Rabbi Berland Shlit”a Blesses Oil for Avreichim of Old City

Last night, Wednesday, 21 Kislev, the event for blessing the oil took place for the avreichim of "Hit’achdut HaAvreichim,” under the auspices of Shuvu Banim Institutions, in preparation for the pre-Chanukah conference that will be held tonight, Thursday, 22 Kislev.

At the event, Moreinu HaRav shlit"a blessed hundreds of jars of oil that will be distributed to the avreichim at the conference. He also added several words of the Living God on the subject of the pure oil of Chanukah. Below are the words that he spoke at the event:

Only one cruse remained. For one hundred and eighty years, there were the Greeks. Antiochus defiled all the oils. The Greeks themselves did not touch the oil – only Antiochus. For three years, he defiled all the oils and placed an idol in the Sanctuary. Then the revolt broke out. When they slaughtered a thousand people, people hid in a cave. The enemy lit the cave from the outside, and they were suffocated by the smoke.

Question: Who hid the cruse of oil?

This is the cruse of oil that descended to Yaakov. That is why he went to fetch the small jars. He wrestled with the angel. How much is a cruse of oil worth – two shekels? Do you go to wrestle with Yaakov over that? Take two shekels and buy a cruse of oil – he has endless money, a hundred thousand sheep, a hundred thousand goats! Rather, it was a cruse of oil that Hashem threw down to him from heaven. It is written that the moment he prayed on Mount Moriah, on the Foundation Stone, and Hashem said to him, “Behold, I am with you and will guard you wherever you go” (Bereishit 28:15), as soon as he left Mount Moriah a cruse of oil fell to him from heaven – so it is written in Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer. This cruse remained until the Second Temple and was preserved. Throughout the entire First Temple, they anointed kings and high priests with it, and the oil in this cruse never ran out. Whoever finds it – the oil will never run out. Now it is hidden away. In the Second Temple they hid this cruse of oil.

So this is the cruse of oil that came down from heaven, and over this cruse of oil he wrestled with the angel. These are the “small jars.” Reb Natan brings everything in Likkutei Halachot.