The Light Within Our Darkness: Chanukah: The Holiday of Faith
The Light Within Our Darkness: Chanukah: The Holiday of Faith
The Light Within Our Darkness: Chanukah: The Holiday of Faith
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(Continued on page 7)
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very Jewish child knows the Chanukah story on the basic level. The
Yevanim did not allow the Jews religious freedoms so the Chashmonaim
miraculously defeated them in a battle where they were the underdogs.
We went into the Beis Hamikdash where only one jug of oil was found which
was supposed to last one day and miraculously the oil lasted eight days.
The Mefarshim grapple with which miracle created the obligation for us
to celebrate Chanukah today. On the one hand the gemara in Shabbas 21b asks
What is Chanukah and Rashi explains the actual question is why do we celebrate
Chanukah. The gemara answers because of the miracle of the pach hasehmen.
The war is only mentioned as a means to the end. But in our Liturgy that was established for Chanukah in Al Hanisim we only mention the battle of the war and
we dont mention the miracle of the jug. It seems there are conflicting messages
as to which story creates our current obligation to celebrate.
The Maharal in two places gives a beautiful answer which explains the
theme of the day and sheds light on human reality. He posits that the primary obligation of Chanukah is to celebrate the war. One only says Hallel when he is
physically saved from danger and not when given the ability to do a Mitzvah. But
sometimes when a military victory is achieved one ascribes the victory to great
The staff of
wishes all of its readers a
Freilichin Chanukah!
egilat Antiochus, a scroll depicting the story of Chanukah, tells us that at the time the Greeks persecuted
the Jews they outlawed three mitzvos, Shabbos, Bris Milah and Rosh Chodesh. By doing so, the Greeks
hoped that they would be able to alienate the Jews from their religion and assimilate them into their culture. Yet the question begs itself why they specifically chose to outlaw these three commandments. What did they
see in these mitzvos as so essential to a Torah way of life that caused them to specifically restrict them?
The answer perhaps lies in the antithetical nature of these mitzvos in comparison to Greek culture. The
Greek culture at the time deemed philosophy as one of the greatest intellectual achievements that a man could
reach. They worshipped the idea of using ones rational observation skills to look out to the world and form ones
own beliefs. The men whom were respected the most were the great philosophers who could think extraordinarily.
Thus they saw these three mitzvos, which emphasize tradition and belief, as clashing with their attempts to assimilate the Jews to their culture which emphasized thought and belief based on rational observation.
Shabbos epitomizes the ultimate belief in the Creator of the Universe. For one day a week we enjoy a ces(Continued on page 5)
Torah Teasers
By Rabbi Moshe Erlbaum, 9th Grade Rebbe
Parshas Mikeitz
Questions
1. What in this parsha occurs after "two years"? What
else in the book of Genesis occurs after "two
years"? (2 answers)
2. Which two pieces of jewelry are in this parsha?
3. Who in this parsha is called a kohen (priest)? Who
else in the book of Genesis is called a kohen?
4. What in this parsha is compared to sand? Where
else in the book of Genesis is there a comparison to
sand? (2 answers)
5. What 3 vocations appear in this parsha, but nowhere else in the Torah?
6. What object appears in this parsha 15 times, but
does not appear anywhere else in Tanach?
Answers
1. Pharaoh has his dreams two years after Yosef
interprets the dreams of the butler and baker
(Genesis 41:1). In Genesis 11:10, Noah's son
Shem has a son, Arpashchad, two years after the
Flood. In Genesis 45:6, Yosef tells his brothers
that only two years have passed in the famine and
they all must move to Egypt.
2. Pharaoh gives Yosef "his ring" and places "a
golden chain" upon his neck (Genesis 41:42).
3. Poti-Fera, the father-in-law of Yosef, is the "the
priest of On" (Genesis 41:45). In Genesis 14:18,
Malkei-Tzedek is called a kohen.
4. Yosef gathered so much food that it was as numerous "as the sand of the sea" (Genesis 41:49).
In Genesis 22:17, Hashem promises Avraham that
his offspring will be "like the sand on the seashore." In Genesis 32:13, Yaakov prays to Hashem to save him from Esav, mentioning that Hashem promised to make his children as numerous
as the sand of the sea.
5. Yosef is called the Shalit (ruler/viceroy) and the
Mashbir (provider) (Genesis 42:6). Later on, a
Maylitz (interpreter) translates the conversation
between Yosef and his brothers (Genesis 42:23).
6. An amtachat (sack) in which the brothers carry
back the grain appears 15 times in this parsha but
nowhere else in Tanach.
0-Minute
Halacha Shiur
Transcribed by
Zachary Goldberg
Right off the bat, one will not find too many halachic
sources about giving presents; however, one would find
sources pertaining to the giving of money or gelt. It would
seem that several of the reasons offered by the Acharonim as
to why we give money on Chanukah could also easily explain why one would give gifts on Chanukah too. Of course
the most obvious answer that we might suggest as a reason
we offer gifts, is in fact not such a good explanation namely, that we are imitating the customs of the non-Jews around
their holiday season. Nevertheless we find that some
Acharonim strongly disagree with the suggestion that we are
copying the non-Jews practice. Some Achronim do not believe that giving gifts is a Christian or pagan winter festival
custom that we seized from them, rather if anything, like
Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetsky says, they took it from us.
Strong reasons exist as to why we actually give money or gifts around the time Chanukah. (All maareh mekomos
are from Rabbi Josh Blue).
perek 7 siman 37, there exists some level of simcha on Chanukah since we are more likely to pasken like the Rambam
than the Maharam M'rotenberg, and furthermore, the gemara
says that the days of Chanukah are like days of Yom Tov.
The Shulchan Aruch exclaims that there is no mitzvah to have a seudah on Chanuka. The Rama however, adds
should one have a seudah, it is a fulfillment of a mitzvah.
To summarize, if one holds that there exists a din of
simcha on Chanukah, then one could suggest that offering
gifts or treats to children - similar to all other Yomim Tovim
- is a kiyum mitzvah of simcha. Consequently, should that be
the case, then it is not Chukas Akum either; in order for it to
be considered Chukas Akum, it must be a chok, but since
there is a kiyum mitzvah here, there is no problem.
REASON #2
The Magen Avraham writes that indigent children go
around collecting money on Chanukah. So although the Magen Avraham discusses the concept of giving money to children, he addresses it in connection to poor children specifically. Nonetheless, the Belzer Rebbe adds that it is not limited to poor children. In his sefer Chayim Sheyeish Bahem
(page 248), the author writes that the practice of giving money to children developed as a mechanism to avoid embarrassing poor children.
REASON #1
There is a gemara in Pesachim (daf 109) which describes how to fulfill simchas Yom Tov by each family member. For the wife, one would offer lovely clothing. For the
man, dining on meat and wine is simchas Yom Tov. Lastly,
for the children, one would present them with items that
make them happy. So if there is a din of simcha on Chanukah, then there is a very simple explanation why one would REASON #3
give children gifts, to fulfill the mitzvah of simcha.
The third possibility as to why we give gifts on Chanukah is found in the Emes Lyaakov on Shulchan
Is there a mitzvah of simcha on Chanukah?
Aruch. Children used to extend gifts of money to their teach
The Rambam writes in hilchos Chanukah 3:3 that the ers. The minhag developed that children were offered some
days of Chanukah are days of simcha and hallel.
money to keep for themselves.
Jewish people are Tamei, the services in the Beit Hamikdash may be performed in a state of Tumah. Thus, because
at the time of the Chanukah story the majority of the Jewish
people were Tamei, the Menorah could have been lit with
impure oil. If this is true, then why did Hashem see fit to
perform the miracle of the pure oil?
Some have answered this question by relating it to
the power of teshuva and Hashems love of the Jewish people. Yes, it is true that the Jewish people could have lit the
Menorah using impure oil. However, Hashem wanted to
demonstrate to the Jewish people that he had forgiven their
sins and that his love for them had not diminished. To do
this, he allowed the Jews to find the pure oil and miraculously let it last for eight days, enabling the Jews to light
the Menorah in the ideal way, and not in a less-than-perfect
way.
We must always remember that Hashem gives us
the opportunity to do teshuva. Once we do so, we will find
that Hashems love for us had never diminished at all.
Make it Known
By Harry Chwat
9th Grade
When it comes to Chanukah, there is a special concept of publicizing the mitzvah by lighting the menorah
near a window or facing the street. The concept is very specific to Chanukah and is not seen at all for other mitzvot during the year. We dont publicize the Korban Pesach or the Megillah Reading. Why do we publicize this
mitzvah specifically?
The Chasam Sofer brings down a very logical answer. He explains that we do this because not a lot of
people saw the miracle of the oil originally. Only the Kohanim who were in that part of the Beit Hamikdash saw
the miracle, whereas in Yetziat Mitzrayim a lot of people saw the miracles that happened then. All nations there
heard about it. By the story of Purim too, we know that the entire nation was involved. By lighting the candles
near the window, we are sharing with the world an often unknown and under-appreciated miracle.
sation from labor to reconnect with our Maker. Counter to rational observation, we believe that taking a day off
once a week will actually be a source of blessing for our endeavors for the rest of week. This is what the Greeks
abhorred about this mitzvah. They thought it impossible to convince a people with such irrational beliefs to indulge in a lifestyle solely based on just the rational observations of the eye.
Bris Mila and Rosh Chodesh both exhibit a tenacity to the age old tradition of our forefathers and the further continuation of our holy mesorah. As the first mitzvah that a father is commanded to perform for his son, Bris
Mila represents the beginning of the father-son relationship that is so essential to the survival of our people. It cements the unbreakable love and commitment that a father and son must have for one another to ensure that the
flame of Judaism lives on. Similarly, Rosh Chodesh exhibits the dedication of our people to the authority of the
Beis Din and to the Torah leaders of each generation. In the times of the Temple, Beis Din was tasked with establishing the start of the new month by the testimony of witnesses, which would have important ramifications as to
when the holidays would fall out. This required a great deal of faith in the judgment of the Sages, as the people
had to trust that Beis Din had not erroneously declared the start of the new month on the wrong day resulting in
them laboring on the actual holidays and observing the holidays on regular days. It was this faith in figures of authority and connection to the past that the Greeks saw as so powerful against their idea of trusting ones own observations and thoughts that prompted them to ban it.
As we light the candles this Chanukah, we must look around to see what we are blessed to have and appreciate the gift of family and tradition that the Greeks tried to take away from us. Especially as the modern world
continues to deemphasize the importance of the familial structure, we must look to the past to find inspiration for
the future.
the doorway between the main room of their barracks and the small storage area at its rear, and filled the righthand cup; together, the two Jews recited the blessings and kindled the first light, as millions of their fellows did
that night in their homes around the world.
(Continued on page 7)
Why Eight?
By Avi Bulka, 11th Grade
As the days shorten and we near Chanukah, we arrive at the age-old question - Why do we celebrate 8 days if the
miracle of the candles only lasted for 7 days? The oil was expected to last for the first day so its miraculous ability was only
to last for an additional seven days! Some attempt to answer by explaining that the one nights worth of oil was divided
into eight equal portions. Miraculously, each tiny portion lasted an entire night. Others explain that, in order for the oil to
last, they made the wicks one-eighth as thick as they usually would. Nevertheless, the flames burned just as brightly as they
would if the wicks would have been of normal thickness. Another explanation is that the text read "and there wasnt enough
(oil) to burn even one day. Although these answers seem sufficient, they are not consistent with the facts. The real, and
only true answer is as follows:
Looking back on the year of the Chanukah story, we see that since we were involved in war, we did not celebrate
Sukkos. After we defeated the enemy, the people celebrated Sukkos on the 25th of Kislev for 8 days. Hence, we have 8 days
of Chanukah. The original Chanukah was just a delayed Sukkot, resulting in our current celebration of eight days of Chanukah.
(Rabbi Storch Continued from page 1)
tactics, skillful soldiers or the great weapons. Similarly Israel after winning the 1967 war all the bumper stickers
read in Tzhal we trust and not in Hashem we trust. Hashem enabled the supernatural miracle of the Pach Hashemen to show that even the military victory was the hand of Hashem. Once one realizes that Hashem enabled the
oil to last eight days and there are no other explanations for that occurrence one must give credit for the war to the
hand of Hashem as well.
The Celebration of Chanukah always happens in the thick of winter where the days and moments of light
are the shortest. It is difficult at times to see the hand of God in moments of darkness. The lighting of the menorah
is a tremendous symbol for us today. Just like at the time of the Chashmonaim we needed the Menorah to shed
light for us that even the natural appearance of victory came though the hand of God so too today even in our moments of darkness when it is difficult to see, we light the menorah as a great testament that the hand of God is everywhere in our lives.
(Stories of Greatness Continued from page 6)
On that first night the lighting went off without a hitch, as it did on the second, third and fourth nights of
the festival. As a rule, the prisoners in the camp did not inform on each other, and their barrack-mates had already
grown accustomed to the religious practices of the two Jews.
On the fifth night of Chanukah, just as Reb Asher and Nachman had lit five flames in their menorah, a
sudden hush spread through the barracks. The prisoners all froze in their places and turned their eyes to the doorway, in which stood an officer from the camp's high command.
Eventhough surprise inspections such as these were quite routine occurrences, they always struck terror in
the hearts of the prisoners. The officer would advance through the barracks meting out severe penalties for offenses such as a hidden cigarette or a hoarded crust of bread. "Quick, throw it out into the snow," whispered the prisoners, but the officer was already striding toward the back doorway, where the two Jews stood huddled over the
still-burning flames of their candelabra.
For a very long minute the officer gazed at the menorah. Then he turned to Reb Asher. "P'yat? (Five?)" he
asked.
"P'yat," replied the chassid.
The officer turned and exited without a word.
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