Shabbos Chanukah Dvar Torah
What Does It Really Mean to Pray for Success? A Chanukah Message from the Holiest Place on Earth
True success isn’t money, health, or honor ; those are only tests. In Judaism, real success is sanctifying Hashem’s Name, whether in private like Yosef as a slave or in public like the miracle of Chanukah. When we pray for success, we’re really asking to live in a way that makes Hashem visible through us.
I’m standing here by the holiest place in the world, right next to where the Holy of Holies once stood, the Devir Beitecha, the inner chamber where the Divine Presence was revealed.
And it’s here, during Chanukah, that I want to ask a question almost everyone is asking right now, even if they don’t realize it:
What does it actually mean to pray for success?
Everyone prays for success.
People pray for money.
They pray for health.
They pray for respect, comfort, stability, and relief.
And during Chanukah, in Hallel , we pray אנא ה' הושיעה נא אנא ה' הצליחה נא we beg for success and we beg for salvation.
We ask Hashem to help us succeed.
But here’s the problem:
Most people don’t really know what success means.
Success Is Not the Thing Itself
According to Judaism, wealth is not success.
Health is not success.
Honor is not success.
Those are tools, not goals.
They’re tests.
The Torah never defines success as what you have.
It defines success as what you do with what you have
.
True success in Judaism is very simple and very demanding:
To sanctify the Name of Hashem. That’s it. If a person lived a life where Hashem’s name was made greater through them, that person was successful. Even if they suffered. Even if they lost everything. Even if they died.
Because success is not measured by outcome, It’s measured by kiddush Hashem.
“You Made Your Name Great”
Look carefully at the heart of our Chanukah prayer.
We don’t emphasize wealth.
We don’t emphasize victory.
We emphasize one thing:
“You made Your Name great in the world.
What does that mean?
It means that through the miracles, through the courage, through the faithfulness of the Jewish people, people recognized Hashem.
That is the definition of success.
The Torah says something astonishing about Yosef: “And Hashem was with Yosef, and he was successful.”
When?
Not when he was viceroy of Egypt.
Not when he ruled the world.
When he was a slave.
The Torah identifies Yosef as “successful” precisely when he had nothing.
Why?
Because in private, in the house of Potiphar, Yosef sanctified Hashem’s Name.
When faced with temptation, with no audience, no applause, no reward, he chose holiness.
And because Yosef sanctified Hashem’s Name in private, Hashem added a letter from His own Name to Yosef’s name. עדות ביהוסף שמו
Later, Yosef sanctified Hashem’s Name in public, before Pharaoh, before Egypt, before the world.
That is real success.
Private or Public You Choose
Every person has two options:
* Sanctify Hashem’s Name in private
* Sanctify Hashem’s Name in public
Chanukah is about public sanctification.
We don’t hide the menorah.
We place it where people can see.
Because Chanukah isn’t only about remembering a miracle,
It’s about declaring what matters.
A Powerful Story
I once asked a great rabbi about a man in the Syrian community in America who had fallen into a devastating legal and financial crisis.
He had once given enormous charity.
Now he had nothing.
I asked the rabbi:
Should we pray that he becomes wealthy again?
The rabbi said something unforgettable: “You may pray for him in the yeshiva — but not that he should get his money back. Pray that he should come out of the story.”
Meaning:
Success is not returning to wealth.
Success is emerging refined, honorable, connected to Hashem.
You can have money and fail the test.
You can lose money and pass it.
Money Is a Test, Not a Proof
The world assumes that wealth equals success. Judaism says the opposite. Often, money is just a test. Power is a test. Comfort is a test.
Yosef was declared successful before he had power, not because of it.
So What Should We Pray For?
When we pray for success, especially on Chanukah, we should pray for this: “Hashem, help me live in a way that Your Name is sanctified through me.”
If that requires wealth — give me wealth.
If that requires struggle — give me strength.
If that requires quiet faithfulness — give me courage.
Because when we pray for success for Hashem,
Hashem always answers.
That is the kind of success that lasts. That is the kind of success Chanukah teaches us. And that is the kind of success worth praying for right here, by the holiest place on earth.