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The month of Tevet is heralded in with light; the very first day of the month always takes place during Chanuka. But whilst there is much light in this month, there is a fair amount of darkness too. The miracle of Chanuka took place during Tevet, yet just days after the end of Chanuka, the siege of the first Beit Hamikdash began. This event ultimately brought about the destruction of the Temple.
This year more than ever, we feel this bittersweet pull between celebration and pain. We light the candles of the Menorah, and we celebrate our many recent victories and those hostages we have rescued. But at the same time, we ache for our country that has been at war for well over a year, and we grieve for the men, women and children who have still not been brought home.
Yet despite the tragedies, there is a song currently making its way through the Jewish music top lists. Sung by Yair Elitzur, the words are written by the charismatic Israeli Breslov Rabbi, Rav Shalom Arush. The crux of the song is encapsulated in its chorus:
‘Hashem yitbarach, tamid ohev oti/ Ve’tamid yihyeh li rak tov/ Ve od yoter tov/ Ve od yoter tov….’
‘G-d Blessed is He, always loves me/ And I will always have only good/ And I’ll have even better/ And even better….’
Perhaps the most crucial thing we can take out of the month of Tevet is its name, which contains the word ‘Tov’ – ‘good’. The month of Tevet tells us that every event, whether celebration or tragedy, light or dark, joy or pain, is in reality only good. In fact, we are told that the entire reason for creation was so that G-d could bestow good upon us, His nation. Every snow coated peak, every warbling spring, every far flung continent and every blade of grass was created just for our benefit. And every event that takes place is just so that G-d can give us good. So, we sing through happiness, and we sing through tragedy. For we know that somehow even tragedy is good, even though we may not understand it.
The famed sage Rabbi Akiva understood and epitomized this very concept. ‘Kol mah d’avid Rachmana, l’tav avid,’ he would say. ‘Everything that G d does is for the good.’ This was a man who lived through the destruction of the second Temple, a man who died an excruciating death at the hands of the Romans. It was a man who understood that he need not understand why it’s good, but nonetheless, it is.
The Talmud tells us that Rabbi Akiva was once on a journey and needed a place to spend the night. Passing through a village, he went from door to door, yet nobody agreed to host him.
Repeating his mantra that ‘Everything that G d does is for the good’, he set up camp in a forest lying at the outskirts of the town. With him, he had a donkey to carry his load, a rooster to wake him up early, and a lamp with which he could study at night. Shortly after he encamped however, a lion devoured his donkey, his rooster was killed by a predator, and a strong wind blew out his fire. Yet after each of these events, Rabbi Akiva said, ‘Everything that happens is for the good.’
And indeed, he was right. On the following morning, he discovered that during the night, a Roman legion had attacked the village and taken its people captives. Had he been a guest in one of these homes, he too, would have been taken captive. If his donkey or rooster had been alive, their braying and crowing would have attracted the legionnaires’ attention, and had his candle remained burning, they would have been able to see him in the forest.
Everything that happens is indeed only for the good – we just have to understand that we may not see it until we look back from a later vantage point. When we see the pieces of a puzzle whilst it is still in progress, there are pieces which are very black. It is only when the puzzle is completed that we see how those very black pieces enhance the beauty of the puzzle.
When we remember the lesson of Tevet, that every event is only ever good, then we can live a life of happiness and joy, knowing that all G-d wants is to give us only Od Yoter Tov – better and better.