BS"D
FINAL
FLAMES: CHANUKAH
Shira Smiles shiur – 2017/5778
Adapted
by Channie Koplowitz Stein
We tend to think of our holidays as commemorating events in our history, but
our Sages tell us that the Torah with all its precepts existed before the world
was created, and all the holidays and mitzvoth were in place before the Jews
were commanded at Sinai. Hashem then created historical events so that man could
perhaps form a closer connection to the holidays and to the mitzvoth. As such,
Chanukah and all that it represents predated the era of the Greeks and the
battle the Chashmonaim fought against them. If that is the case, we must find
allusions to Chanukah in the Torah.
Our most obvious allusion to Chanukah can be found in Parshat Naso, at
the dedication of the Mishkan/Tabernacle in the desert. Our Torah
reading for each day of Chanukah is drawn from the dedication ritual of each
day, culminating in the eighth day which encapsulated the rituals and sanctity
of all the preceding seven days. That eighth day's reading begins with zos
chanukas hamizbeach/this was the dedication of the Altar, and includes a
tally of the offerings of each of the previous days, notes Eliyahu KiTov in Book
of our Heritage. Therefore, the eighth day of Chanukah is referred to as Zos
Chanukah. It too incorporates all the sanctity and light of the previous
seven days, writes Rabbi Aryeh Strickoff as he expands on this theme.
What is the significance of eight? Rabbi Strickoff continues his discussion in Inside
Chanukah by first citing Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik z’l who focuses on the
narrative of creation. The Torah states that on Shabbat Hashem "rested
from all His work that Hashem created to make." If creation was complete,
why did the Torah add "to make"? Indeed, Hashem had competed all of
the natural world, but He wanted Man to elevate the world to a spiritual realm.
Man was tasked to complete the "work" of the Creator by endowing
nature itself and all things physical with sanctity. While seven signified the
completion of the natural world, eight signified going beyond creation and
imbuing nature with sanctity. The seven days of the dedication of the
Tabernacle as well as the first seven days of Chanukah represent the natural
world and serve as preparation, while the eighth day incorporates all that
preceded it and takes it to the next level.
Now we can get a deeper understanding of the clash between The Greeks and the
Jewish way of life. The Greeks worshiped the seven, the beauty of the physical,
natural world. They denied any spiritual significance, and outlawed those
rituals which were meant to create sanctity in the physical world and alluded
to the eight. These included brit mila/circumcision, Shabbat, and Rosh
Chodesh/sanctification of the New Moon. Therefore, the Greeks tried to
make us forget the Torah, for the Torah represented the ultimate transcendence;
it was given at the conclusion of seven times seven, on the fiftieth day.
We see that our Patriarchs ate matzoh on Passover before there was a redemption
from Egypt. Our Sages understood that for every holiday there must be some
cosmic sanctity of the day which preceded the historical event. Therefore, note
the commentators the Sages waited a full year before establishing
Chanukah as a perpetual holiday, for they wanted to see if that same sense of
sanctity would exist for this time.
Now we are hopefully ready to discuss more homiletic and esoteric allusions to
Chanukah from the Torah.
The Shvilei Pinchas, Rabbi Friedman, provides a very in depth discussion
of Yosef Hatzadik and how his challenges are mirrored in the challenges facing
the Chashmonaim. We know that throughout the world Jews pray facing Jerusalem.
Yosef also prayed facing Jerusalem, facing the window of his room, and he
prayed constantly while in the home of Potiphar. It was at this window that he
lit the menorah, and it was in this window that he saw the image of his father
that fortified his resolve against sinning with Potiphar's wife. This
challenge, asserts the Imrei Noam quoted by the Shvilei Pinchas,
occurred on the eighth day of Chanukah. The Shvilei Pinchas sees a
symbiotic relationship between Yosef Hatzadik and the Chashmonaim. each being
fortified by the strength of the other to withstand the challenges of their
respective times and cultures.
The Imrei Noam derives his interpretations from several numerological
equivalents, gematriot. The verse states that Yosef "entered his bayit/house
la'asot melachto/to do his work." According to the Imrei
Noam, Yosef entered his house to light the Chanukah candles. How do we
arrive at this conclusion? Melachto and zos Chanukah are both
equivalent to 497, while la'asot melachto is equivalent to shemen
zayit/olive oil, 807. It is known that the evil spirit of Yavan/Greece
was in illicit sexual conduct, while Yosef is referred to as Hatzadik precisely
because he was able to restrain himself from forbidden sexual conduct. Here too
gematriah supports the Shvilei Pinchas' theme. Melech Yavan/King
of Greece, Antiochus, and Yosef each equal 156, and Yosef is in
fact the protagonist against the King of Greece, Antiochus.
Now we can explore some of the special relationship between Yaakov and Yosef.
Yaakov loved Yosef ki ben zekunim hu lo/because he was the son of his
old age. Ki ben zekunim hu, continues the Shvilei Pinchas, is
equal to 301, the same as menorah, and lo matches the 36 candles
that are lit in the menorah.
By establishing Chanukah for eight days beginning on the 25th of Kislev instead
of for seven days, Chazal have included in Chanukah the potential for observing
all three seminal mitzvoth the Greeks tried to abolish; Shabbos is certainly
included, the time frame includes a Rosh Chodesh, and a baby born on the first
day of Chanukah would celebrate his bris on the eighth day of Chanukah.
By referring to this eighth day as zos, we are also alluding to Hashem's
commanding Avraham Avinu to perform the bris for all generations, "zos
habris asher tishmiru..."
We wrote earlier that the eighth day of dedication of the Mishkan
encapsulated and thus was the culmination of all the preceding days. Similarly,
the eighth day of Chanukah is the culmination and high point of the yearly
cycle of reciting Hallel for the holidays, writes Rabbi Zvi Meir
Silberberg in Sichot Hitchazkut. The first month of the year for the
holidays, rosh chodoshim lechol chodshei hashanah, is Nissan. That means
that Pesach is the first holiday on which we recite the Hallel. We
recite the Hallel on each following yom tov, always gaining momentum and
sanctity, just as each day of dedicating the Mishkan built upon the
previous days. The final day of the cycle of Hallel, then, is zos
Chanukah, the eighth day of Chanukah. That day incorporates within it all
the sanctity of all the previous holidays, and is a day of special closeness
between Hashem and each individual.
According to Chassidic views, the eight days of Chanukah parallel the seven
plus one day of Sukkot, and the eighth day of Chanukah therefore parallels Shemini
Atzeret. The absolute final seal on the coming year's judgment takes place
on the eighth day of Chanukah, writes the Orchot Aharon. On this day,
God's presence comes down lower than ten hands breadth so that Hashem is
accessible even to the simplest of Jews. Therefore, just as one would take on a
new takanah/improvement on Rosh Hashanah, one is urged to resolve to
make a small improvement on this last day of Chanukah as well. It is this
resolution that solidifies all the feelings and hopes for improvement for the
coming year. Indeed, the final day of judgement, which began on Rosh
Hashana is Zos Chanukah. Our lives are like a dreidel, explains
Rav Biederman. We spin round and round, but whether we win or lose depends on
where we land.
Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz makes an interesting observation in Tiv Hamoadim.
he suggests that the kedushah of Chanukah surpasses the sanctity of the
Beit Hamikdosh, for the menorah in the Beit Hamikdosh had seven lights, while
the Chanukah menorah has eight lights. Therefore, the eighth day of Chanukah
has greater power to lead us into a world of transcendence and connection to
the Almighty. One who is accustomed to light those candles and to incorporate
that energy into his life will merit blessings of children, and of raising
children to be talmidei chachamim.
There is yet another interesting connection between zos Chanukah, Yosef
and Shemini Atzeret. Rabbi Zilber in B'Yam Derech presents an
interesting discussion. What caused Eve's downfall at the beginning of
creation? It began with seeing the beauty of the tree and its fruit. Several
commentators believe this fruit was the etrog. On Sukkot we rebuild our
connection to Hashem partly by taking the fruit of a beautiful tree/pri etz
hadar/etrog and sanctifying it. But on Shemini Atzeret the relationship
is so close that we no longer need to use the fruit of this tree. Similarly, on
Chanukah when we rejected the Greeks and their philosophy of physical beauty as
the ultimate good, we recreated that relationship with Hakodosh Boruch Hu that
can see beauty and elevate it to achieve sanctity in service to Hashem.
Yosef, too, is connected to these ideas. Yosef is described as "handsome
of form and handsome of appearance." That beauty was almost his downfall,
but Yosef did not succumb to the powers of his physical beauty, and therefore
he became the symbolic perfect foil to the Greeks who worshiped physical
beauty. Yosef retained his inner sanctity and purity in spite of the depraved
culture in which he lived, just as the small flask of oil the Maccabees found
had remained pure in spite of the Greeks who tried to contaminate it all.
Two different approaches to achieving sanctity are represented by the opinions
of Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai in the candle lighting procedure for the menorah,
continues Rabbi Zilber. Beit Shammai says we start with eight candles and each
night we light one fewer candle until we are left with only one candle on the
eighth night, similar to the diminishing number of bulls sacrificed on each day
of Sukkot until on Shemini Atzeret when we sacrifice only one bull. This
approach emphasizes achieving sanctity through distancing oneself from evil/sur
meira. Beit Hillel, in contrast, says that on each night we add a candle,
until by the eighth night we have maximized the light of sanctity, emphasizing
the assei tov/do good. While we light our menorahs according to Beit
Hillel, how we approach purifying ourselves must be decided individually. Do I
begin by removing the improper influences in my home and in my life, or do I
begin by creating a stronger attachment to all things Jewish?
Bnei Yisroel started collecting materials and building the Mishkan on the
eleventh of Tishrei, right after Yom Kippur. Due to their alacrity and zeal,
the work was completed on the 25th of Kislev. The Mishkan should have
been inaugurated on that day, but it was not to be inaugurated until Rosh
Chodesh Nissan. Had it been inaugurated on the 25th of Kislev, writes Rabbi
Schorr in Halekach Vehalebuv, the world would have achieved perfection
on the eighth day of its dedication due to the self -sacrifice of Bnei
Yisroel in creating this sanctity. The power of this day is immense. The
possibility of creating this repair continues each year on this date if we
begin by making small improvements in ourselves and in our personal world.
Hashem reinforced this power through the miracles of Chanukah. Halekach
Vehalebuv cites the Chasam Sofer in stating that the original light
of the rededicated menorah came from Heaven, just as did the fire of the
menorah in the Mishkan, a fire that was never extinguished. But on the
eighth day, Hashem removed His miraculous fire, desiring instead the fire we
brought to Him. It is this light that Hashem continues to desire, the light of
our mitzvoth that bring light to the world.
What is the greatest darkness that envelops the human being? Rabbi Pincus z”l
provides the deepest psychological insight. The greatest darkness is the lack
of belief in oneself, the feeling that I am unimportant. Hashem wants to dispel
that darkness. He wants our light. Each of us has within us some of that Divine
light, one of the 36 candles of the hidden primal light. It is up to us to
uncover it and fan its flame., adds Rabbi Silverberg. Observe the dreidel,
urges Rabbi Biederman. You give it one spin and it keeps going. Find that point
within yourself and step out, and Hashem will provide continued impetus for
improvement.
Rabbi Silverberg continues by offering another explanation for the special
significance of the eighth day of Chanukah in his Sichot. The pure,
primal light existed for 36 hours before it was hidden, twelve hours from the
creation of Adam until Shabbat, and the 24 hours of Shabbat. Since the 36
candles represent those 36 hours, the most sanctified times are the hours of shalosh
seudot, when God's presence is felt most poignantly. Those hours are
represented by the eighth day of Chanukah. These are the hours of Divine favor
when the prayers of a simple Jew are as forceful as the prayers of a tzadik
during the Neilah prayer of Yom Kippur. This is the time to pray for
ourselves and for others. This is the moment and day of niflaot/wonders,
writes Be'er Hachaim. The Satan is trying to prevent us, but we daven
with our final Hallel of the year. It is on this basis, writes Halekach
Vehalebuv, citing the Belzer Rebbe, that some have the custom of reciting Mizmor
Letodah/A Song of Thanks after lighting the menorah on the last night of Chanukah,
thanking Hashem for past salvation and anticipating future ones.
As Chanukah approaches in the darkest season of the year, let us remember that
Hashem shines His light upon each of us as He shined His light upon Yosef and
upon the Maccabees, and He waits for us to respond by lighting the fire within
ourselves. The eighth day of Chanukah is a most propitious time to light the
fire and keep the flame burning.