Our Parsha deals with Mechirat Yosef – the sale of Yosef, and it is worth reminding ourselves that because of this sin, we suffer to this very day. Chazal say (Yalkut Shimoni, Mishlei 1), the Asara Harugei Malchut – the ten martyrs, were handed over to the local authorities and ultimately murdered only because of Mechirat Yosef. They add, even though ten leaders of Am Yisrael were brutally killed, this sin still hangs over us.
The words of the Meshech Chochma are well known. In our Yom Kippur davening, we reference in all five Tefillot: כִּי אַתָּה סַלְחָן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמָחֳלָן לְשִׁבְטֵי יְשׁ ֻרוּן בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר. For You are the Pardoner of Yisrael, and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation.
If we already mentioned יִ שְׂ רָ אֵ ל, why do we also need to invoke שׁ ִ ב ְ ט ֵ י י ְ שׁ ֻ ר ו ּ ן? Is the second group not merely a subset of the first? This line, the Meshech Chochma writes (Yom Kippur, Avodat HaYom), contains reference to both Mechirat Yosef and Cheit Ha’Eigel – the sin of the Golden Calf, the two “roots sins”. These are the root of all sins Bein Adam LaMakom (between man and Hakadosh Baruch Hu) and Bein Adam L’Chaveiro (between man and fellow man), and on Yom Kippur, we bring up our sins from both categories and request forgiveness for them. Therefore, we mention their source. When Bnei Yisrael sin in matters Bein Adam LaMakom, Hakadosh Baruch Hu visits upon them the sin of Cheit Ha’Eiegel, and when Bnei Yisrael sin in matters Bein Adam L’Chaveiro, He visits upon them the sin of Mechirat Yosef.
סַ לְ חָ ן לְ יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל refers to the first set, and וּמָ חֳ לָן לְ שׁ ִ בְ טֵ י יְ שׁ ֻ רוּן refers to the second set and Mechirat Yosef. It is also for this reason that the atonement takes place in the Kodesh HaKodashim, in the area of the Beit Hamikdash belonging to Binyamin, because he was the only one not involved in Mechirat Yosef.
We find ourselves in the days of Chanukah, and I wanted to find a connection between Chanukah and our Parsha, Parshat Vayeishev. The Torah says:
בְּרֵ אשִׁית בָּרָא אֱ -לֹהִ ים אֵ ת הַ שׁ ּ ָ מַ יִם וְ אֵ ת הָ אָ רֶ ץ: וְ הָ אָ רֶ ץ הָ יְתָ ה תֹהוּ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱ -לֹהִים מְרַ חֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם ׃
In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth. The earth was unformed and desolate, and there was darkness over the surface of the abyss. The breath of G-d hovered above the surface of the water.
Chazal say (Bereshit Rabbah, 2:4), the second Pasuk makes reference to our four galuyot (exiles): תֹהוּ is Galut Bavel; וָבֹהוּ is Galut Madai; וְח שׁ ֶ ך is Galut Yavan; עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם is Galut Edom; and lastly, וְרוּחַ אֱ -לֹהִים מְרַ חֶפֶת refers to Melech HaMashiach who’ll arrive after the exiles to signal our redemption. With regards to Galut Yavan – the exile of the Syrian Greeks, the time of the Chanukah story – the Midrash says, this exile is connected to darkness because the Yevanim darkened the eyes of Bnei Yisrael with their decrees, saying to them: “כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶ ן הַשּׁ וֹר שׁ ֶאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּא לֹהֵ י יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל – Write on the horn of a bull (or ox) that you have no portion in the G-d of Israel.”
Why specifically were they instructed to write this on the horn of a bull and not on the belly of a donkey, or some other spot on a different animal? Rashi says, the Yevanim were essentially saying, “Because you made the form of a bull – the golden calf of Cheit Ha’Eiegel – from that moment you revealed your intention to have no portion in Hakadosh Baruch Hu.”
The Megaleh Amukot (Miketz; Va’etchanan) writes that the entire intention of the Yevanim was directed against Yosef HaTzaddik; the word “Tzaddik” characterizes the Syrian Greek war against everything holy. They were not willing to accept anything called “holy” – not a holy day, not a holy place, not a holy ritual, etc. The Navi Zecharia says:
וְעוֹרַ רְ תִּי בָנַיִך צִיּוֹן עַל־בָּנַיִך יָוָן וְשַׂמְתִּיך כְּחֶרֶ ב גִבּוֹר׃
And I will arouse your sons, Tzion, against your sons, Yavan, and make you like a warrior’s sword.
The numerical value of צִיּוֹן equals 156, the same as יוֹסֵ ף. If we remove the letter צ from ציון, we are left with יון. This implies that the difference between Yavan and Tzion is the letter Tzadi – and what does this letter צ symbolize? It represents the attribute of יוסף ה צדיק; exactly what the Syrian Greeks waged their battle against. The Megaleh Amukot explains that the first decree of the Yevanim was to write on the horn of a bull that Bnei Yisrael have no portion in the G-d of Israel – a decree aimed squarely at Yosef HaTzaddik, who is referred to by that very same name: הָ דָ ר לוֹ שׁ וֹרוֹ בְּ כוֹר.
So where exactly did the Syrian Greeks' battle against the letter Tzadi come into play? During Chanukah, we recite three times in the Tefillah of Al HaNissim, what the Yevanim wanted to do to us: לְהַשׁ ְ כִּיחָם תּ וֹרָ תֶֽ ך וּלְהַעֲבִירָ ם מֵחֻקֵי רְ צוֹנֶֽך – To make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will.
Exactly which statutes are we talking about in this text? In Megillat Antiochus, it is written that the Yevanim said: “Now let us go up against them and abolish from them the covenant that was made with them – Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and Brit Milah.” (Additionally, they decreed that Torah could not be studied.) In these three decrees, we find the word ק ו ֹ דֶ שׁ – holy: Shabbat Kodesh, Brit Kodesh, and on Rosh Chodesh we say מְ ק ַ דֵ שׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְרָאשׁ ֵי חֳדָשִׁים. Additionally, these three things are also called חוּקִים – statutes, in the Torah and liturgy.
Since the Syrian Greeks fought against these items, the Ben Ish Chai says that during Chanukah we should say to one another חֲ נוּכָּ ה שָׂ מֵ חַ – Chanukah Sameach. Yet, a basic question can be asked about this custom. It is written the days of Chanukah should be ones of הַ לֵל וְ הוֹדָ אָ ה – of praise and thanksgiving. It does not say they should be days of feasting and joy, so why would we say “Sameach”? He explains, the word שמ"ח is an acronym for 'שבת 'מילה 'חודש – the three targets of the Yevanim.
Additionally, this is why Hakadosh Baruch Hu performed the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days. The Bnei Yissaschar writes (Kislev Tevet, 4:88), it is because they wanted these days of salvation to hint at all three mitzvot that the Yevanim attempted to abolish. In the eight days of Chanukah, we always find Rosh Chodesh and Shabbat, and the eight days themselves hint at the mitzvah of Brit Milah, which is performed on the eighth day. (A boy born on the first day of Chanukah will receive his Brit Milah during Chanukah.) This also answers why they didn’t establish an extra day of Chanukah for the Diaspora (Yom Tov Sheini) – because the intention to hint at eight days would have been lost.
Therefore, the Yevanim fought against everything holy. They simply did not comprehend the nature and significance of a holy day such as Shabbat. But the truth is, the Gemara already brings the same question that Turnus Rufus had.
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 65b) recounts: Turnus Rufus asked Rabbi Akiva: “What makes this day, Shabbat, different from other days?” Rabbi Akiva replied: “What makes a man – i.e., you – different from other men?” The Roman Governor answered: “Because my master desires it,” to which Rabbi Akiva replied: “Shabbat is also special because my Master desires it.” Turnus Rufus then said: “This is what I meant to say to you – Who says that today is Shabbat? Maybe it’s just one of ordinary weekdays?” Rabbi Akiva provided him with a few answers including a sharp one that hit home: “The Sabbatyon River can prove today is Shabbat, as it flows all week but rests on Shabbat. A sorcerer can also prove it, as he cannot summon the dead on Shabbat. And finally, your father's grave can prove it, as smoke arises from it all week [as he’s punished in Gehinnom], but not on Shabbat.”
From the perspective of the Yevanim, the body of the Jews was not holy, Shabbat was not holy, and Rosh Chodesh was not holy. Therefore, one of the things they did was to breach the barrier (ס וֹ רֵ ג) on Har HaBayit (that separated Jews from non-Jews) with thirteen breaches (Middot 2:3). What did they want from the barrier? It was a fence that called out, "You may come up to here, but beyond this point, Gentiles are not allowed." Therefore, they breached it in thirteen places to say, "Why shouldn't we be able to enter? Are we not human beings just like you?" Their war was one against the holiness of the Jew, symbolized by Yosef HaTzaddik.
The Megaleh Amukot writes further, that Yosef's nourishment came from Yitzchak Avinu, who is called חַ י-קֵ ץ – end of the living, a rearrangement of the letters in his name, ק'יצח. This is why the start of Yosef’s rise to greatness coincided with Yitzchak's death. Yosef was released from prison on the same day Yitzchak Avinu died – on Rosh Hashanah.
On this idea, the question arises: What is the connection between Yosef HaTzaddik and Yitzchak Avinu? The Megaleh Amukot writes, the answer is hinted at in the Pasuk we’ll read in two weeks’ time: וַיְהִ י מִ קֵ ץ שׁ ְ נָתַ יִם יָמִ ים – And it came to pass at the end of two years. The final letters of each word in this Pasuk – which points to the day of Yosef’s release – add up to a value of 180 (ם-מ-ץ-י). When 180 years of Yitzchak’s lifetime were completed, Yosef stood by the Nile to answer Pharoah and rise to power. Additionally, the Yevanim ruled over Yerushalayim for a total of 180 years. Yosef's spiritual nourishment came from Yitzchak Avinu, and the Yevanim made the Jews write on the horn of the bull to hint that because of Yosef, trouble came upon them in the days of Yavan. Also, he says, their names hint that they are tied back to Yosef, as מלך יון (King of Yavan) in gematria equals יוסף, and so does אנטיוכס (156).
After learning about Yosef and Chanukah, we can now delve into some ideas related to Chanukah. The Gemara (Shabbat 21b) teaches: Wicks and oils that one may not light with for Shabbat, one may indeed light with on Chanukah, whether it falls on a weekday or on Shabbat. The Be'er Moshe of Ozharov asks, why is it permissible to light Chanukah candles with wicks that are prohibited for use on Shabbat? Is it not a sign of disrespect to Chanukah to allow a lower class of wicks to be used?
Another question that needs explanation pertains to what we’ll read from the Torah on Chanukah. We’ll read Pesukim from Parshat Naso, where the Korbanot of the Nesi’im (Princes) are discussed. However, our starting point is a bit off. Rather than starting with וַיְהִי בְּיוֹם כַּלּוֹת מֹשֶׁה לְהָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן – which reflects the dedication of the Mishkan and the start of the Korbanot being offered, we start six Pesukim earlier:
וַיְדַ בֵּר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵאמֹר׃ דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל בָּנָיו לֵאמֹר כֹּה תְבָרֲכוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמוֹר לָהֶם: יְבָרֶכְךָ ה' וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ: יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וִיחֻנֶּךָּ: יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם: וְשָׂמוּ אֶת שְׁמִי עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל וַאֲנִי אֲבָרְ כֵם:
Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying; Speak to Aharon and to his sons, saying; This is how you shall bless Bnei Yisrael, saying to them: May Hashem bless you and protect you. May Hashem cause His countenance to shine upon you and favor you. May Hashem lift His face to you, and grant you peace. They shall bestow My Name upon Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them.
Why do we begin with Birkat Kohanim? How are they connected to Chanukah? The common answer is that since the victory was through Mattityahu, the Kohen Gadol, and his sons, we mention them – as it is the Kohanim who bless Am Yisrael. This is a very nice answer, but today, we’ll soon go in a completely different direction.
Another point I’d like to address relates to the famous Gemara (Shabbat 21b), which asks: מַאי חֲנוּכָּה – What is Chanukah?
מַ אי חֲנוּכָּה? דְּ תָנוּ רַ בָּנַן: בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּ לָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְ לָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שׁ ֶכְּשׁ ֶנִּכְנְסוּ יְוָוֽנִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כׇּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שׁ ֶבַּהֵיכָל. וּכְשׁ ֶג חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְחוּם, בָּדְ קוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שׁ ֶל שׁ ֶמֶן שׁ ֶהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שׁ ֶל כֹּהֵן גָדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְ לִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס גָדוֹל, וְהִדְ לִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים. לְשׁ ָנָה אַחֶרֶ ת קְ בָעוּם וַעֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִ ים בְּ הַ לֵל וְ הוֹדָ אָ ה.
What is Chanukah? Chazal taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Chanukah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. Why? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary, they defiled all the oils by touching them. And when the Chashmonaim overcame them and emerged victorious, they searched and found only one jug of oil that was closed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, undisturbed by the Yevanim. There was sufficient oil to light the Menorah for only one day; a miracle occurred, and they lit from this oil for eight days. The next year, Chazal instituted those days and made them holidays with Hallel and thanksgiving.
Look at the flow and sequence of this Gemara. If someone were to ask me how to write this Gemara, I would not write it this way at all. Instead, I’d write: "What is Chanukah? When the Yevanim entered the Mikdash, they defiled all the oils, etc." and then I’d mention that these are days on which eulogies and fasting are forbidden. Why does the Gemara start with the prohibition of eulogies and fasting and only afterwards present the reason and tell the story? Is the story not the essence of Chanukah?!
Another question: If we were asked what number symbolizes Chanukah, what would we answer? Most probably, the number eight. And this is exactly what the Gemara tells us: On the 25th of Kislev, the days of Chanukah are eight. Let's now explore the hidden number of Chanukah: 13. Why is 13 the hidden number? The Arizal tells us that in the Bracha for lighting the Chanukah candles, we do not add the word שׁ ֶ ל. Meaning, we say לְהַ דְ לִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה and not לְהַדְ לִיק נֵר שׁ ֶל חֲנֻכָּה. This, in the opinion of the Ari HaKadosh, is unlike the Bracha recited when lighting Shabbat candles, where we do add the extra word: לְהַדְ לִיק נֵר שׁ ֶל שׁ ַבָּת. Why the difference? Because if we add the word שׁ ֶ ל, the Bracha on Chanukah would have 14 words, and it needs to have only 13! Noteworthy, the second Bracha of נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ שׁ ֶ עָשָׂ ה also contains 13 words.
The Mishna Berurah notes that it is permissible to add the word שׁ ֶ ל, and most poskim do not insist omitting it. He also brings the words of the Maharshal, that reciting חֲנֻכָּה שׁ ֶ ל as one conjoined word allows one to add the word but without adding an extra unique word. The Ben Ish Chai explains, Sephardim say לְהַ דְ לִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה and with it they concentrate on its acronym – the holy name נח"ל, according to Torat HaSod.
Going back to the number 13, what is hidden in this number that there must be exactly 13 words in the Bracha? Additionally, why did the Yevanim make 13 breaches in the barrier of the Mikdash? What is hidden in the number 13?
It is known that we have the י"ג עִיקָרֵ י אֱמוּנָה – the Thirteen Principles of Faith that are recited every day after Shacharit. Additionally, the number 13 symbolizes the unity of the Creator, as the word אחד in Shema has the numerical value of 13. Furthermore, the Ramak brings that the Yevanim made 13 breaches in the barrier corresponding to the 13 tribes (replacing Yosef with Menashe and Ephraim).
Another point, one of the decrees of the Yevanim was against performing Brit Milah, and the Gemara (Nedarim 31b) says: גְדוֹלָה מִילָה שֶׁנִּכְרְתוּ עָלֶיהָ שְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר בְּרִיתוֹת – So great is the mitzvah of Milah that thirteen covenants were sealed with regard to it.
Another source for 13 is found in Vezot HaBerachah, where in the Bracha given to Shevet Levi, Moshe Rabbeinu says: בָּרֵ ךְ ה' חֵילוֹ. What is the meaning of a Bracha that those who rise up against him shall be struck down? After all, the tribe of Levi did not go out to war! Rashi explains, Moshe saw that the Chashmonaim and their sons would fight with the Yevanim, and he davened for them because they were few – twelve sons of the Chashmonaim and Elazar – against many myriads. So, 13 people went to fight against millions of Syrian Greeks! How is that possible?! Courtesy of the Moshe Rabbeinu’s bracha!
Another source for 13 is found when Talmai HaMelech gathered seventy elders in seventy houses and commanded them to translate the Torah into Greek. Hakadosh Baruch Hu put it in their hearts to all write the exact same thing, except for 13 places where they differed.
Yet another source for 13: After the powder of the sufganiyot is finished, we can start cleaning the house for Pesach, and on the night of the Seder, we will all sing Echad Mi Yodea, which ends with: שׁ ְ לשׁ ָ ה עָשָׂ ר מִ י יוֹדֵ עַ – Who knows Thirteen? Why did the poet stop specifically at thirteen?! The answer is simple. It is because אֶ חָ ד in gematria is 13 – and we always return to the unity of the world. In the thirteenth stanza, we say 13 are the Attributes: שְׁלשׁ ָה עָשָׂר מִדַּיָא, but which attributes are these? There are two opinions: Either it refers to the 13 Attributes of Mercy (מִ דּ וֹ ת הָ רַ חֲ מִ ים) or the 13 Principles by which the Torah is expounded (מִּדּוֹת שׁ ֶהַתּוֹרָ ה נִדְ רֶ שׁ ֶת בָּהֶם).
If we see that the Yevanim fought against 13, the question is, which 13 did they fight against – was it the 13 Attributes of Mercy or the 13 Principles by which the Torah is expounded? The answer is: the 13 Principles by which the Torah is expounded. Why? Because the Yevanim had nothing against the Written Torah (תּ ו ֹ רָ ה שׁ ֶ ב ּ ִ כ ְ ת ָ ב) – they even asked to translate it into Greek! Their problem was solely with the Oral Torah (תּוֹרָ ה שׁ ֶבְּעַל פֶּה). They had an issue with the power given to Chazal to establish Halacha! That is what they fought against – the ability for a select people to continue the formation of laws after the Written Torah was completed! Therefore, they defiled all the oil, yet they did not pour it out! According to Torah Law, the oil could still be used, whereas only according to Rabbinic Law was it prohibited. All this was to fight against the Oral Torah!
However, there are those who say that 13 which the Yevanim fought against refers to the Attributes of Mercy. If so, what exactly did they want?
To explain this question, let's first address another point and some questions. The Beit Yosef asks his famous question: Why do we have eight days of Chanukah and not seven? On the first day, they found a jug of oil sealed with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, so seemingly, there was no miracle on that first day. The Beit Yosef himself answers that as soon as they filled the Menorah, the jug was miraculously refilled on that first day. There are many more answers to his question – which makes for a great challenge to pose before handing out Chanukah gelt. “Do you want your gift? Excellent. I’d like an answer first!”
The Gemara explicitly tells us – only the following year did they establish the days of Chanukah as a festival with Hallel and thanksgiving. Why didn't they establish the festival in the same year as the miracle? Why only the following year?
Another question requiring explanation is, on Chanukah, we find something unique that doesn't exist in any other mitzvah. On Chanukah, there is the concept of mehadrin – enhanced observance, and mehadrin min hamehadrin – the most enhanced observance. This is why we add an additional candle every night rather than sufficing with one candle each night. The Gemara (Bava Kama 9a) says: בְּמִצְוָה עַד שְׁלִישׁ – for a mitzvah, one should spend up to a third more. This means, if you bought an etrog for five hundred shekel, and your friend then brings you an even more beautiful etrog – "Look at this exquisite etrog, it practically shakes and dances on its own!" – you are allowed to add up to a third of the price you paid for the original etrog, or 166 extra shekel. Now, for some who wait until the very final moments before Chag, they can buy an entire set of Arba Minim for that same 166 shekel and even have the succah decorations thrown in! But for all others, a third extra is the rule. The Be'er Moshe asks, we find in the Gemara that one should enhance a mitzvah up to a third, but only when it comes to Chanukah candles do we find the idea of doubling our investment. If the main mitzvah is נֵר אִ ישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ – a candle for each household, meaning, one candle for the entire family, fine. That’s easy. But if you light one candle for each member of the household, you’ve already doubled your investment, and if you add another candle each day, you’ve multiplied it many times over. So, what exactly is going on here? Why was the halacha decided according to Beit Hillel – increasing and adding more candles each day?
Another question that needs explanation is, why is Chanukah called Chanukah? The name is not explained in the earlier cited Gemara, but rather, it is found in the words of Rabbeinu Nissim. The Gemara asks: מַאי חֲנוּכָּה – What is Chanukah? Rashi explains, the question means: On what miracle was the festival established? The Ran writes (Shabbat 9b): עֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִים בְּהַלֵל וּבְהוֹדָאָה וְלֹא שׁ ֶאֲסוּרִ ים בִּמְלָאכָה שׁ ֶל וְלֹא א לִ קְ רִ יאַ ת הַ לֵל וְ לוֹמַ ר עַ ל הַ נִּסִּ ים בְּ הוֹדָ אָ ה וְ יֵשׁ מִ י שׁ ֶ כָּתַ ב נִקְ בְּ עוּ אֶ ל פְּ רִיכָך קְ רָאוּם חֲנֻכָּה כְּלוֹמַר חָנוּ בכ"ה ומש"ה הָיוּ שְׁמֹנָה יָמִים שׁ ֶל מִפְּנֵי שׁ ֶהָיָה לָהֶם שׁ ֶמֶן טָהוֹר רָ חוֹ ק ד' יָמִים וְהֻצְרְ כוּ שְׁמֹנָה יָמִים בֵּין הֲלִיכָה וַחֲזָרָ ה:
They established them as days of festivity with Hallel and thanksgiving: This does not mean that work is forbidden, as these days were established solely for the recitation of Hallel and Al HaNissim in the prayer of Modim. Some have written that this is why it is called Chanukah — meaning they rested (chanu) on the 25th (kaf-heh). Therefore, it lasted for eight days because the supply of pure oil was located four days away, requiring eight days for the round trip.
The Ran says they called it חֲ נוּכָּה, meaning חָ נוּ בכ"ה – because they rested on the 25th of Kislev. The Ben Yehoyada challenges this explanation, pointing out that if the name given is for the rest they had from their enemies, the holiday should be called נָחוּכָּה (Nachukah – they rested on the 25th) and not חֲ נוּכָּ ה (Chanukah – they sat or encamped on the 25th). Even more interesting, the Gemara tells us that the festival was established as a result of the Chashmonaim overcoming and defeating the Yevanim and then finding only one sealed jug of oil – meaning, the festival was established upon their victory.
The Yad Yosef comments on the explanation provided by Rashi for the Gemara’s question – namely, “On what miracle was it established?” Why did Rashi explain it this way and not ...
