Post date: Dec 24, 2014 5:4:59 AM
It's the last night of Chanukah, so this will be the last email until, BE"H, we get closer to Purim.
I hope you enjoyed the Vorts and that they added some meaning to your Chanukah.
I wish everyone a Lichtege Chanukah!
Josh
--
Zos Chanukah
Why is the last day of Chanukah commonly referred to as “Zos Chanukah?” Granted, the Torah reading for the last day of Chanukah concludes with a passage that begins with words similar to “Zos Chanukah,” but it would seem that there would be more to it than just that.
There are many answers offered, but one of the answers mentioned in the Sefer VeDibarta Bam Chanukah and by the Bnei Yissaschar concurrently answers this question as well as the Beis Yosef’s famous question about why Chanukah is celebrated for eight days instead of just seven days.
In an effort to upend all of Judaism, the Yevanim outlawed three basic laws of Judaism: Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh and Bris Milah. In a show of triumph, Chanukah was established specifically for an eight day period to show how all three of these Mitzvahs are still being kept. Within the eight days of Chanukah, it is possible to fulfil all three of these Mitzvahs. There is always at least one Shabbos during Chanukah, and we always celebrate Rosh Chodesh in the middle of Chanukah. Additionally, a boy born on the first day of Chanukah could have his Bris Milah on the eighth day of Chanukah, thus encapsulating all three Mitzvahs within the holiday of Chanukah. Had the holiday been established for any length of days other than 8, the significance of Bris Milah would not have been as poignant.
When Hashem commanded Avraham to perform a Bris Milah, the phrase He used was “Zos Birisi” (this is My covenant). In this case, the word “Zos” is unquestionably a reference to Bris Milah. Since the eighth day of Chanukah completes the group of three outlawed Mitzvahs with the inclusion of Bris Milah on that day (for a baby born on the first day of Chanukah), the eighth day is called “Zos Chanukah,” a nod to the “Zos” of Bris Milah by Avraham.
[Inside Chanukah, p. 105]
--
One last shot
The dreidel that we play with on Chanukah is more than just a toy. A basic inspection of the most common dreidel (the kind used outside of Eretz Yisrael and sometimes even within Eretz Yisrael) can actually motivate us to rectify a less than favorable verdict for this year.
The Bnei Yissaschar teaches us that the period of judgment that begins on Rosh Hashanah doesn’t actually become finalized until the last day of Chanukah. While the judgment is written on Rosh Hashanah, sealed on Yom Kippur and delivered on Hoshanah Rabbah, it’s not entered for execution until the last day of Chanukah. Meaning, that someone who is still in need of Teshuva can take advantage of the days leading up to and including Chanukah to effect a change for himself.
The Tzemach Tzedek tells us that the dreidel’s allusion to this idea is found by looking at the letters found on the sides of the dreidel. The letters can be rearranged as Gimmel, Shin, Nun, Heh. This stands for Gemmar Shanah, which means that this is the end of the judgment season for this year. It’s a reminder to us to do Teshuva right now before the last opportunity slips away!
[Inside Chanukah, p. 139
--
Handle placement
The Gemara (Yoma 29a) tells us that the miracle of Purim is the end of miracles, implying that Megilas Esther is included in Tanach while the miracle of Chanukah is not included in Tanach.
When the Jews were threatened with total annihilation in the time of the Purim miracle, they gathered together and collectively did Teshuva through davening and fasting. However, during the time of the Chanukah miracle, gathering for religious reasons was outlawed. As such, there was no communal effort at Teshuva. The Ya’aros D’vash tells us that because of the Teshuva that took place at the time of the Purim miracle but did not take place at the time of the Chanukah miracle, the story of Purim was included in Tanach but the story of Chanukah was left out.
The Bnei Yissaschar adds an additional twist (pardon the pun) to the previous thought. He contrasts the spinning of the dreidel on Chanukah (held by the post from above the dreidel) with the spinning of the gragger on Purim (held by the post from below). He explains how the two manners of holding are indicative of the two different methods of salvation that we enjoyed.
In the time of Purim, our Teshuva caused Hashem’s compassion to be aroused from below. Our fasting and davening collectively caused a tremendous force sourced in this world. But in the time of Chanukah, when religious gatherings were expressly forbidden, Hashem’s compassion was aroused simply from above (sans the power of the Tzibur (community) banding together in a singular unified voice).
[The Essence of Chanukah, p. 22]
--
A new answer each night! -- The Beis Yosef poses a very famous question about the length of the Chanukah holiday. “When the Chashmonaim found the jar of oil, they had the first day’s oil at that point. Since the miracle seemed to begin with the second night, why was Chanukah instituted for eight days instead if just seven?” (Below are a couple possible answers.)
The wicks that were always used in the Menorah were quite thick so as to produce an impressively bright fire. Based on the amount of oil that was in the small jar, the only way to ensure that the Menorah would have remained lit throughout the entire night was to switch to thinner wicks (which would consume the oil more slowly).
Despite this, the Chiddushei Harim tells us that the Cohanim opted to use the same thick wicks that were always used in the Beish Hamikdash. The miracle that transpired was that despite using the thicker wicks, the small amount of oil that was poured into the Menorah in fact lasted the entire nice.
The Millin Chadtin has a different understanding of what actually took place. According to him, the Cohanim in fact switched to thinner wicks so as to budget the consumption of the oil in an effort to allow the Menorah to last throughout the night. However, the miracle was that the size of the fire remained large, as if the standard thick wicks had been used.
[The Essence of Chanukah, p. 33]