Chanukah seems to be a very puzzling Yom Tov. We have no isur melacha, we have no chiyuv (obligation) to make a grand seudah. We might think that the only moments of significance during this holiday are when we light the menorah or say Hallel in shul or al hanissim in davening and bentching. But Chanukah is very much a Yom Tov and it encompasses much more than the few minutes of kindling lights or Hallel and al hanissim.
The Levush tells us that no eulogies are allowed on Chanukah except in the case of a talmid chacham who is maspid (eulogized) in front of the Aron Kodesh. The reason for this, he explains, is so we are not mesiach da’as, our minds never stray from the spirit of the Yom Tov. For every moment of every day of Chanukah our minds should be absorbed in thoughts of this Yom Tov.
It is very difficult to think only thoughts of the day on Chanukah since, as we have said, we go to work, we have no specified festive meals, there are no long davenings and no Kiddush. It seems as if these eight days are regular days except that, when we come home at night, we light the menorah. And even though on Purim we have a similar situation, where there is no Kiddush and no extensive davening, we do have mitzvos that are specific to the day. We have the mitzvos of Megillah, mishloach manos, matanos l’evyonim, and seudas Purim. So, even though we may go to work on Purim, there are so many mitzvahs to do that our minds stay on the Yom Tov all day.
Chanukah has no such chiyuvim aside from lighting the menorah which occurs at the end of the work day. We have no commandments to help us keep Chanukah on our minds throughout the day. However, we must understand what Chanukah is and then, perhaps, we will see what this Yom Tov is teaching us and how we can keep these thoughts with us throughout the eight days of Chanukah – and after as well.
The Rambam tells us that the mitzvas ner Chanukah are mitzvas chaviva hi ad m’od, the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles is a mitzvah that is extremely precious. The lashon he employs of being precious is not used to describe any other mitzvos of our Yomim Tovim. It does not say this about the mitzvah of lulav, nor about matzah, nor about Succah. Only the lighting of the menorah is a precious mitzvas ad m’od, exceedingly so.
Why is the light of the menorah, something from which we can derive no personal hana’ah, or gain, considered so precious?! The Radamsker Rebbe tells us the reason. We say “Haneiros hallalu kodesh heim – These candles, they are Holy.” The gematria of the word heim is equal to that of adam, meaning man. Therefore, we can substitute the word adam for heim. “Kodesh adam – A Holy person.” By lighting the menorah, a person could uplift himself and he can fill himself with kedusha, holiness.
The reward for fulfilling the mitzvah of Ner Chanukah properly is great indeed. It is something we strive for every day. It is, comprehensively speaking, the goal of all our toil. The Gemara in Shabbos tells us, “Hargil ba’ner, heivin lo bonim Talmidei Chachamim – Whoever is careful with the mitzvah of Ner Chanukah will have children who are Torah scholars.” This is a great reward indeed! It does not say this about the mitzvah of eating matzah, nor does it say this about the mitzvah of tefillin or the mitzvah of tzitzis. Again, the Gemara is telling us the secret to accomplishing the goal we strive for every day. If you light the menorah, your posterity is ensured: Your children are guaranteed to be talmidei chachamim. Of course, let us realize that there is more to this as we will explain.
We all know that the Chashmonaim, after cleaning out the Beis HaMikdash from all the idolatry left there by our enemies, wanted to rededicate the Temple. They wanted to light the menorah but could not find any oil that had not been rendered impure by the Greeks. After searching high and low, they finally found one small jar of pure olive oil, stamped with the seal of the Kohen Gadol. The oil was only enough to light the menorah for one day, but Hashem made a neis, a miracle, and the oil burned for eight days. This is the story as we all it know it. Now let us look into it and understand it more deeply.
We are used to taking the story of Chanukah at face value. Let us remember that there is no such thing as coincidence. Hashem is in charge and there is nothing left to “chance.” So, what happened to all the other oil? Did Antiochus and his men just happen to contaminate it when they moved their idol into the Beis HaMikdash? It was certainly not an accident. Antiochus ordered his men to make all the oil impure! However, Bnei Yisrael succeeded in finding one small jar. This jar had the seal of the Kohen Gadol on it. Did all the jars of oil have Kohen Gadol’s seal? After all, he surely was not in the kashrus business. He did not give his heschser (seal) on ordinary, daily oil (even though it was for use in the Beis HaMikdash). This oil was the shemen hamishcha, the oil used to anoint kings. This was the oil that they found. Antiochus ordered his men to contaminate all the oil so that the ner tamid that always burns in the Beis HaMikdash would be extinguished. By contaminating this particular oil, Antiochus knew he would win the war and destroy the Yiddin forever.
Over the years, the enemies of Klal Yisrael were formidable foes. They have taught us tremendous yesodos (foundational concepts). They have shown us our weakest points. Pharaoh made us work b’avodas perach (in excruciating hard labor) so that we would not have time to think about wanting to go and serve Hashem. He knew that if we were too busy with our physical being, we would not have time to think about our ruchniyus (spirituality). This is surely a weak point that we still possess. We are so involved in the drudgery and routine of everyday life that we do not have the time to devote to our spirituality. At the time of Purim, Haman said to Achashveirosh that there is one nation, “M’fuzar um’furad bein Ha’amim – There is one nation that is scattered and separate.” There was no achdus among Bnei Yisrael. And we know that if Bnei Yisrael do not stand together, our downfall is imminent.
So too, on Chanukah, Antiochus attempted to Hellenize us. He wanted to lure us with the temptations of the physical, with Olympic games, Grecian beauty and gastronomy. The contamination of oil represents the diminishing of the light of Torah during his time. The holy Chashmanoim saved the day by carrying the torch of Torah and igniting its spark once again in the hearts of our people. Thus, the glow of our menorahs represents the illumination of Torah and it is when we embrace this glow rather than the glow of video, TV, and Internet that we can be assured success in the great arena of raising a generation of Torah Jewry.
May Hashem bless all of us with a home permeated with the spirit of Torah and wonderful nachas.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley Zeitlin.
