Victorious Miracles
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בס"ד קול תורה Chanukah Edition 25 Kisleiv 5781 December 10, 2020 Vol. 30 No. 12 and miracles specified in Al HaNissim, for what then is the Victorious Miracles reference to our entering the Heichal of the Beit HaMikdash and By Tzvi Meister (’21) cleansing it, “kindling the lights….these eight days of Chanukah…” It is at this point that the Rav draws us away from As we enter the period of merriment that is Chanukah, the singular Al HaNissim of Chanukah and draws us into a we are asked, by Rabbinic decree, to insert and recite the comparative analysis of the supplication for Chanukah with that paragraph of Birkat HaMazon known as Al HaNissim. Said but of Purim. two times a year, this short addition to the “Grace After Meals” In the Al HaNissim of Purim, we find no mention of the (as well as the Amidah prayer) speaks of the manner in which actions taken by Mordechai and Esther as expounded upon in the Hashem has graciously delivered us from absolute destruction, Megillah. We know of their immense sacrifice and character and has not only sanctified His own name, but has allowed us, despite the situation they faced, yet again, there is no mention of the Jewish people, to reenter His Sanctuary and praise and these two by name or even by the events that transpired, rather sanctify His name as well. There is, however, a question to be being “mentioned only as an indication of the period…” Where asked on the composition of the Al HaNissim supplication for the Megillah depicts the human aspects of the miracle that Chanukah: where is mention of the oil miracle? transpired, the Al HaNissim completely ignores them. However, Indeed, we very clearly mention the miracle of militarily the Al HaNissim of Chanukah does not shy away from defeating the Assyrian Greeks, reclaiming our faith from spiritual mentioning human action and reaction: “VeAchar Kein Ba’u annihilation, and the eight days of Chanukah designated for Banecha LeDevir Beitecha UPinu Et Heichalecha VeTiharu Et giving thanks to and praising Hashem. Yet nowhere in the text of Mikdashecha…” The contrast between the role of the Al HaNissim do we find mention of the miracle of the oil. In an Chashmonaim and that which Mordechai and Esther played is idea developed by Rav Soloveitchik, it is the placement of the thus clearly seen. supplication that establishes the core principle of emphasizing the From this, we understand the nature of war when it is miracle. Al HaNissim forms part of the Hoda’ah, thanksgiving, conducted in a spiritual manner. Though man is under the section of both the Amidah and Birkat HaMazon. These sections guidance of Hashem when spiritual survival is at stake, man is serve as a vehicle for our thanking Hashem for the material petitioned by Hashem to take initiative, and therefore his role is blessings of our lives and for His protection throughout our recorded. In questions of physical struggle alone, Hashem acts history. However, as the Rav notes, we do not include thanks for differently. In cases of physical menace or threat of physical purely spiritual miracles. Thus, in Al HaNissim we thank destruction, He uses the human hand as a mere instrument of His Hashem for vanquishing our enemy and physically protecting us; will, recruiting man to use his energy and resources to implement we do not include praise for the miracle of the light, for this was a the plan He has devised. However, there is a distinction noted miracle for the glory of the Beit HaMikdash (Harerei Kedem, Vol. here between spiritual and military achievements. Spiritual 1, p. 351). achievements are attributed to man, while military ones are “VeAchar Kein Ba’u Vanecha LeDevir Beitecha UPinu Et attributed to Hashem. In matters of human accomplishment “as Heichalecha VeTiharu Et Mikdashecha VeHidliku Neirot far as political and material achievements are concerned he BeChatzrot Kodshecha VeKave’u Shemonat Yemei Chanukah cannot attribute them to himself.” Therefore, on Purim, upon Eilu LeHodot ULHallel LeShimcha HaGadol,” “Your children celebrating a physical victory, Al HaNissim does not mention then entered the holiest part of Your House, cleansed Your Mordechai and Esther, for if the achievements are of a military or Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy material nature, then victory should be accordingly attributed to courts, and designated these eight days of Chanukah for giving Hashem (Days of Deliverance, pp. 121-124). thanks and praise to Your great name.” We now come to a bump Chanukah presents a different story by the convention of in the road when analyzing the nature of our citing the triumphs its victory. Antiochus aspired to destroy the Jews spiritually, and when the menace is thus of a spiritual nature, the initiative belongs to man alone. It is because of this aspiration that we recall Kol Torah is a community wide publication that relies on the Chashmonaim’s efforts when commemorating their victory generous donations from our friends and family in the on Chanukah, for we have actualized the ideals of taking community for its continuous existence. To sponsor an issue in initiative in a task we are invited to partake in by Hashem memory of a loved one, in honor of a joyous occasion, or for a Himself. For this, we cite the miracle of the Hasmonean victory Refu’ah Sheleimah, please contact: [email protected] on Chanukah in our Al HaNissim supplication, which serves as K the backbone of Jewish continuity despite threatened even encouraged. Instead, Hashem performed this miracle with spiritual ruin. the Tahor oil to show that we must remain as our own people, on O our own path, separate from the rest of the world. Only then will In Need of an Oil Change the Shechinah reside with Bnei Yisrael. We must use the lights of our Chanukiyot to remind us L By Aidan Samet and Ezra Lebowitz (‘22) that we are the chosen nation of Hashem and must differentiate ourselves as such, to be an Or LaGoyim. Soon we will bear The miracle of Chanukah is well known. Once we witness to the lighting of the Menorah at the Beit HaMikdash, and defeated the Yevanim, there was no Tahor oil for the T Hashem’s presence will be clearer than ever before! Menorah aside from one small jar containing enough oil to O light for one day; the miracle was that Hashem caused it to last for eight. However, there’s a nuanced detail in the Rage (or Don’t) Against the Dying of the Light R Halachot of lighting the Menorah that states if there’s no By Noam Barenholtz (‘21) Tahor oil, one can use oil that is Tamei Meit (See Rambam A Hilchot Temidin U’Musaffin 3:10). The reason for this is Chanukah is widely celebrated as a holiday of resistance, because it is comparable to a Korban SheZemano Kavua where the Jews refused to accept Syrian-Greek sovereignty. For H (Korban with a set time), which one can bring while Tamei proof, look no further than Al HaNissim, the prayer we insert because it has a set time that is integral to its performance. into the Chanukah Tefillah. According to it: This gives rise to the question: why was the miracle of the You [Hashem] delivered the mighty into the hands of the C oil needed? It would’ve been perfectly fine for the Tahor oil week, the many into the hands of the few, the impure to be used up in one day, and to use the Tamei oil thereafter. into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of H The Chatam Sofer (Shabbat 21b:4) explains that the the righteous, and the degenerates into the hands of reason we were not able to use the oil for lighting was those who cling to your Torah. And you made for A because it had been desecrated by gentiles, and gentiles yourself a great and holy name in your world, and carry an assumption of Tumat Zav. The lighting of the performed a great salvation and miracle for your people N Menorah is only able to be done with oil that has Tumat Israel, as you do today. And afterward, your children Meit, not Tumat Zav. In fact, Rashi’s comment (BeMidbar came to the Holy of Holies in your House, and they U 5:2 s.v. VaYishalchu Min HaMachaneh), teaches that while a cleansed your Palace and purified your Temple and they K Zav has to leave the inner two camps of Bnei Yisrael, a kindled lights in the courtyard of your Sanctuary and Tamei Meit only has to leave the innermost camp, showing they established these eight days of Chanukah to give A the stringency added to the Tumat Zav over the Tumat Meit. thanks and to praise your great name. (Translation from The Penei Yehoshua (Shabbat 21b:6) writes that this myjewishlearning.com) H miracle was purely an expression of Hashem’s love for Bnei All of this is true, but it is worth considering the history of this Yisrael. The Yevanim put the Jews in a situation that caused holiday and the people and empires surrounding it, which can many of them to lose faith in Hashem. They didn’t need the hopefully bring us to a more nuanced understanding of it. oil to be Tahor, they just needed Hashem’s love to be The conventional story of Chanukah has the Maccabees E reinforced. Though there was just a great miracle in their ridding the land of Hellenism and Seleucid control, re- victory against the much larger army, the psychological establishing Jewish sovereignty, and instituting Chanukah as a D effect of the Yevanim might still have caused Bnei Yisrael to celebration of the great miracles they experienced.