QUESTION: Why is the holiday called Chanukah?
ANSWER: 1) Chanu-Kah, they rested from the wars on the 25th day of Kislev (Chanu – means rest; Kah – stands for 25).
2) The letters of the word spell out: “Chet Neirot Vehalacha Kebeit Hillel – Eight candles and the din is according to Beth Hillel’’ (the adding of an additional candle every night) (Avudraham).
2a) It also spells out: the “Chashmona’im Nitgabru Vehargu Kol Ha’oyvim – The Chashmonoyim became strong and destroyed their enemies.’’
3) The Mishkan (Tabernacle) was completed on the 25th day of Kislev, but G-d waited with the celebration until Nissan, the month in which the Patriarchs were born. The month of Kislev felt belittled, so G-d compensated by celebrating the holiday of Chanukah in it (Midrash Rabba Bamidbar 13, also Yalkut Shimoni).
4) When the 12 chieftains of Israel, in the time of Moses, brought sacrifices, each on a different day, the tribe of Levi was omitted and they felt insulted. Therefore, G-d told Moses to tell Aaron that there would be another kindling of lights in the time of the second Beit HaMikdash on the 25th day of Kislev, when the priests will light the candles of Chanukah – (Ramban on Parashat Beha’alotcha).
QUESTION: Why were they called Chashmona’i?
ANSWER: The letters of the word represent: Chodesh, Shabbat, Milah, Nidah, Arusah, Yichud Hashem. The Greeks attempted to void these celebrations: Rosh Chodesh (new moon), Sabbath observance, circumcision, marital abstinence, wedlock and the belief in one G-d.
QUESTION: What is the meaning of the word “Maccabee”?
ANSWER: The letters of the word represent Matityahu Kohen ben Yochanan, the name of the high priest. It also represents the rallying cry: “Mi Kamocha Ba-Eilim Hashem – Who is like you, O G-d’’ (Otzar Minhagim).
QUESTION: Why did the pure oil burn eight days, why not five or ten days?
ANSWER: 1) The priests were ritually unclean and defiled from the dead and they had to remain unclean for seven days (according to the Torah). On the 8th day they immersed and purified themselves and it took them a full day to prepare new oil. (Beth Yosef, Tur Orach Chaim).
2) Another explanation is, it took them four days to travel to the Beit HaMikdash for a total of 8 days (Ran(ibid), Rokeach).
QUESTION: If the oil would have burned one day anyway, why do we consider it a miracle for eight days? The miracle should have been on the remaining seven days and the holiday should be celebrated seven days only.
ANSWER: 1) When they first found the oil they divided it into eight parts and each part should only have burned an hour or less. But a miracle occurred every night and the oil burned throughout the entire night. (Beth Yosef, Tur Orach Chaim,670).
2) Another explanation offered by the Bach and the Beth Yosef (ibid) is that after each pouring of the oil, the bottle would refill by itself for the following night.
QUESTION: Why don’t we find a full discussion about Chanukah anywhere in the Mishnah? It is only mentioned in the Gemara and there is a slight reference in the Mishnah.
ANSWER: Rabbeinu HaKadosh (Rabbi Yehuda the Prince), the codifier of the Mishnah, was a direct descendant of King David. The Maccabees were descended from the tribe of Levi, of Aaron the High Priest, and when they defeated the Greeks they took control of the kingdom of Israel and crowned themselves as kings, in violation of G-d’s promise to King David, who had been assured that the kingly staff would never cease from his seed. Rabbeinu HaKadosh was angry at this violation of G-d’s decree, therefore he omitted any discussion of them from his Mishnah. (Ta’amey Haminhagim, in the name of the Chasam Sofer).