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Chanukah Making It Personal

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Chanukah Making It Personal Learn Now Timely Torah Insights by Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim Associate Rosh Yeshiva Chanukah Making it Personal This issue is dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Ron and Barbara Kloor L’Iluy Nishmas his Grandmother, Devorah Sarah bas Avraham a”h (Shabbos, 26th of Kislev)’Ilui Nishmas Chana Devorah bas Avraham Moshe a"h (Yahrzeit, 10th of Cheshvan) Recently, I recalled part of a shiur that grandmothera friend of mine, of RabbiMrs. AtaraYosef Greenwald,Silverstein taught over 20 years ago at a Chanukah Mesibah (party). I really wanted to remember the details, since it linked to the parsha that week. It was Friday, two hours before Shabbos - a hectic time - but I called him anyway. I apologized for the hour, reminded him about the long-ago shiur and just like that, he said, “Sure, I remember that piece!” He then spent the next fifteen minutes telling over the entire shiur from 20 years ago with perfect clarity. How could he remember it so well? I started thinking about what is key to memory. I recalled the first Dvar Torah I gave publicly in yeshiva. I remember it well! I came to the realization that good memory is all about time, energy and focus - and connecting the item to yourself! Rabbi Greenwald remembered what he spoke about because he made it personal. Making Torah personal is the core concept of Chanukah. The tefillah of Al Hanisim, added to Shemoneh Esrei and Birkas Hamazon during Chanukah, states that the Greeks attempted to make the Jewish nation forget the Torah and to violate the laws of Hashem. This seems puzzling. It’s one thing to make laws that persecute Jews or forbid Torah study. But how could they make us forget what we already learned? The Greeks were attempting to assimilate the Jewish nation with exposure to Greek culture and ideology, which they made look very alluring. But they knew that as long as the Jewish nation was attached to the Torah they studied, they would resist any and all infiltration of outside values. The Greeks’ only road to success was to disconnect Klal Yisrael from their Torah study and their passion for mitzvos. To this end, they outlawed teaching Torah, keeping Shabbos, Bris Milah and observing Rosh Chodesh. The objective was to turn Judaism into a set of customs and practices, but not a way of life. Customs and practices do not have long term sustainability. In the last two centuries, we’ve seen strong evidence of this phenomenon of casualization. Many Jews decided to only keep certain Jewish “traditions”, choosing which mitzvos to observe and which not. Each subsequent generation became more estranged and disconnected, leading to millions of intermarriages! The Bach1 points out that the Greeks almost accomplished their mission, since the Jews became more casual in their study of Torah. The key to the victory of the Chashmonaim was that they made Torah life and study very “personal,” by defending it with their very lives. They launched a fierce battle against the massive Greek army - impossible odds! But the alternative of assimilation was not an option! When Hashem saw the commitment and passion of the Chashmonaim, He performed a miracle of epic proportions in which a few hundred Chashmonaim defeated the well-trained, skilled and heavily armed Greek soldiers. Rav Chaim Friedlander2 notes how the words of Al Hanisim confirm this point. “Hashem took up their quarrels, judged their claims, and avenged their vengeance.” Although the future of Torah and mitzvos had been on the line, Hashem only stepped in when the Chashmonaim made defense of the Torah their personal vendetta. Indeed, their being saved - along with the whole Jewish nation - came from their taking this struggle with the Greeks very personally. In the Mafia, before they eliminate an opponent who is a friend of theirs, they tell them, “It’s nothing personal, just business.” Judaism has just the opposite approach. Torah and mitzvos are personal! It’s not just about customs and casual practices. Al Hanisim concludes by stating that Hashem handed the Zeidim (the Greeks) into the hands of those who toiled in Torah (the Chashmonaim). A zeid is a scoffer3, someone who scorns and derides a person by stripping him of his value and importance. The toiling in Torah of the Chashmonaim demonstrated the immense value they assigned to Torah learning, which the Greek scoffers tried to devalue. The war of “casual” Judaism versus “passionate” Judaism wages on in our generation. Chanukah is the time to assess whether we treat our performance of mitzvos and our approach to Torah study casually or personally. Chanukah is an opportunity to select one area of Torah and make it personal. Choose an area of Torah study or a specific mitzvah and really invest yourself in it. Some goals may seem too lofty or out-of-reach, but Chanukah is a time when Hashem gives extraordinary success to those who make Torah personal. 1 Hilchos Chanukah 670:4 2 Sifsei Chaim Moadim Beis: Biur Al Hanisim pg. 136 3 Mishlei 21:24 Inyanei D’Yoma – Chanukah by Rabbi Moshe Silverstein Maggid Shiur, Yeshiva Ner Boruch-PTI In addition to the many intricate halachos associated with that this will happen when we as a nation come together Chanukah and the lighting of the menorah, there are also just as the two pieces of wood in Yechezkel’s6 prophecy many minhagim which add to the character of the holiday came together to foretell the unification of our nation at which shares the same numerical value of ,משיח from Chanukah gelt to the foods that we eat. One of the the time of well known customs is the spinning of the dreidel. What is the letters on the dreidel. the significance of the dreidel itself and what we do with it? Sefer Taamei Haminhagim7 quotes Rav Tzvi Elimelech, who The well-known explanation of the origin of the minhag of notes the difference between the way we spin the dreidel dreidel is based on the following: During the times of the on Chanukah and turn the gragger on Purim. The miracle Yevanim, when there was a decree against studying Torah of Chanukah came fully from Hashem Above in the sense in groups, the Chachamim devised a plan to continue that we were not spiritually deserving of the miracles that learning under the guise that they were playing games. If He performed to save us. We therefore spin from above. the enemies entered the school, the students would take The miracle of Purim, on the other hand, came after we did out their “spinning toys” and pretend that they were teshuvah. In a sense, we forced the miracle from below. We playing rather than studying. To remember the miracle therefore turn the gragger from the bottom. Alternatively, that through the dreidel they were able to continue to learn we can suggest, the miracle of Chanukah was an overt and the Torah was not forgotten, the minhag evolved to miracle, and was obvious that it was from Hashem above, play dreidel on Chanukah1. Based on this, we can also while the miracle of Purim appeared to have happened .inscribed on the dreidel to through natural means below נ-ג-ה-ש understand the letters .so that even during the Others8 ascribe significance even to the rules of the game נס גדול היה שם be an acronym for The point of the game is to demonstrate that we are נ-ש-ה-ג game itself the miracle should be remembered 2, or expressing what we do supposed to serve Hashem with all of our hearts and do ,3נר שמן הלל גדול as an acronym for - light candles and sing praise - to celebrate the miracle. teshuvah for our wrongdoings. The letters represent צדיק for ג However, Rav Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov in his B’nei different types of people. If the dreidel lands on represents the averageה .גאנץ - he gets the whole pot גמור Yissaschar4 provides a different explanation behind the רשע is for theש The .האלב - significance of the dreidel: He explains that there were, or person, who takes half the pot prevents ש are, four Jewish exiles throughout the history of the Jews. who is not fully evil in his ways – the letter ,There is still hope for him .רע The first exile, the Babylonian exile, was a galus nafshi, an him from being completely is for the completely wickedנ exile during which we were challenged spiritually with the so he spins again. The letter .נישט – loss of our center of holiness, the Beis Hamikdash. The person. Nothing happens second exile, Galus Madai, the Persian exile, which The dreidel was an integral part of the original Chanukah culminated with the threat of Haman and the Purim story, story as it ensured the continuance of Torah learning was a galus gashmi, a physical threat. Haman wanted to through those trying times. Throughout the ages, the physically annihilate the Jewish people. The third exile was minhag of dreidel with all its symbolism, brought out by its Galus Yavan, the Greek exile, when the Yevanim wanted to shape, the material from which it is made, the letters inscribed on it, the way by which it is spun, and even the להשכיחם תורתיך ולהעבירם obliterate the Jewish mind – 5 This was a galus sichli, an intellectual or rules of the game that is played with it, has helped us .מחקי רצונך cultural exile where our beliefs were threatened. The remember our history and learn eternal lessons from it. A fourth and final exile, Galus Romi, the exile from which we true appreciation of this minhag and our loyalty to all the still suffer today, is all inclusive.
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