Pure Olive Oil: A Lesson in Love
Shalom Feuer
Grade 10 student, Yeshivat Or Chaim
We are well aware of the story of the “miracle of lights” in which the Jews find one jug of pure olive oil that lasts for eight days. There is a common misconception, however, that pure oil is required to light the menorah. In fact, the menorah could have been lit with oil that wasn’t pure and the mitzvah of lighting the menorah would have still been fulfilled. We learn in Masechet Pesachim (80a): טומאה דחויה היא בציבור (Ritual impurity is overridden in cases involving the public). Since the case of the menorah was a case involving the public, it was halachically legal to light the menorah with impure oil! Why then do we place such emphasis on the miracle of finding pure olive oil?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe in Likutei Sichot brings a beautiful answer to this question. He teaches that the reason behind Hashem’s providing of the jug of pure oil was to show His love for the Jewish people. The discovery of the pure oil was a message of love showing Bnei Yisrael that they did not have to compromise on doing the mitzvah in the ideal manner. At a difficult, dark time in Jewish history, Hashem still wants our genuine, pure mitzvot, and He helped provide the means for us to do so. The same applies today, as Hashem still loves us and sees us as His special children.
This idea can perhaps be the main point of our publicizing the miracle, pirsumei nisa. We light our Chanukah candles in a place and at a time when they can be seen by others in order to publicize the miracles that Hashem has done for us. When we publicize the miracle, we are really publicizing Hashem’s love for Bnei Yisrael, as the miracle was a demonstration of Hashem’s continued love for us. This Chanukah, when you look at the candles, remember that the essence of this holiday is to think about and publicize Hashem’s love for us, and with this may we merit the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash and see the lighting of the Menorah in its full glory once again.
Holy Candles
Sasha Aaron, Tali Wercberger, and Shoshana Rucker
Grade 9 students, Ulpanat Orot
“הנרות הללו קדש הם” – “These candles are holy.” Every night, immediately after beginning the lighting of the candles, it is a custom to say or sing this paragraph of הנרות הללו קדש הם. Every young Jewish child learns about the miracle of the oil that occurred in the Beit Hamikdash following the war of the Maccabees. We are taught that we light candles for eight nights because the oil that was only meant to last one day, actually lasted for eight days. This ritual has meaning and history attached to it, but like many of our Jewish rituals, there are many layers of meaning that can be learned from this Mitzvah.
There is a Pasuk in Mishlei 6:23 that reads, “נר מצוה ותורה אור” – “A candle is a mitzvah, and Torah is light”. Our Torah and Mitzvot are compared to candles light. Perhaps this ritual that involves candles and light can give us insight into our general practice of Torah and Mitzvot. Each night of Chanukah we add one candle to the Menorah. Similarly, with our practice of Torah and Mitzvot, we must never be completely satisfied with what was done yesterday. We must always strive to do a little bit more than we did yesterday, even if it is minimal. Each night represents a small and incremental improvement to the previous night, but when we look at a Menorah on the 8th night of Chanukah, it is full and beautiful and so much brighter than it was on the first night. If we take small, incremental and daily steps in our Avodat Hashem, the same result can occur.
Another element of our Menorah is that it must be displayed for others to see. We learn that a Jew must not only light up his house, as with the Shabbat candles, but he has the additional responsibility to illuminate the “outside”, meaning his social and business environment. By spreading light wherever we go, we dissipate the darkness and illuminate the world with positivity.
Chanukah Sameach!
