Nittel Witch & Karnei Hod

Leil Nittel is a Jewish custom to not study Torah on Christmas/Christmas EveAlternatively, among the more orthodox, nittel is observed January 6th as opposed to on Christmas. Christmas is the day Christians honor as the birthday of the one they recognize as mashiach. January 6th is associated with his "recognition" by La Befana, the witch sought out for directions by the 3 Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem, celebrated by the Christian holiday called Feast of the Epiphany.

According to Christian legend, the first few times asked, the witch refused to assist the 3 Wise Men. She changed her mind when she saw a great light (i.e., the "star of Bethlehem" in Christian teaching) in the skies.

From this little bit of information, one can glean that the rabbis may interpret the "great light in the skies" seen by the witch as the masculine light (vav ו, aur yashar) of Torah learning. Consequently, the practice of nittel aims to blot out the light which gave rise to the witch's recognition of a "false mashiach" (according to Jewish tradition). In other words, the aim is to force emergence of a returning Dark Light (aur chozer).

You see, the problem is not with Christianity really. The problem (in Jewish understanding) is both misrecognition by the witch and the masculine light of Torah in the skies which gave rise to it (through the witch's abdication of her own inner feminine guiding light in deference to it). The witch doubted the value of her own Dark Light.

True recognition (proper acknowledgment) is a function of rectified Hod, a feminine soul power central to the meaning of Chanukah (see karnei Hod). This is of the Dark Divine Light, and a power of the Left Emanation. Therefore, true recognition of the true mashiach will not come via the masculine Bright Light, it must emerge from the Darkness Herself. Only through emergence of the letter zayin (ז, representing the feminine aur chozer) can the letter chet (ח), representing the soul of mashiach, become completely manifest.

So, both the witch and the "rabbis" of that era erred in that both the witch and the "Wise Men" rabbis believed that a Bright Light would guide them to mashiach. But the truth is, that recognition of the true mashiach must emerge via the feminine Dark Light Herself.

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