The Arizal explains that when the lighting of the candles takes place, there is a spiritual elevation happening almost in an automatic way. Sadly, people are more occupied within the material side of it, from how the picture is going to look to how tasty the donuts are going to be. Chanukah is a very spiritual holiday. If people concentrate on meditations, there is a possibility of actually experiencing how the spiritual elevation becomes more tangible. 

The actual potential of elevation depends on how prepared the person is to receive inspiration. There is a huge risk on being elevated without its proper preparation, a person could r’l end up being crazy, confused or worse. Hashem knows where the person is holding and the elevation is going to happen accordingly. Therefore, a person needs to focus on the preparation so that the result ends up being positive. 

There is a kabbalistic concept, taught by the Arizal and the Rashash, of elevating the holy sparks from the public domain to the private domain. The concept at a more individualistic level explains that the house (private domain) is within one’s being, and the public domain is the light that remains outside one’s being. There are two possible ways of interaction, to emanate light from within to the outside and to bring light from the outside to the inner being. The first cannot happen without the second, one needs to have light to be able to give light. The goal is to help others. For this to happen, the person needs first to be in conditions of being able to be a source of light to others. 

To be Hashem´s representative is not an easy task. A wise person knows when is time to give and when is time to absorb in order to give. Chanukah is a propitious time...

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