Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Tell Me More About This! בּוֹאוּ נְדַבֵּר עַל זֶה
What’s Hanukkah all about? That’s exactly what the Gemara wants to know!
מַאי חֲנוּכָּה?
דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּלָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְלָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שֶׁכְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ יְוָנִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כׇּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל. וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְּחוּם, בָּדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְלִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים.
לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת קְבָעוּם וַעֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִים בְּהַלֵּל וְהוֹדָאָה.
What is Hanukkah?
Our Rabbis taught: Starting on the 25th of Kislev there are eight days of Hanukkah when it’s forbidden to mourn or fast. This is because, when the Yevanim (Greeks) entered the Beit Ha-Mikdash, they made all the oil there impure. When the kingdom of Hashmonaim (aka the Maccabim) triumphed and defeated them, they searched but only found one jug of oil that still had the seal of the High Priest (which showed it was pure). This was just enough to light for one day. A miracle happened and they lit from it for eight days.
Later, they established these eight days as holidays with Hallel and thanksgiving.
In the Beit Ha-Mikdash, there was a mitzvah to light the menorah every single day, and that was supposed to be done with pure olive oil. R. Menachem Meiri (800 years ago) says that the oil lasting for eight days gave the Jews enough time to make new pure oil so they could continue lighting the menorah.
- There are many parts of this story worth celebrating. How many can you find?
- Which ones are miracles? What makes these miracles different from each other and special in their own way?
- Why do you think lighting the menorah with pure oil is so important? What could that represent? What’s lost by not being able to do it?
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