Chanuka: Restoration and Innovation
PARASHAT
MIKETZ-CHANUKA
Sicha of
Harav
Chanuka:
Restoration and Innovation
Translated
by
We
tend to perceive the miracle of Chanuka as the restoration of past glory: the
success of the Jewish nation in surviving both physically and spiritually; in
preserving its character, and in maintaining its values and its
tradition.
This
perception is well grounded in one of the central motifs in Chazals
understanding of the events of Chanuka: the motif of purity. Thus, for example, the whole story of
the single cruse of oil centers around the concepts of impurity and purity, and
in the al ha-nissim addition to the Amida prayer and to the Grace After
Meals, we similarly emphasize that the Hasmoneans purified Your
Temple.
The
concept of purity (as opposed to the concept of holiness see Raavads
Shaar Ha-Kedusha) is primarily a negative one: it is the absence of
impurity. The miracle of Chanuka
follows the same model: it consists essentially of destroying impurity, removing
the idol from the
In
this sense, Chanuka may be viewed as a festival with a conservative message
whether the physical rehabilitation of the
However,
closer examination of the name Chanuka and its root (ch-n-k) reveal
that its essence is exactly the opposite: it represents not a return or
restoration of a previous state, but rather the creation of a new framework and
its implementation. For example,
among those who are exempt from serving in the army to wage war, the Torah lists
the man who has built a new house but has not yet consecrated it (ve-lo
chanakho) (Devarim 20:5) i.e., he has not yet begun to live in it
(as Rashi explains chinukh is an expression of beginning). The same idea is to be found in the
sacrifices offered by the princes of the tribes. When the Mishkan is established,
ushering in a new stage and direction in the relationship between God and
This
note of newness and renewal, as arising from the etymology of the name Chanuka
(ch-n-k), goes deeper. An example
is to be found in Rambans answer (at the beginning of parashat
Behaalotekha) to Chazals famous question: Why is the
parasha about the menora situated immediately after the consecration of
the princes? He writes:
However,
the intention of this narrative is to point to an allusion from this
parasha to the consecration by lights which took place in the
And
it is for this reason that this parasha (Aharons kindling of the menora)
appears immediately after the consecration of the altar (through the sacrifices
of the princes).
Ramban
highlights the parallel between the second Chanuka and the first. This tells us that something of the
character of the original consecration (as described in the Torah) is also
manifest in the second consecration (Chanuka - at the time of the
To
illustrate the two aspects that we have discussed, let us examine a similar
event from another festival instituted by the Sages Purim. Once the terrible threat of annihilation
had passed, the Jewish nation seemingly returned to its original situation. However, here too Chazal detect a
deeper message in what had happened.
As the Gemara teaches (Shabbat 88a):
And
they stood at the foot of the mountain (Shemot 19:17)
This teaches that
the Holy One, blessed be He, held the mountain over them like a cask and said to
them: If you accept the Torah, well and good; if not, there you will die. Rabbi Acha bar Yaakov said: This
represents a great defense as to the Torah (Rashi: that if God would summon them
to judgment Why have you not observed that which you took upon yourselves?
they would be able to answer that they accepted it under duress). Rabba said:
Nevertheless, the generation in the days of Achashverosh accepted it anew
(Rashi: out of love, in light of the miracle that had been performed for them),
as it is written, They Jews upheld and accepted (Esther 9:27) they
upheld that which they had previously accepted.
In
the miracle of Purim, Chazal detected a re-acceptance of the Torah, with
a new dimension of commitment and of self-definition as servants of God. Their acceptance was no longer a
coerced, but rather an acceptance of Torah out of absolutely free choice, with
new resolve, and with a new dimension of fear of Heaven. This was no longer a great defense or
great excuse concerning the Torah, but rather the generation accepted it in
the days of Achashverosh: out of love and spiritual
empowerment.
The
reestablishment of routine that seems to be reflected in the conclusion of the
Megilla King Achasheverosh placed a tax upon the land and the islands of the
sea (Esther 10:1) speaks only of Achashveroshs administration;
Kenesset Yisrael, meanwhile, have upheld and accepted the covenant. The dubious religious standards evident
at the beginning of the Megilla have disappeared. Am Yisrael has undergone a voluntary
awakening and strengthening, with a renewed and fresh connection to God, a new
perspective and a clear vision the likes of which were unknown to them prior to
their encounter with the terrible danger which has now
passed.
What
happened on Purim on the physical level, happened on Chanuka on the spiritual
level. This was not just success in
preserving the existing situation, but something more a new and creative step
forward.
This
sense of renewal finds expression in three spheres.
Firstly,
here too as in the case of Purim the experience of facing existential danger
left its mark. The possibility of
spiritual conquest and destruction brought the Jewish nation to greater depth
and intensity in their observance of Torah, lending their Divine service a
spirit of renewal and freshness.
However,
there was more than an expansion and deepening of what already existed. There was also a real addition and
innovation in the sphere of rabbinically-ordained commandments. While the existential foundation of
praise and thanks to God certainly does exist within the Written Law,
Chazal created their own new entity on Chanuka: a new commandment, with
all of the attending details and specifications.
This
in itself entails two innovations.
One is the actual phenomenon of the creation of a rabbinically-ordained
positive commandment; the other is the reinforcement and emphasis of the
authority of Chazal in general representing the basis for other
festivals and other commandments.
It is apparently no coincidence that the subject of Chanuka candles is
where we find the Talmudic wrestling with the idea of reciting the words and He
has commanded us in the shehechiyanu blessing with regard to
commandments ordained not by the Torah but by the rabbis:
Where
did He command us [concerning such commandments]?... From [the words], You shall not turn
[from the sages commands] (Devarim 17:11)! (Shabbat
23a)
This
aspect of innovation, with respect to rabbinically-ordained commandments, bears
significance that transcends by far both the actual introduction of a new
commandment and the reinforcement of rabbinical authority. This represents a new dimension to the
system of commandments as a whole.
This
new dimension finds expression in Chanuka in a third sphere. The Rambam, at the beginning of his Laws
of Chanuka (chapter 3), writes:
Until
the God of our fathers had compassion for them and delivered them from the hands
[of the Greek kings], and saved them.
And the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, grew mighty and they killed them,
and they delivered
The
Rambam views one of the achievements of Chanuka as being manifest on the
political level. His formulation
implies that prior to the Hasmonean victory the Israelite monarchy was
practically non-existent, and that at that time Am Yisrael received a boost to
their political independence.
Thus,
the miracle of Chanuka catalyzed a most significant growth spurt, on an
unprecedented scale, within Judaism in terms of development of the Oral Law,
in terms of rabbinic exegesis, and in term of legislation. In this sense what we publicize on
Chanuka is not just the miracle that happened, but also the far-reaching and
extensive boost that it brought in its wake.
(This
sicha was delivered at the yeshivas mesibat Chanuka, 5760
[1999].)