Chanukah and Purim differ drastically in their manner of observance and in the message that they convey. The Mitzvot of Purim revolve around the “physical” — we feast, drink, give gifts of food, and charity. The message is clear: they tried to destroy us, so we celebrate by highlighting our continued physical existence. There is only one unique Mitzvah of Chanukah: to kindle a light. Sure we have parties, eat latkes, and play draidel, but those are only customs. The only specific action mandated by Jewish law is to kindle a light, to publicize the miracle of Chanukah (we...
Hanukah
Chanukah – The Big Miracle
One of the most famous questions related to Chanukah is as follows: Since the Jews had sufficient oil to burn for one day, then the miracle is that that oil burned for an additional seven. Why do we celebrate the miracle for eight days? There are many answers to this questions. A few of them are: the first day was celebrated for the miracle of the military victory the fact that they even found one tiny flask of pure oil was itself a miracle. they only added an eighth of the oil each day I’d like to share with...
Chanukah – Fire and Light
There is a dispute in the Mishnah regarding the order of the Chanukah lighting. According to the school of Shamai we start by lighting eight lights on the first night and decrease by one light each night until we are left with one light on the eighth night. According to the school of Hillel we start by lighting one light on the first night and increase by one light each night we light eight on the eighth night. There are two ways to view the kindling of the Menorah; the creation of fire or light. Fire consumes and purifies....
Chanukah – Beauty and Joseph
It’s no coincidence that we read the Torah portions that relate the story of Joseph, around the time of Chanukah. Joseph is described by the Torah as being handsome and good looking. The wife of Potiphar went to great lengths to try and seduce him. The midrash tells us that he might, in his youth, have even been a bit too concerned with his appearance, always looking in the mirror and fiddling with his hair. When Jacob, on his death bed, blesses him, he refers to him as the handsome one. And yet, Joseph is the only biblical figure...
Making Miracles
According to the Kabbalah, there are two types of miracles. One kind of miracle comes from “above”, with no participation from “below”. An example of this are all the miracles surrounding the exodus from Egypt. The Jews sat passively while God reaked havoc on Egypt. The second kind of miracle is started “below” and is completed or fullfiled from “above”. The primary example of this kind of miracle is Chanukah. The Jews took up arms against their oppressors, and then God granted them victory over overwhelming odds. The Jews lit the Menorah in the Temple with only a tiny...
Chanukah – The Ninth Day
At a shabbat dinner, a couple of Chanukahs ago, someone related that one of her coworkers asked her what occured on the ninth day of Chanukah. Everyone at the table chuckled. I initially did too, but then I realized that there was a deep and important lesson to learn here. When we gaze at the Chanukah lights for eight days, we recognize that miracles can happen, that God is in control. We spread light into our own lives and into the world. But what happens when the holiday is over? Do we still believe in miracles? Do we continue...
Chanukah – Making Miracles
The Kabbalah categorizes miracles as those that are completely initiated from the heavenly realm, and those that are initiated or “pulled down” by actions in the physical world. The splitting of the Sea of Reeds during the Exodus was purely a heavenly initiative since, according to the Midrash, the Jews were no more deserving of a miracle based on their merits than were the Egyptians. The Jews played absolutely no part in bringing about that miracle. The miraculous events of Chanukah, including the military victory against the Syrian-Greeks and the burning of the oil, were initiated by the actions...
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