous new understanding of Chanukah and Tu B’Shevat, an important contribution to Torah Literature and a precious gift to us all.