A Chanuka message from our adopted Kollel - Erev Minhas Yehuda
CHANUKA 5775
The gemara in Shabbos asks: What is Chanuka? It explains that the 25th of Kislev is the first of eight days during which we don’t make hespedim nor do we fast because when the Greeks entered the Beis Hamikdash, they defiled all of the oil. When the Chashmonaim defeated them and entered the Beis Hamikdash, they searched for holy oil but found only one cruse still sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol. It only contained enough oil for one day, but a miracle took place and they were able to light the menorah for eight days.
On the following year, the Chachomim established these eight days as festive ones through reciting Hallel and giving thanks.
One cannot help wondering why the Sages had to wait a full year before declaring an official yom tov; why didn’t they do so immediately when the miracle of the oil and the victory took place? We also see that Mordechai established the miracle of Purim to be celebrated for two days with joy and feast.
The “Shem MiShmuel” differentiates between the period of the Chashmonaim and that of Mordechai, where the miracle took place during the Persian exile, outside of Eretz Yisrael, when there was no Beis Hamikdash and no lishkas hagozis where new takonos could be established. Only Mordechai (with Esther) was empowered to make a regulation binding for all generations, whereas during the period of the Chanuka miracle, when there was a Beis Hamikdash and a lishkas hagazis, such a binding act had to have the sanction of a Beis Din. Circumstances prevented this because the Beis Hamikdash still had to be purified from contamination and the Beis Din had to be convened again. Since this was not possible immediately after the miracle, they had to wait until the following year to establish a yom tov of Hallel.
The question can be resolved in another way. Chazal come to teach us a fundamental rule that when a person experiences a momentous event in his life, he should not make immediate resolutions and establish innovations but should examine all the aspects of that happening before reaching definite conclusions for future action. The gemara says specifically that they deliberately waited a full year so as to internalize the implications of the event and study the root of the decree in the first place, and the nature of the miracle, in the second place. Only then could they establish a binding festival of Hallel and joy.
We see this in the fact that the gemara does not mention anything about the military victory, only that the Chashmonai dynasty overthrew the Greek rule and then mentions the miracle of the oil cruse which took place after the victory.
If we stop to think, we will realize that all we mention in Al Hanissim is the victory through a negligible comment that “they lit candles in Your holy courtyards”, which coincides with what the gemara says, explaining the root of Chanuka through the question “Mai – what is the essence…” of Chanuka?
In answer to this question, the gemara tells of the Greek decrees etc. Chazal come here to explain to us the root of their decrees, that they sought to obliterate the Torah; this was the purpose of their defiling the Beis Hamikdash which was the source of the light of Torah via the lishkas hagozis and the commandment of aliya laregel. The Beis Hamikdash was the source of light for the entire world and this is what they sought to contaminate. Thanks, however, to their self sacrifice, Hashem rewarded the Chashmonaim with the miracle of the oil used to light the menorah since this symbolizes for us that “the mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light.” Hashem wanted to show us the tremendous power of Torah that even a small cruse of oil is capable of burning for eight days. This is what we say in Al Hanissim – that they sought to obliterate the Torah, and we conclude that “they lit candles in Your holy courtyards, for this is the very core of the miracle – Hashem’s showing us that the light and power of the Torah cannot be extinguished.
We can add that on Purim we conclude the Al Hanissim with “In Your great mercy You foiled his counsel and ruined his plan and paid him back accordingly, and Haman and his sons were hanged upon the gallows.”
We do not conclude on Chanuka with what happened to the Greeks because we already mentioned that they lit the menorah. On Purim we tell of Haman’s end since that represented the abolishment of the decree of destroying the body of the Jewish nation whereas the aim of the Greeks to extinguish the light of Torah was foiled only temporarily through self sacrifice. Heaven wished to give us an encouraging sign through the miracle of the oil, but this battle is still ongoing throughout history to this very day. Our enemies continually seek to uproot the Torah in every generation and to transform us into a nation like every other. The victory was only temporary and is therefore not mentioned at the end of the Al Hanissim.
We pray that Hashem will perform miracles for us in these times as well, and may we merit to see the candle of mitzvah and the light of Torah spreading throughout the world.