The month of Kislev (the current month) is a time charged with energy. Just to give you an idea, the most important days and their events (in summary) are:
- 9 Kislev: anniversary of the birth and death of the Miteler Rebbe, Rabbi Dov Ber of Lubavitch, second Rebbe of Chabad (1773-1827).
- Kislev 10: Feast of the release of the Miteler Rebbe from prison in Tsarist Russia in 1826.
- 19th and 20th of Kislev: Feast of the release of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, first Rebbe of Chabad, from the prison of Tsarist Russia (1798) (see news).
- 25th of Kislev: Hanukkah, the festival of lights, begins.
Clearly, a month so full of important dates and holidays must hold special significance in Jewish tradition. In fact, it's interesting to analyze the dates on which these events occur.
From a purely historical perspective, the day on which a particular event occurs becomes special from that moment onward. For example, no one attached any importance to May 25th until 1810, when the May Revolution took place, leading to Argentina's subsequent total independence from Spain.
However, from a Jewish perspective, events occur on special days. That is, the Exodus from Egypt, which took place on the 15th of Nisan, around the year 2448 (1313 BCE), could only have happened on that day. The day and its special energy, which it has carried since creation itself, is what caused a particular event to occur on that day.
That's why we celebrate each special day with the same intensity as when it originally happened. We're not content with commemorating or remembering something that occurred who knows how many years ago (and seemingly has no connection to us), but rather we relive what is happening in that very moment.
Because another quality of time from a Jewish perspective is that it is not linear. The past is not gone, but rather recurs; every year, every month, the energy of each day repeats itself, just as it did the previous year, on the same month and day (only on a higher plane, which makes it a year later).
It follows from this that the month of Kislev is a month of liberation, both in the material and spiritual sense. Liberation from the limitations imposed by our bodies, such as habits acquired over the years, our upbringing, and local customs; and spiritual liberation from all thoughts that hinder our connection with God and His Torah.
Let us take advantage of this month to strengthen our bonds with God, increasing in light, as the verse says "ki ner mitzvah veTorah or" - The Mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light (Mishlei 6:23), both the light of good deeds and the light of Torah study, the revealed Torah and the hidden Torah.