Mrs. Shira Lipner
Director of Judaic Studies, Ulpanat Orot
The world feels like a crazy place these days. Everything has seemingly gone dark for the Jewish people in our once safe havens, entire regimes are being overthrown in incredibly short periods of time, and it’s hard to imagine what the future will hold. In times of such darkness, it is easy to feel like we are alone and that Hashem has removed His presence from us.
In fact, that was likely the prevalent thought at the time of the Chanukah story, which took place during the era of the Second Beit Hamikdash, when most of the miracles of Bayit Rishon were absent and nevuah (prophecy) no longer existed.
It would seem unsurprising then that Yavan (Greece) made inroads at that time; after all, גלות יון represented darkness, as the Midrash in Bereishit explains:
וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם
וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן
And darkness—this is the exile of Greece which darkened Israel’s eyes with their edicts. (בראשית רבה)
But think about Ancient Greece! They were considered the most enlightened nation at the time, opening up new vistas in philosophy, art, and the pursuit of the intellect. How could such an “enlightened” nation represent darkness?
The answer lies in the understanding that darkness means that something is there but we just can’t see it. That is the essence of Hashem’s presence in this world—although we understand that, the Greeks stayed in the dark. They didn’t see Hashem because they didn’t look for Him. They satisfied themselves with the superficial, the external, and anything that couldn’t be seen or explained just wasn’t there. And so, Yavan brought darkness into the world, and made the Jewish people start to doubt as they were forced to follow the decrees of Yavan that were intended to separate us from our Source.
However, the Chashmonaim never fell for the ruse and weren’t afraid of the dark. They fought in the name of Hashem, and Hashem rewarded them by turning on the lights and making His presence known. When the miracle of Chanukah took place, the cloak of secrecy was pulled off and Hashem revealed Himself in the candlelight.
And we learned that in every period of darkness, of hardship, of הסתר פנים, Hashem is right there watching over us. The world may be crazy, but the darkness is just a cover that we can choose to remove. And when we do, the sparks of light that shine forth will amaze us once again—בימים ההם בזמן הזה!
Rabbi Shlomo Mandel
Judaic Studies
The Gemara (Shabbat 21b) highlights the miracle of the oil as the central reason for Chanukah’s establishment. What is it about these flames that places them at the forefront of our celebration?
Rabbi Eytan Feiner, Rav of the White Shul in Far Rockaway, answers the question by expressing a beautiful idea relating to the origins of the Menorah. We know that when the Mishkan was built, Aaron HaKohen was given the unique charge to light its lamps. After witnessing the Korbanot of the leaders of the Shevatim during the Mishkan’s inauguration, Aaron felt excluded and disheartened. Hashem comforted him, explaining that his role in kindling the Menorah would surpass theirs in significance.
Fire is a unifier. Anything placed within it becomes part of the flame itself. It transforms and elevates all it touches, creating a single, cohesive entity. Fire warms, draws people close, and fosters connection. The Menorah, carved from one solid piece of gold, symbolized this unity. Its flames, directed toward a central light, reflected harmony and a collective focus on Hashem.
Shalom—peace and unity—is the central Middah of Aaron, who is known as “ohev shalom u’rodef shalom”—lover of peace and pursuer of peace. In this sense, Aaron was the perfect person to light the Menorah. By doing so, Aaron infused the Mishkan with this sense of peace and harmony, completing the dedication of Hashem’s dwelling place with a symbol of unity and connection.
The Menorah’s light, then, is a call to us to unify. Just as fire transforms and unifies all it touches, we too must work to foster a renewed sense of harmony within ourselves, our families, and our communities. The flames of the Menorah remind us that true peace is achieved when we come together with a shared purpose, when differences melt away in the warmth of a common goal.
As we light the Chanukah candles, let us reflect on their message. Let us strive to kindle that unity and love in our own lives, so that we may merit the ultimate Shalom.
Ami Goldberg
Grade 9 Student, Yeshivat Or Chaim
Everyone knows that Chanukkah is a celebration of two miracles: First, the war in which we, the Jews, who were very small and weak, defeated the Greeks. Second, the miracle of the oil where the Greeks trashed the Beit Hamikdash and made all of the oil tamei, and the Kohanim found one last jar of oil that lasted eight days.
Interestingly, though, when we look in the Gemara in Shabbos 21b, the Gemara says that the reason for Chanukkah is because of the miracle of the oil, and does not even mention the military victory. In contrast, in “Al Hanisim”, which we recite after Modim in the Amidah, the military victory is mentioned while the miracle of the oil is not. An obvious question arises from this: what is the reason that both miracles are not cited in each place?
I listened to a shiur from Rabbi Daniel Glatstein from the OU who gave a few answers to this question.
The main question of the Gemara is which miracle gives us the ability to say Hallel and make a holiday. The Gemara only focuses on the miracle of the oil, which is a supernatural miracle that gives us a reason to be happy and celebrate and publicize the miracle. Generally, we do not say Hallel for military victories but only for miracles during which HaShem changes the laws of nature to help us.
In Modim though, we are thanking HaShem for something which physically and directly impacts us. The supernatural miracle—the oil—allowed the Kohanim to light the candles in the Beit Mikdash, but there would be no direct repercussions to us today if they didn’t light the candles back then. Indeed, the Kohanim did not light the candles in the Beit Mikdash last year, or 50 years ago. The miracle of the military victory, though, directly benefited us, of course, by allowing the Jewish people to survive an existential threat and for that reason it is appropriate to mention it in the section of hodaah in the Amidah.
From this explanation, we can understand that Chanukah is not just the celebration of two distinct miracles, but two different types of miracles that impacted the Jewish people in different ways.
