There are two lights in the world. There is finite light which has measures, which has vessels. Then there is the infinite light which has no vessels, no beginning and no end. This is round. Every person has a little bit of measured and and a little bit of unmeasured light, and yet even the unmeasured is individual. In that part of light which has measure, everybody's measure is different. Even in the light of the infinite, in the unmeasured, the holiness of human beings is that even though we are all infinite, I am not infinite the way you are infinite. But then there is something infinite behind all this which brings all the infinite together. The kallah walks in circles around the chasan, giving him that part of herself which is infinite. The holy chasan gives her a little ring, giving her that part of himself which is infinite. Both of them are standing under the chupah, the great infinite light which covers both of them together, which is G-d's light beyond everything. That real, holy, infinite light which has no beginning and no end is what gets people together.
The Holy Bais Yaakov says if someone gives you a gift and you don't know the worth of it, then you don't receive that gift properly. Imagine if someone gives me a little ring and I think it's only worth a dollar. So my thank you is a dollar's worth thank you; I didn't receive more. If I know the ring is worth one hundred dollars I say thank you differently, because I receive it differently. Can you imagine if someone gives me something and I know it is eternity!
I'm sure you gave many gifts in your life, but none of them compare to the wedding ring. For the first time in your life, you are privileged to give someone a gift and you know you are really doing G-d's will. For the first time in your life, you give someone a gift and you know this person will remember it in eternity. For the first time you give someone a gift, and you know your great great grandchildren will know. So you can imagine how round this ring is. It is really eternal. It has no beginning and no end. It will be remembered forever.
When you receive this ring, it is mamash eternity. Your life depends on it. Your chldren, the whole world, the coming of Mashiach depends on it. The Gemora says that the Mashiach can only come when all the people who are supposed to be in the world to bring Mashiach are here. Everybody has a little brick for the Great Highway and until everyone has put a stone in the right place, the Highway is not yet completed...
When a man and woman come together they form the word of God's Holy Name, Yud Kay Vav Kay. Yud Kay is for the chasan. He is responsible for all holy thoughts in the marriage. And Vav Kay is for the Kallah. She is responsible for all holy actions. When the Kallah holds out her finger to receive the ring, she forms the letter Vav and the five fingers are for Kay. The Yud Kay is so holy because Yud is so small, but it is the Kallah who makes the chasan big!
Why is the whole marriage the ring? The ring is like the "samich". What is the deepest connection between husband and wife? They say if G-d forbid you are falling, I'll hold you up. You can always fall on me.
Listen to this, each time a person gets married, you connect yourself to the "samich". "G-d holds up all those who are falling".
What's a lonely person? I can know the Brooklyn telephone book by heart, and still be lonely. I can go to parties, and there are two thousand people every night that know me and I can still be the loneliest person in the world. When do I stop being lonely. When there is one person in the world who gives me a "samich".
Reb Nachman says, why is it so hard to fall asleep on Saturday night? Because Eliyahu HaNavi is really coming every Saturday night. He is coming to wake up the world. The lonliest night of the week is Saturday night for those who are lonely. If they are lonely, then Saturday night they are the loneliest. Because on Saturday night, Meshiach is coming. Chanukah is a little like Saturday night because the Lights of Meshiach are shining and you can't sit by yourself.