The Consecration of the Second Beit HaMikdash
Rabbi Yaakov Emden points out that the building of the Second Beit HaMikdash began on the 24th of Kislev as the verse says, “But now consider from this day onwards, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the L-rd’s temple was laid...” It stands to reason that they would have begun lighting the Menorah on the following night – the 25th of Kislev. Although the building wasn’t yet built, the Talmud says that the sacrifices could be offered even before the building is built. The same can be said about the lighting of the Menorah. Thus, hundreds of years before the Maccabees, the 25th of Kislev was already a day of Chanukah, the day of the consecration of the Menorah in the Second Beit HaMikdash.
In fact, the positive energy of the 25th of Kislev may have been the reason that the Maccabees were able to overcome their enemies on this day and find the jug of oil following the principle that G-d arranges positive things to take place on positive days.
The commentaries question this interpretation, as we don’t find before the time of the Hasmoneans that the 25th of Kislev was a significant day.
May we soon consecrate the Third Beit HaMikdash with the coming of Moshiach! Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach! Copyright 2024 by Rabbi Aryeh Citron
