(Courtesy of Kollel Chatzos)

“Bren, lichtele, bren…”

As we sing at our precious Chanukah licht, we implore that the candle burns and burns and burns… for as long as they can.

When we were young we wanted these candles to continue burning because we wanted to extend the partying and festivities. But now our singing reverberates with a real desire to extend the kedusha and connection… longer, longer, longer…

Yet, a niggling voice wonders: how?

The flames flicker. The songs fade away. Is there still a way to tap into the kedusha of Chanukah?

To Kollel Chatzos talmidei chachamim—and to their dedicated supporters—the answer is simple: you open a Gemara and learn. From midnight until morning.

After all, ohr is symbolic of Torah, and Chanukah is the celebration of the perseverance of Torah.

While Chanukah festivities and even the hadlaka itself often curtail learning sedarim for most, the Kollel Chatzos learning sedarim remain untampered. There are no Chanukah parties at 4 a.m. and no dreidel games at 5. Just learning, learning, learning…

This ongoing learning is so precious that generous benefactors have undertaken to strengthen the spark of hasmada by providing a special bonus stipend for the “tocho ratzuf ahava,” the special love expressed through retzifus, continuous learning.

People have been said to give themselves a ruchniyus Chanukah treat: to join this special all-night learning and glean a taste of the kedusha that Kollel Chatzos talmidei chachamim experience every night of the year.

As Yidden recognize the preciousness of this Torah learning, they seek to tap in and connect… And while all-night learning is not a possibility for every individual, becoming a Kollel Chatzos partner and sponsoring Chanukah learning is a delightful alternative.

The talmidei chachamim are heartened by the support that makes their learning a reality, and present a Chanukah gift of their own: tefillos at eight mekomos hakedoshim on behalf of the Chatzos partners. In Modiin at the Chashmonaim for supernatural yeshuos; in Meron at Rabi Shimon for children; in Amuka at Rabi Yonason ben Uziel for shidduchim; in Tzfas at the Arizal for teshuva; in Ein Zeisim at Rabi Yehuda ben Ilay for parnasa; in Tzfas at Rabi Leibele baal Yesurim for yeshuos; in Tiverya at the Shelah for ehrliche doros; and in Ilbon at the tana Masya ben Charash for shmiras einayim—the talmidei chachamim’s emissaries storm shaarei shamayim on behalf of the Chatzos partners…

And so, the kedusha burns on. And the yeshuos burn on. And on. And on…