“Only the throne shall be greater than you – me! Other than that, everything is yours!” The author of Hogei Sha’ashuot says he heard from his father and teacher, that the numerical value of גביע is eighty-five, and Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Only the throne shall be greater than you,” and הכִּסֵּא has a numerical value of eighty-six, just like כּוֹס. Therefore, Yosef drank specifically from a גביע, which is one less than a כּוֹס, in order to fulfill the words of Pharaoh and not conduct himself as equal.
Another explanation as to Yosef’s specific utensil is brought by the Sefat Emet: The root (shoresh) of Bnei Yisrael consists of three Avot, twelve tribes, seventy souls, sixty myriads, and after that there is no number. [In Hebrew, the word גביע can be found within: נפש ע' שבטים י"ב אבות ג']
The Imrei Noam offers another explanation: Yosef specifically used a גביע because י"ג represents the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and ע"ב represents חֶסֶד – compassion. Therefore, he commanded to place the cup specifically in Binyamin's sack, for in his portion the Beit Hamikdash would be built, to tell us that the power of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy emanates from the Beit Hamikdash. According to the words of the Imrei Noam we brought earlier, the brothers arrived in Egypt on the fifth candle of Chanukah, and the fifth attribute of the Thirteen Attribute of Mercy is חַנּוּן – the attribute through which Hakadosh Baruch Hu took us out from the exile of Greece. The attribute of חַנּוּן grants a person mercy that he does not deserve, as it is stated: וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה' בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר – And I pleaded with G-d at that time; Rashi says וָאֶתְחַנַּן is a variation of חַנּוּן, which means a free gift and receiving what is not due. The Gemara (Berachot 7a) explains this idea of Hakadosh Baruch Hu being gracious even to one who is not fitting and not worthy of His grace – וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן.
After the brothers leave the prison, after three days, the Torah says:
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו אֲבָל אֲשֵׁמִים אֲנַחְנוּ עַל אָחִינוּ אֲשֶׁר רָאִינוּ צָרַת נַפְשׁוֹ בְּהִתְחַנְנוֹ אֵלֵינוּ וְלֹא שָׁמָעְנוּ עַל כֵּן בָּאָה אֵלֵינוּ הַצָּרָה הַזֹּאת:
And they said to one another, “Indeed we are guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we did not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”
When was this judgment issued and stated? According to the Shiltei Giborim, it was the second time they returned and brought Binyamin with them. But the Imrei Noam says it was on זֹאת חֲנֻכָּה – the eighth day of Chanukah.
The Seforno writes: The brothers said to one another, “We were cruel to our brother, and even though we thought him a pursuer, we should have had mercy when he pleaded with us. And in response to our cruelty, this man is cruel to us.”
With the Avot, everything that happened to them had a reason in their eyes – “If they put us in prison, there must be a reason for it!” Chazal state (Bava Batra 10a): Rav Papa was climbing a ladder; he stepped on a rung and suddenly one step of the ladder broke. He was about to fall and almost fell from the ladder.
What does a G-d-fearing person do when something like this happens to him? He decides on the spot to host a Seudat Hoda’a – a thanksgiving feast, the next week in shul! But, if he's a big-time criminal lawyer, he instead calls his colleague who specializes in personal injury cases, and says to him: “Listen, a step on the ladder just broke and I fell down, what should I do?” “Lie on the floor and don't move. Have them call an ambulance!” “And what else should I say?” “Say you’re nauseous and seeing double!” “Wait- why should I say all that?” “Don't worry, a nice livelihood will come out of it all – for me, for you, for the entire family until the coming of Mashiach!”
What does Rav Papa do at that moment after falling off the ladder? He sits up and thinks, “A fall from above to below – that’s equivalent to stoning (sekilla). What transgression warrants stoning?! It must be desecrating Shabbat or idolatry!” He did not understand why he came close to such death, so R’ Chiya bar Rav said to him: “Perhaps a poor person came to you and you did not provide for him,” suggesting that perhaps the step broke and he fell from the level upon which he climbed because he was not careful with the Mitzvah of charity. For turning a blind eye to giving tzedaka, a person can be punished with such a severe punishment?! The Gemara teaches, whoever hides his eyes from charity is as if he worships idols.
So, when do the brothers do their accounting, and when do they stop to assess why this trouble came upon them? They do so on זֹאת חֲנֻכָּה – the eighth day of Chanukah!
After these matters, we can begin our shiur. As is known, on Chanukah there are no festive meals. This is not so on Purim, days of feasting and rejoicing where there is indeed a festive meal. The question is asked: Why is there no festive meal on Chanukah but there is on Purim?
The Levush explains: What is the difference between Chanukah and Purim? Chanukah was established for thanksgiving and praise (להודות ולהלל), while Purim was established for feasting and rejoicing (למשתה ושמחה). The reason is that on Purim the decree was against the bodies – to destroy, kill, and annihilate – and therefore they made it days of feasting and rejoicing with physical pleasure. But on Chanukah the decree was against the souls – to make them forget the Torah and turn them away from the Mitzvot – and therefore they established it for thanksgiving and praise, because we remained in Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s faith and service.
The Bach provides a different answer. The Gemara states (Megillah 12a): Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s students asked why Bnei Yisrael in that generation (of Purim) deserved destruction? Rashb'i responded: “You tell me why.” His students said: “Because they enjoyed the feast of that wicked man – Achashveirosh.” Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said then to them: “If that is so, that they deserved destruction because they enjoyed his feast, then only the Jews in Shushan would be killed, but the Jews throughout the entire world would be spared since they did not participate in the feast. So why was destruction decreed upon all of them?” His students did not know the answer, and he told them: “It is because they bowed to the image in the days of Nevuchadnezzar.”
It is known that among all the sins in the time of Achashveirosh, what brought about the evil decree was specifically Mechirat Yosef – the sale of Yosef. It is written in Megillat Esther:
ותקרא אסתר להתך אחד מסריסי המלך אשר העמיד לפניה ותצוהו על מרדכי לדעת מה זה ועל מה זה:
And Esther called for Hatach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and commanded him concerning Mordechai, to know what this was and why this was.
The question arises – what kind of question is this? What does it mean to ask, “what this was and why this was”? The kuntras Sarati explains that two sins began with the word זה – this. The sin of the Golden Calf – Cheit Ha’Eigel – and the sin of selling Yosef – Mechirat Yosef. In the story of Mechirat Yosef, the word זה appears twice: הנה בעל החלמות הלזה בא and then again in the angel’s response of ויאמר האיש נסעו מזה. In the story of Cheit Ha’Eigel, the entire story begins with the word: משה האיש אשר העלנו מארץ מצרים לא ידענו מה היה לו זה כי. And in Nechemiah it says: אף כי עשו להם עגל מסכה ויאמרו אלהיך זה.
Esther asks Mordechai: What is this and why is this? Tell me, on which account – i.e., because of which זה – was the decree issued to destroy, kill, and annihilate the people? Was it because of Cheit Ha’Eigel or because of Mechirat Yosef?
The author of Sarati further presents that in Cheit Ha’Eigel, they did not tear their garments, but here Mordechai tore his garments and wore sackcloth. So, Esther understood that this was not about Cheit Ha’Eigel, but rather about Mechirat Yosef. There, the brothers brought Yosef's coat, dipped in blood, to Yaakov Avinu, and there it says Yaakov tore his garments, put on sackcloth, and mourned for many days. If this was indeed about Mechirat Yosef, Esther said to Mordechai: “Go, gather all the Jews in Shushan and fast for me, and do not eat and do not drink for three days, night and day.” Through this she nullified the eating of matzah on the night of Pesach, the drinking of the four cups, and the eating of marror – all to rectify the nation’s eating from the feast of Achashveirosh.
The Bach says: On Chanukah, the decree did not come from forbidden foods, but rather because the Kohanim were negligent in their Avodah, as the Gemara brings (Sukkah 56b). Chazal recount that Miriam bat Bilgah, daughter of a family of Kohanim, apostatized – she abandoned Judaism and married a Greek officer. When the Greeks desecrated the Beit Hamikdash, she mockingly kicked the altar and ridiculed Hakadosh Baruch Hu. After the Chashmonaim reclaimed the Beit Hamikdash, her family’s entire Mishmar Kehuna (priestly watch) was punished. Another opinion says the penalty was due to their chronic lateness in performing the Avodah, showing disrespect for it and the Mikdash.
And when did the kingdom of the Chashmonaim return? The Bach says it was only when they gave their lives for the Avodah in the Beit Hamikdash, and through this they merited that the service in the Beit Hamikdash returned. They earned back the sanctity that Miriam’s act had defiled.
With that, we can approach a most wonderful idea. We say in Al HaNissim:
ואתה ברחמיך הרבים עמדת להם בעת צרתם רבת את ריבם דנת את דינם נקמת את נקמתם מסרת גיבורים ביד חלשים ורבים ביד מעטים וטמאים ביד טהורים ורשעים ביד צדיקים וזדים ביד עוסקי תורתך ולך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך...
And You in Your great mercy stood for them in their time of trouble, championed their cause, judged their judgment, avenged their vengeance, delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the arrogant into the hands of those engaged in Your Torah. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world...
Apparently, on Purim there was no great publicizing of the miracle?! This only took place on Chanukah?
The Maor Einayim, from the Chernobyl Rebbe, stands on the fact that we are permitted to light the Chanukiah at a height lower than ten tefachim (handbreadths), even though the Shechinah never descended below ten tefachim. On Chanukah there is a special practice, whereby what is not done on Shabbat or on other holidays, is nonetheless done on Chanukah. What is hidden in this concept?
The Ye’arot Devash speaks about the miracles that occurred on Chanukah and Purim, and there he says that in the days of the Greeks, most of Israel did not keep the Torah and Mitzvot. All that remained were Mattityahu the Kohen Gadol and his sons – something that never happened in any exile! It never occurred that Hakadosh Baruch Hu would save people from decrees if they did not repent. And the proof is from the words of the Gemara (Yoma 86a):
אי אפשר לומר "נקה", שכבר נאמר "לא ינקה". ואי אפשר לומר "לא ינקה", שכבר נאמר "נקה". הא כיצד? מנקה הוא לשבים, ואינו מנקה לשאינן שבים.
It is not possible to say “absolve,” since “will not absolve” is already stated. And it is not possible to say “will not absolve,” since “absolve” is already stated. How so? Hakadosh Baruch Hu absolves those who repent and does not absolve those who do not repent.
During the time of the Greeks, no one repented; those who embraced Hellenism remained Greeks, and those who followed Mattityahu the Kohen Gadol and his sons stayed righteous. So why did Hakadosh Baruch Hu suddenly perform such a staggering miracle, allowing just thirteen men to defeat tens of thousands of Greeks? The Ye’arot Devash explains that this itself was the miracle of Chanukah; that Hakadosh Baruch Hu acted in a way completely beyond human logic or comprehension, revealing a salvation that defied all understanding.
Let us try to explain the matter. Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world with a system of heavenly prosecution – spiritual accusers who present every person’s shortcomings without mercy. When Hakadosh Baruch Hu wishes to shower blessing on someone – say, on Yaakov ben Shula – the accuser rises and argues: “You want to give Yaakov abundance? Do You not see the mountain of sins he carries?! Close off his sustenance entirely!” And from the very beginning of Creation, Hakadosh Baruch Hu decreed that when the accuser makes a claim, it must be answered and addressed.
What is the proof of this? We see it clearly with Avraham Avinu. The Torah says that Avraham made a great feast after Yitzchak grew up, and the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 53:10) explains that it was truly a great feast, in that it was attended by the greats and giants of the time, including Og and other nobles. Then the Torah immediately continues with the words: ויהי אחר הדברים האלה והאלהים נסה את אברהם – And it came to pass after these things that Hashem tested Avraham. After what things exactly? Rashi says it refers to the words of the Satan, who accused and said, “From all the feasts Avraham made, he did not offer You even one bull or ram! Everything he did was for his son – not for You. If You told him to sacrifice his son, he would surely refuse.” Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded to the Satan, He said to him, “Did he do anything except for the sake of his son? If I had told him to slaughter him before Me, he would not have refused.” Thirty-five years later, the Satan came to demand that claim be tested, and the Akeida was set in motion.
As we mentioned in a previous shiur, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu intended to place both Yaakov and David HaMelech together in the womb of Rivkah, the Satan appeared before Him and protested: “Why was Yitzchak not slaughtered? You promised him to me!” Hashem replied, “I will not give you Yitzchak, but I will give you something in his place.” The Satan asked, “What will You give me?” Hakadosh Baruch Hu said, “I will give you David HaMelech, and in his place, I will bring in Eisav – he will be a more suitable client for you.” From this we learn, when the accuser brings a claim, he must be answered.
The Megaleh Amukot writes, Moshe wanted to subdue the great minister in the heavens called אמון מִנֹּא, who is the Sar HaGadol of Egypt who held in his right hand a scapegoat from Mechirat Yosef, and in his left hand a ram from Yitzchak; he was constantly accusing regarding Mechirat Yosef and Akeidat Yitzchak where a ram was brought in place of Yitzchak. How much time passed from Mechirat Yosef until Amon Mino arrived? A full thousand years passed! During all those centuries, the accuser had not yet appeared before Hakadosh Baruch Hu to demand justice. When he finally did, he said: “Ribbono Shel Olam, You wrote clearly in the Torah וְגוֹנֵב אִישׁ וּמְכָרוֹ וְנִמְצָא בְיָדוֹ מוֹת יוּמָת – He who kidnaps a man and sells him shall surely be put to death. So what about the punishment for Yosef’s brothers?”
Only then did the decree take effect. Hakadosh Baruch Hu operates on His own timescale – eternal and unhurried. We, on the other hand, crave immediate resolution, because we cannot see when justice will unfold. But this is how Hakadosh Baruch Hu designed Creation to function – in His time, not ours. If this is so, we can move to the next idea.
When the accusers came in the days of the Greeks and said before Hakadosh Baruch Hu, “Ribbono Shel Olam, most of the multitude and structure of the people of Israel do not keep Torah and Mitzvot! Why are You going to perform a miracle for them?!” What do we answer the accusers in such a case?
At Yam Suf, when Bnei Yisrael fled from Egypt, they found themselves with the Egyptians behind them and the sea before them. They cry out to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and what does Hakadosh Baruch Hu say to Moshe? “מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי – Why do you cry out to Me?!”
The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh has difficulty with this response from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Especially in a time of trouble and despair, to whom should one cry if not to Him?! What Hakadosh Baruch Hu was saying to Moshe Rabbeinu was, “I cannot help you! Standing here is Uza, the minister of Egypt!” Uza was there saying, “You’re going to take Bnei Yisrael across on dry land and drown the Egyptians in the sea? הללו עובדי ע"ז והללו עובדי ע"ז – These are idol worshippers, and those are idol worshippers! There’s no difference!” Hakadosh Baruch Hu thus told Moshe Rabbeinu: “דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ – Speak to Bnei Yisrael and tell them to enter the water!” “And then what will happen?” “I will silence the Accuser! He says, 'These are idol worshippers and those are idol worshippers,' but if they listen to Me to enter the water, it means they are not idol worshippers!”
So, it turns out that when there is an Accuser demanding judgment, one must answer him. The Accuser came during the Greek exile and demanded judgment: “Ribbono Shel Olam, You have no reason to save the people of Israel – almost all of them are becoming Hellenized!”
What did Hakadosh Baruch Hu then do? The Shemen Rosh cites the Agra D’Kala on the Pasuk ה׳ אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה ה׳ שְׁמוֹ. He teaches that Hakadosh Baruch Hu fights not only against Bnei Yisrael’s physical enemies, but against the heavenly accusers themselves, silencing their claims and revealing that true justice is to show mercy and goodness to His people. When no defense remains, Hashem declares “ה׳ שְׁמוֹ” – meaning, “I am the One who brings all into being, and My will is to do good for Yisrael – who can stop Me?”
Thus, the salvation of Bnei Yisrael even when undeserved comes from the Name of Hashem, the Shem Havay-a itself (yud and heh and vav and heh). So too in the time of Chanukah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu revealed that same boundless compassion, and therefore we say in our Tefillah:
ולך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך – And You made Yourself a great and holy Name in Your world.
After we've understood this yesod, let's approach the poem we sing on Chanukah – מעוז צור. The poet says:
יְוָנִים נִקְבְּצוּ עָלַי, אֲזַי בִּימֵי חַשְׁמַנִּים, וּפָרְצוּ חוֹמוֹת מִגְדָּלַי וְטִמְּאוּ כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים, וּמִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים...
Greeks gathered against me, then in the days of the Chashmonaim, and they breached the walls of my towers and defiled all the oils, and from the remaining flasks a miracle was made for the roses...
The question arises – was there a flask of oil or were there multiple flasks of oil? And besides, what does שׁוֹשַׁנִּים (roses) mean, when Am Yisrael is called שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (rose) not שׁוֹשַׁנִּים?
The Zohar Hakadosh states that a rose has thirteen petals corresponding to the י"ג מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים – the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. And Knesset Yisrael, in Shir HaShirim, is compared to a rose among the thorns.
So, when everything around is thorns, Hakadosh Baruch Hu brings out the rose – the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. But those who don't deserve mercy remain among the thorns. But in the days of Chanukah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu brought out the rose together with the thorns! Why? Because He used the Shem Havay-a and therefore it says נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים – a miracle was made for the roses, plural. Why plural? Because if we say that a rose has 13 petals, then 13+13 = 26 – the same as Shem Havay-a!
Returning to the words of the poem, what is the meaning of קַנְקַנִּים (flasks)? The Shemen Rosh writes: It is known what the Arizal Hakadosh explained based on the Mishna in Pirkei Avot (4:20): אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקַן אֶלָּא בְּמַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ – Do not look at the container, but at what is in it. Regarding the Thirteen Attributes, on the surface, the language indicates judgment, but in truth, the name of mercy is hidden within it. The first and last letters of ונַקֵּה spell ה-ו, and of יְנַקֶּה spells ה-י. And within them is נ-ק-נ-ק. This is what is meant by אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקַן – Do not look at the container, but at what is in it.
According to this, we can say that Chazal (Yoma 86a) indeed taught that He cleanses those who repent and does not cleanse those who do not repent. Without Teshuva, He will not cleanse. But sometimes Hashem is a man of war – Hashem is His name; He saves through His Shem Havay-a, His attribute of Mercy, without reason. Therefore, ונַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה revolves around the Shem Havay-a.
Since Bnei Yisrael in that generation did not repent, yet a great salvation and redemption was produced for them, this was awakened from the remnant of the kankanim – from the Shem Havay-a that surrounds the קַנְקַן. For by strict justice, He would not cleanse those who do not repent, yet Hashem is a man of war, Hashem is His name. ומִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים – From the remaining flasks a miracle was produced for the roses; specifically how the Pasuk states, among thorns. In this manner were Bnei Yisrael at the time of the miracle – the wicked did not repent and remained thorns, while the Kohanim were like roses among these thorns, and for their sake and in their merit the miracle came.
Thus, it emerges that at Chanukah something occurred that had never happened before. And what was that special event? ואתה ברחמיך הרבים עמדת להם בעת צרתם רבת את ריבם – And You, in Your abundant mercy, stood by them in the time of their distress, and enlarged their cause. Hakadosh Baruch Hu stood in battle against the accusers and said to them: “You will not tell me what to do! If I wish to show them favor – I have the right!” This is why we say: ולך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך
