After interpreting Pharoah’s dreams, Yosef offered guidance on how the upcoming years should be managed in preparation for the looming famine. One of his directives was וְחִמֵּשׁ אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם – and prepare the land of Egypt (Bereshit 41:34). Most commentators explain וְחִמֵּשׁ to mean physical preparation, as in setting aside food, etc. The Chida says (Rosh David, Mikeitz 6), it signals a deeper preparation Yosef intended for Bnei Yisrael who would soon be arriving. He says the term is an acronym for בָּת'שַׁ 'י לָה מִדֶשׁ 'חֹ – Rosh Chodesh, Brit Milah, and Shabbat – three mitzvot Yosef wished to deeply instill in them.
In עַל הַנִּסִּים, we summarize the wicked intentions of the Yevanim: וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצונֶךָ לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּורָתֶךָ – to make them forget Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will. What exactly did they look to eradicate and how did they intend to have Bnei Yisrael violate the will of Hakadosh Baruch Hu? The Chida says the precise intent of the Yevanim was to target the three aforementioned mitzvot.
וצריכין אנו למודע"י מה זה היה למלכות יון הרשעה אשר עיניהם ישיתו לבטל מישראל הני תלתא שבת חדש ומילה ומה נשתנו אלו יותר מכל המצוות.
We need to be aware of why the kingdom of Yavan had a conviction to abolish from Israel these three: Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Brit Milah. What is it about these more than all the mitzvot.
Netivot Yitzchak focuses on these three items in discussing the targets of the Yevanim: Shabbat, Milah, and Torah. He says they share a few common denominators. Firstly, all three reference a unique brit in their delegation to us. Secondly, we are directly commanded by the Torah to take care of our children with regards to these three mitzvot. Lastly, each is embedded, and hinted to, within the word בְּרֵאשִׁית. Milah is referred to as בְּרִית, and Torah as אֵשׁ, from אֵשׁ דָּת לָמוֹ – the flaming Torah law (Devarim 33:2).
The Ramchal writes (Derech Etz Chayim 51) that Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropola confronted the Sitra Achra (the Satan) concerning the evil decrees of ת"ח ות"ט (Chmelnitzki Massacres of 1648-1649) and was told if Shabbat, Milah, and Torah could be abolished, the decrees, too, would be abolished. Rabbi Shimshon replied that not one letter in the Torah should be abolished! This can be paralleled to the times of Rabbi Akiva and the Roman decrees against Torah, Shabbat, and Milah.
Throughout time, these three mitzvot are uniquely bound together, elevated by the supplemental brit (covenant) accompanying each in addition to that of Har Sinai. Referring back to the Chida’s commentary and the Yosef’s imperatives, how does Rosh Chodesh enter the picture? Why did the Yevanim also target Rosh Chodesh?
Netivot Yitzchak says the Yevanim wanted us to be like them in aligning our monthly and yearly cycle to the sun rather than the moon. He explains they opposed all ways in which we differentiated ourselves from them, and as an example, says the Yevanim pierced holes in the gate at Har HaBayit that blocked non-Jews from advancing. They insisted we be no different than them.
The Chida looks for additional significance, noting it is clear the Yevanim waged their war against Yosef. The gematria of אנטיכוס is equal to יוסף, as is that of מלך יון. It is for this reason they forced Bnei Yisrael to declare: כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – Write down on the horn of an ox, you have no portion in the G-d of Israel. The ox represents Yosef: בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ (Devarim 33:17). Yosef selected three mitzvot to distinguish Bnei Yisrael from the Egyptians and all other nations. The three associated covenants would serve as a Merkava – a vehicle for the Shechina to reside amongst Bnei Yisrael and allow for them to be redeemed from Egypt. The Yevanim looked to break that uniqueness and bond held by Bnei Yisrael.
As we saw, Shabbat, Brit Milah, and Torah share commonalities. They each have the elements of a supplemental brit, a commandment regarding children, and reference within the word בְּרֵאשִׁית. What is the secret of Rosh Chodesh that brings it into this group?
The Rambam writes (Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh 17:24): The rationales for all these calculations, and the reasons why this number is added, and why that subtraction is made, and how all these concepts are known, and the proofs for each of these principles are the subject of the wisdom of astronomy and geometry, concerning which the Greeks wrote many books. These texts are presently in the hands of the sages. The texts written by the Sages of Israel in the age of the prophets from the tribe of Yissachar have not been transmitted to us.
While the tribe of Yissachar knew to interpret the signs of times, as we read in Tanach: וּמִבְּנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר יוֹדְעֵי בִינָה לַעִתִּים (Divrei HaYamim I 12:33), the sefer Seder Olam tells us the Greeks lost – i.e., destroyed – these books and all we have left is they transcribed from them. It is clear the Yevanim waged war on our system of time, beginning with Rosh Chodesh.
The Gemara (Shabbat 23a) states, on the first night of Chanukah, three brachot are recited:
- אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנוּכָּה
- שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים
- שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ
The Gemara then poses a very interesting question:
וְהֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ? רַב אַוְיָא אָמַר: מִ״לֹּא תָסוּר״. רַב נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר: ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךְ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ״
And where did He command us? Rav Avya said: The obligation is derived from the verse: “You shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto you” (Devarim 17:11). Rav Neḥemya said the mitzva to heed the voice of the Elders of Israel is derived from the verse: “Ask your father, and he will declare unto you, your Elders, and they will tell you”.
The Gemara points out that the mitzvah of Chanukah is not mentioned in the Torah, so how is it possible to say it was commanded to us by G-d? It answers that the mitzvah is a derivative of the mitzvah incumbent upon us to heed the decrees of the Sages, and, therefore, one who fulfills their directives fulfills a Torah commandment.
The explanation is logical and makes perfect sense, but the question itself is still noteworthy. Nowhere else does the Gemara ask the question וְהֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ – where did He command us. Our Sages instituted שֶׁבַע מִצְווֹת דְּרַבָּנָן – seven positive commandments, in addition to the 613 commandments: Netilat Yadaim, Eruvin, Brachot, Shabbat and Yom Tov candles, Megillah, Chanukah candles, and Hallel. The question of “where was this commanded to us?” is only asked by the Gemara here. Before lighting Shabbat candles or reading the Megillah, we recite אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ, yet the Gemara does not ask where in the Torah it is written we should light those candles or read the Megillah. No such commandment exists, yet no question is asked. Why only when it comes to Chanukah is it asked? The institution of Megillah reading came well before the story of Chanukah, so why was the question not first asked there?
This same phenomenon occurs in the Midrash. In Midrash Tanchuma (Naso 29), amid detailing how one lights the Chanukah lights each night, it says:
לֹא יֹאמַר אָדָם, אֵינִי מְקַיֵּם מִצְוֹת זְקֵנִים הוֹאִיל וְאֵינָן מִן הַתּוֹרָה. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּנַי, אֵין אַתֶּם רַשָּׁאִין לוֹמַר כָּךְ. אֶלָּא כָּל מַה שֶּׁגּוֹזְרִים עֲלֵיכֶם, תִּהְיוּ מְקַיְּמִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל פִּי הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּךָ. לָמָּה, שֶׁאַף עַל דִּבְרֵיהֶם אֲנִי מַסְכִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַתִּגְזֹר אֹמֶר וַיָּקָם לָךְ.
A person should not say, "I will not fulfill the commandments of the rabbis, since they are not from the Torah." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "My children, you are not allowed to say this. Rather, observe anything that they decree upon you, as it is stated (Devarim 17:10-11), 'And you shall do according to ... the law that they shall instruct you.'" Why? Because I also agree with their words, as it is stated (Iyov 22:28), "You will decree, and it will be fulfilled for you."
There is no similar Midrash for washing our hands before bread, nor for lighting Shabbat candles, nor for reciting Hallel. At no point does the Midrash suspect someone might say they choose not to observe those Mitzvot because of their origin. Nowhere but in connection to Chanukah does the Midrash feel the need to reaffirm the legitimacy of these Rabbinic commandments. Why is that?
There is an excellent answer to this question, and another even more excellent answer, too! The first answer highlights how six of the seven Rabbinic commandments originated during the times of the Neviim, whereas the commandment to light Chanukah lights originated after the era of our prophets – Anshei Knesset HaGedola instituted it without the presence of Ruach HaKodesh. As a result, chazal must point to the commandment of לֹא תָסוּר as the link from this commandment to G-d’s will, as Ruach HaKodesh was not the connection.
The second answer points out six of the commandments have an אַסְמַכְתָּא (asmachta) – an allusion to them found in the Torah. For example, the mitzvah of washing our hands is alluded to in the pasuk וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים (Vayikra 11:44), and both Megillah and Hallel are linked to the shira sung after Yetziat Mitzraim. The mitzvah of Chanukah lights, however, has no such allusion, and therefore the Gemara asks where it was commanded.
We’ll build upon this issue with several additional questions, and then address them all to paint a magnificent picture of Chanukah, its mitzvot, and its miracles.
Questions on Chanukah and Their Deeper Meaning
In Yareach L'Moadim, a fabulous question is asked on the paragraph of עַל הַנִּסִּים we recite. On Chanukah, we recount the victorious battle and miracles, and then conclude with:
וְאַחַר־כֵּן בָּאוּ בָנֶיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ וּפִנּוּ אֶת־הֵיכָלֶךָ וְטִהֲרוּ אֶת־מִקְדָּשֶׁךָ וְהִדְלִיקוּ נֵרוֹת בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶׁךָ וְקָבְ֒עוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה אֵֽלּוּ לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל:
Afterwards, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, and designated these eight days of Chanukah to thank and praise Your great Name.
On Purim, however, we stop short. Our recounting of the story ends with וְתָלוּ אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו עַל־הָעֵץ – and they hanged [Haman] and his sons upon the gallows. We then move on, without mention of what was instituted to remember these miracles. Unlike the עַל הַנִּסִּים of Chanukah, we don’t mention establishing a day of joy, reading the Megillah, eating a festive meal, sending gifts to our neighbors, etc. If you want to know what comes next, open the Shulchan Aruch and read all the laws and customs of Purim. So why when it comes to Chanukah are these procedural details spelled out in the middle of a tefilla of gratitude? Yareach L'Moadim says it is clear from here that the establishment of these eight days of Chanukah are an integral part of what we are thankful for, just like the miracles and victories.
An additional comparative question is asked by the Bnei Yissaschar (Kislev 4:25) and others. In the paragraph recited on Purim, we are introduced to Mordechai. Just Mordechai, as is, with no mention of his family or legacy. If you’d like to know more about him, you need to open the Megillah and read he is the son of Yair, son of Shimi, son of Kish, from the tribe of Binyamin. The format is different for Chanukah though, where we are introduced to מַתִּתְיָֽהוּ בֶּן יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל – Matityahu, son of Yochanan the High Priest. Why does it matter who his father is? Why is this detail added for us? Adding more significance to this question – his father was a Kohen Gadol who later became a Greek heretic! Why do we enlist his name in our prayer of gratitude?
Another question stems from the Rambam in Hilchot Megillah and Chanukah (4:12):
מִצְוַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה מִצְוָה חֲבִיבָה הִיא עַד מְאֹד וְצָרִיךְ אָדָם לְהִזָּהֵר בָּהּ כְּדֵי לְהוֹדִיעַ הַנֵּס וּלְהוֹסִיף בְּשֶׁבַח הָאֵ-ל וְהוֹדָיָה לוֹ עַל הַנִּסִּים שֶׁעָשָׂה לָנוּ.
The mitzvah of kindling the candle for Chanukah is very much a beloved mitzvah, and a person must be very careful with it in order to inform others of the miracle and to add to the praise of G-d and gratitude to G-d for all of the miracles that He did for us.
The Rambam does not generally, if ever, hand out marks or ratings to the mitzvot. We do not know the reward system for mitzvot (Avot 2:1) and therefore he does not stress the importance or severity of one over another. There is one exception, however, and that is with regards to Chanukah, where he advises us to be extra careful with this mitzvah. Why does he stray from his norm and grade this one?
Let’s look at a few additional questions before we start to tie up our loose ends and paint our beautiful picture.
In explaining the origin of Chanukah, the Gemara (Shabbat 21b) tells us, the Yevanim entered the Beit Hamikdash and defiled all the oils by touching them. They were told they’d not be able to conquer Bnei Yisrael if the Menorah was lit each day, and to prevent this, they opened each jug of oil and rendered them impure. When the Chashmonaim overcame them and emerged victorious, they searched and found only one jug of oil intact, with the seal of the Kohen Gadol still in place.
The Pri Chadash, Chatam Sofer, and Pnei Yehoshua all ask a sharp question on this account. Why does it matter that the Yevamin opened the jugs? The Torah states the laws of purity and impurity were given strictly to Bnei Yisrael (Vayikra 15:2) and therefore the Yevanim could not technically render the oil impure. It was the Chachamim themselves that expanded the definition of impurity to include non-Jews, but they did so one hundred years after galut Yavan and the period of our Chanukah story (Yerushalmi Shabbat 1:4). How then could they defile the oil and render it unfit for use in the Menorah?
Regarding this question, let us assume for a moment that somehow there was tumah – impurity. There is a well-known halachic principle of טוּמְאָהּ הוּתְרָה בְּצִיבּוּר – impurity is permitted in cases involving the public (Yoma 6b; Pesachim 77a; Sanhedrin 12b). Why was a sealed jug of oil required to light the public Menorah? Why was a miracle necessary for seven or eight days until more sealed oil was produced? Why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu not somehow send a sign to remind the Kohanim of the halachot and the permissibility of the available oil?
The answer to these questions is that the Chachamim of the time came along and decided they would not light with oil after it was defiled by the Yevanim. Halachically permissible or not – they would not accept it. Period. They would only light with pure, untouched, oil. In a situation where Hakadosh Baruch Hu says it is permitted and Chachamim say it is not, who do we hold by? The Chachamim! As a result, Hakadosh Baruch Hu performed a miracle whereby their lone jug of oil, ordinarily sufficient for one day, lasted eight days.
Parsha Connections and Deeper Symbolism
To help explain this phenomenon, we will add a few last questions and answers to the mix. Which Parsha in the Torah is most connected to Chanukah? Most would say it is Naso, after all, we read from Naso each day of Chanukah. We read about the korbanot brought in honor of the Mishkan’s dedication – חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ – culminating on the final day of Chanukah where we summarize the dedication and read the first pesukim of Beha’alotcha dealing with the lighting of the Menorah. This is the obvious answer.
I would like to suggest, however, the answer is really Noach. נֹחַ is the roshei teivot of נֻוכָּה'חֲ ר 'נֵ. In the Haftarah we read every year on Chanukah, the closing pasuk (Zechariah 4:7) contains חֵן חֵן לָהּ – the letters that spell Noach and allude to Ner Chanukah. Additionally, the birth of Yavan takes place in Parshat Noach: וְיָוָן בְּנֵי יֶפֶת גֹּמֶר וּמָגוֹג וּמָדַי (Bereshit 10:2) and Yavan’s control over the Beit Hamikdash occurs in the story of Chanukah.
Furthermore, the galut of Yavan is alluded to in the story of Noach sending out birds to check if the land had yet dried. Noach first sent forth the raven, but it did not want to fly to land, instead swirling around the ark’s window, worried about its wife and legacy. Noach said to the raven, “Nobody wants your wife, and there is no need for you to worry about dying on your mission and not leaving behind any offspring, because you had inappropriate relations in the ark and your wife is already pregnant.“ Noach proceeded to kick the raven out, not allowing it to return.
He then sent forth the dove to see if the water subsided, but it did not find a place to rest and returned to the ark. Seven days later, he sent the dove out once more, and it returned in the evening with an olive branch in its mouth. Following another seven days, the dove was sent out a final time, and did not return. The Zohar (Noach) says Knesset Yisrael is referred to as a dove, and these three journeys of the dove represent the three galuyot – exiles of Bnei Yisrael. The second exile, the one in which the dove returned with an olive branch, represents galut Yavan. The dove returned in the evening, at the time we light our Chanukah lights, with an olive branch that symbolizes the oil used to light the Menorah. The Midrash (Tanchuma Buber, Tetzaveh 1) says Hakadosh Baruch Hu compared Bnei Yisrael’s appearance to that of Noach’s dove. Just as the dove brought light to the world, they too brought olive oil and burned it before Him. Bnei Yisrael, too, light up the world.
The Four Exiles and the Darkness of Yavan
One final question for this collection. We’re taught in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 2:4) that the four galuyot are all hinted to in the Torah’s second pasuk: תֹהוּ is galut Bavel; וָבֹהוּ is galut Maddai; and: וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן, שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן, שֶׁהָיְתָה אוֹמֶרֶת לָהֶם, כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּא-לֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
And darkness, this is the exile of Yavan, which darkened the eyes of Israel with their decrees, and which said to them, write on the bull's horn that you have no part in the G-d of Israel.
What does שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל mean? How can our eyes be darkened? Furthermore, what does the second portion of this statement truly mean? Do the Yevanim believe there is a G-d of Israel or do they not? If not, should they not be instructing Bnei Yisrael to deny the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu outright? And if they do believe, then what does it mean to have no part in G-d?
We know the Yevanim believed in G-d. They translated the Torah into Greek and learned from it! They stole the books of Bnei Yissaschar and transformed them into their own! They believed they were the sons of G-d and surely believed in His presence. So, what does it mean Bnei Yisrael should have no part בֵּא-לֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל?
The Midrash (Tanchuma Ki Tisa 18:1) tells us Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to the Yevanim, “You are not my banim. My sons are only those who learn תּורָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה – the Oral Law.” Their argument was regarding who is called a son of G-d. The Yevanim had no issue whatsoever with תּורָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב – the Written Torah and their war was against the authority of the Chachamim and the principles of תּורָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה. That was the war of Chanukah – over the ability for Sages to have final say in determining what the law is, and to have Hakadosh Baruch Hu follow their ruling.
This authority of the Chachamim began with the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh. Hakadosh Baruch gave us the authority to determine when Rosh Chodesh is, based on when witnesses present their testimony to the Beit Din and when the subsequent declaration of Rosh Chodesh takes place. That power rests in our hands irrespective of what the absolute-true day of Rosh Chodesh might be. Hakadosh Baruch Hu follows our decision and plan, even if slightly off, and no matter whether done mistakenly or intentionally. Nowhere is this exhibited more strikingly than when it comes to Rosh Hashanah. The courtroom of Yom HaDin may be set up and ready, with the saneigor (prosecutor) standing by and angels trembling in anticipation. The date was set in advance and now finally arrived. But if Bnei Yisrael have not yet sanctified the new month and declared Rosh Chodesh, everything is put on hold for another day. Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells His angels, “There is nothing I can do. My children determine when they will sit in judgement.”
We learn a tremendous yesod from this idea. The first mitzvah we received as a nation was the ability to establish time. This mitzvah, and the power of תּורָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה it encompasses and represents, would become the focal point of our battle against the Yevanim a thousand years later.
The Yevanim waged war against our Chachamim and the תּורָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה. The Chachamim are referred to as our eyes: עֵינַיִךְ יוֹנִים, עֵינַיִךְ – Your eyes are like doves. Your eyes, these are the Sanhedrin who are the eyes of the congregation (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1:15). This is how they sought to darken our eyes! By eliminating the ability for our Chachamim to take part in establishing Law.
They wanted us to write on the ox’s horn we have no חֵלֶק. The Gemara teaches us what we recite upon seeing a Chacham (Berachot 58a): תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הָרוֹאֶה חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אוֹמֵר ״בָּרוּךְ ... שֶׁחָלַק מֵחׇכְמָתוֹ לִירֵאָיו״. The Sages taught: One who sees the Sages of Israel recites: Blessed...Who has shared of His wisdom with those who revere Him.
