Mrs. Shira Lipner
Director of Judaic Studies at Ulpanat Orot
The menorah is the ultimate symbol of Chanukah. It’s pretty, reminds us of the miracle of the oil in the Beit Hamikdash and lights up our homes as the darkness of winter descends.
But in an unusual choice of words, the Rambam (Hilchot Chanukah 4:12) describes lighting the menorah not just as a mitzvah, but as a “מצוה חביבה היא עד מאד”, an exceedingly beloved mitzvah.
Why is this mitzvah so beloved, seemingly more so than other mitzvot? It’s just some candles!
The Nesivos Shalom explains that of course it’s a מצוה חביבה; it’s the ultimate symbol of love!
Unlike every other גלות when we were in physical danger, גלות יון was a spiritual exile while we were still in the Land of Israel. The Greeks “darkened our eyes” by defiling that which was most holy and extinguishing the light of the menorah, disconnecting us from the light of Hashem. Furthermore, they banned the 3 mitzvot which specifically represent the bond between the Jewish people and Hashem: Shabbat, Brit Milah, and Rosh Chodesh. The world seemed dark, lonely, hopeless–until Hashem stepped into our world, and opened our eyes to the light. When the Chashmonaim miraculously won the war, Hashem wanted us to know that it was because of Him and not because of our own strength and might. And so He performed one more miracle, the miracle of the פך שמן, which gave us back the light of the menorah and revealed openly how beloved we are to Him.
When the Rambam says that the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is exceedingly beloved, he is not measuring it in relation to the other mitzvot or saying that this mitzvah is greater than any other. He is explaining that this is a mitzvah of חביבות, when Hashem revealed His love for us. Our necessary response is to return that love by kindling the lights in our homes and rekindling our connection with Hashem.
We have already begun to see Klal Yisrael reconnecting with Hashem in the last few weeks. We have already had our eyes opened to His presence. May the lights of our menorahs this year shine deep into our souls and continue to usher in an era of revealed love between Hashem and us for all time.
Chanukah Sameach!
Eitan Yunger
Student, Grade 10 Yeshivat Or Chaim
Since the horrific attacks on the Jewish people on October 7th, it can be very easy to lose emunah and hope in these trying times. The Rambam says that every day we should remind ourselves, “עם כל זה אחכה לו,” “even with all this I will wait for [Mashiach]”. He says that not only is it a nice idea to have emunah that Mashiach will come, it is one of the fundamental beliefs that Judaism is based off of. Sadly, over the past two months, many people have found it impossible to wait “with all this.”
Luckily for us, we have a perfect example of what to do in these times embedded in the story of Chanukah. In the Sefer HaMaccabim (Perek 2), we see that Matitiyahu, the leader of Bnei Yisrael at the time, was also going through similar trauma. He witnessed the Greeks ban the Torah, the Jews abandon mitzvot, the desecration of the Beit HaMikdash, and thousands being exiled. After lamenting all these tragedies, he cried in despair, “ועתה איככה לא אקוץ בחיי,” “and now, how can I enjoy life?”
It may seem that Matitiyahu has given up. The next pasuk says that his only reaction was to mourn the destruction. But, immediately after, he took action. He confronted the Greek king and declared that he and his sons will not comply with the assimilation and that Bnei Yisrael will not give up their core values.
I think that Matitiyahu can be a great role model for all of us today as we stand in the face of destruction. He taught us that immediately after the time for mourning ends, we must stand up for our values. I think everybody can apply this to their lives now. After mourning our horrific losses, we must stand up strong and fight the antisemitism and stand for Israel strongly, just like Matitiyahu did so many years ago.
Am Yisrael Chai and Chanukah Sameach!
