Now we understand, according to the Be'er Moshe (Eish Dat, Ma'amarei Chanukah), that in the days of Mattityahu, when the Yevanim darkened the eyes of Bnei Yisrael, the nation was in a lowly and hopeless state because many Hellenists followed the evil ways of the wicked while “the guardians of holiness were few enough to be counted by a young boy”. They gave a young boy the task of counting how many Jews were devoted to Hakadosh Baruch Hu! Only thirteen Chashmonaim went to war against thousands of Yevanim! One of the sages of the generation was asked the question found in the Gemara (Berachot 51b), whether one recites בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָפֶן or מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת first at Kiddush – a dispute between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. A Jew then asked this great sage, “How could it be that Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel did not know which bracha to recite first? Did they grow up in a vacuum?! Were they raised without learning?!” The rebbe replied, “After Chanukah, they knew nothing – the Torah was forgotten from Yisrael,” and this is why we say: לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ – To make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will. The guardians of holiness were so few they could be counted by a young child!
Seemingly, how did Hakadosh Baruch Hu save Am Yisrael when there were only a few Jews who observed Torah and mitzvot?! How could He perform such a great miracle, beyond the natural order, that they found a jug of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol?! He explains that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, in His great mercy, aroused the attribute of חַנּוּן (compassion) upon them, and they found חֵן in His eyes, and He granted them those wondrous miracles as a free gift.
And so it is wonderful that the name of the festival is Chanukah, which hints at the חֵן they were granted, because חֲנֻכָּה is composed of the letters חֵן and כה, indicating, firstly, the favor they found, and secondly, their lowly state – supported by usage of the word כה to reflect something that is not as clear and bright as it should be, like a dim looking glass in which the Nevi’im looked – בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא שֶׁאֵינָהּ מְאִירָה (Yevamot 49b). Nevertheless, they merited miracles because they found favor in Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s eyes.
According to our explanation, and Besiyata Dishmaya, all our questions are resolved based on the principle that in those days the attribute of חַנּוּן (compassion) was revealed. Therefore, the name Chanukah is for the favor they found, despite their hopeless state, and the jug of oil is specifically mentioned because its discovery proved to the people that they indeed found favor in Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s eyes. This is the emphasis on בָּדְקוּ וּמָצְאוּ פַּךְ שֶׁמֶן – they searched and found a jug of oil – a find, as a hint to finding favor.
Based on these words, it can now be understood why on the first morning of Chanukah, we begin the Torah reading with Birkat Kohanim. יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ – May Hashem, make His face shine upon you and be compassionate to you. May He give you חֵן! This is the beginning of Chanukah, which starts with the attribute of חֵן!
We can now ask again, why was the Halacha decided according to Beit Hillel? Why do we add one additional candle each night of Chanukah? Chazal say, it is because they were humble. Shlomo HaMelech said: וְלַעֲנָוִים יִתֵּן חֵן – He gives favor to the humble.
The Gemara (Ketubot 16b) asks: כֵּיצַד מְרַקְּדִין לִפְנֵי הַכַּלָּה – How does one dance before the bride? Meaning, what does one say to her at her wedding? If, chas v’shalom, there is a bride with a serious defect, when you dance before her do you offer words of praise even though they are not necessarily true, or do you hold those back? Beit Shammai say, one should praise the bride as she is, according to her beauty and importance, and one should not praise her for what she does not have. In other words, tell her the truth, always. However, Beit Hillel say, for every bride, one always says, “כַּלָּה נָאָה וַחֲסוּדָה – A beautiful and graceful bride!” A thread of grace is drawn upon her, meaning, she has חֵן and finds favor in the eyes of all those who see her.
Beit Shammai challenged Beit Hillel: “If the bride has a major defect, do you still say to her ‘a beautiful and graceful bride’?! Are we not instructed to keep far away from sheker and tell the truth to the very end?” Beit Hillel responded: “According to your words, if someone bought a bad purchase from the market, should one praise it in his eyes or denigrate it in his eyes? You must say, praise it in his eyes! Just as it’s permissible to deviate from the truth for the sake of peace, it’s appropriate to do so here so the buyer will not be sad.”
Am Yisrael at the time were like a bride who is neither beautiful nor graceful – in one word, they were ugly! Nevertheless, Hakadosh Baruch Hu granted us the attribute of חַנּוּן; He gave us the attribute of חֵן like Beit Hillel!
The Rebbe of Chernobyl, in Maor Einayim, explains: Why do we light with inferior candles on Chanukah – candles we aren’t permitted to use for Shabbat? The answer is simple. Just as Hakadosh Baruch Hu saved us from the lowest depths in the days of the Yevanim and gave us חֵן, so too, candles that are seemingly inferior also receive the attribute of חֵן from Hakadosh Baruch Hu on Chanukah, and therefore, we can light with them! Therefore, the Yad Yosef explains, Chanukah is called Chanukah – and not Nitzchukah or Nachukah – because of the root חֵן, the attribute of compassion Hakadosh Baruch Hu granted us as He raised us up!
When the Yevanim fought against us, they didn’t want Hakadosh Baruch Hu to activate the attribute called חַנּוּן, because they knew that through this attribute, He would save His children even from rock bottom. This is why the Yevanim fought specifically against the number 13 – the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy!
