The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume 2 Issue #9
Heart and Hard Work the Story of Hanuka
Chanukah 5770
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated to Elisheva bas Yocheved, may Hashem bless her.
Hanuka is the first holiday that is entirely of Rabbinic origin. Whereas all of the other holidays are rooted in scriptures, the Talmud teaches us that the source for the holiday of Hanuka is derived from the manuscripts of Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues [Megilat Ta'anit], who documented many miracles and redemptions from numerous evil decrees that befell the Jewish people up to and prior to their period[the period of the sages of the Mishna]. The later sages of the Talmud refer to these towering Torah wise men as people who “cherished the troubles†of the times.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin illustrates a fascinating point. The Talmudic sages did not say that Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues cherished the miraculous redemption from their troubles, rather they cherished the troubles themselves. It seems that in order to institute the new holiday of Hanuka, they needed to posses special qualifications, i.e. people who appreciated the value of enduring hardship.
Rav Tzadok explains that the name that the sages chose for the holiday, Hanuka, is the Hebrew word for dedication. In the case of Hanuka those great heroes rededicated the Beit Hamikdash and renewed the service of the altar and the menorah. But the same word is used in a slightly different sense, i.e. the quality of training and preparing someone for his future role. Rav Tzadok draws this from a verse in the book of Proverbs (Mishle 22:6) “Train [derived from the same root as Hanuka] a child in his way, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it.†Effective educational begins in the youthful years, when passion for knowledge and willingness for hard work is easier to cultivate. The combination of passion and hard work creates an extremely effective guarantee that the child will remain loyal to his upbringing even as he matures and grows into adulthood.
During the period that preceded the Hanuka miracles the Greek empire issued horrific decrees against the Jewish people. They impoverished them with unjust taxation, pillaged their possessions, defiled their woman, and attempted to eliminate fulfillment and study of the Torah. The situation was desperate. Despair and resignation began to erode the moral fiber of the people. However, ultimately the selfless bravery of thousands of Jewish men and women, young and old, brought the mighty Greek military machine to its knees. The magical combination of passion and pain staking physical effort was the secret not only of their military victory, but also guaranteed the physical and spiritual continuity of the Jewish nation for all future generations.
The evil decrees of the Greek empire had an amazing effect on these courageous heroes. They were forced to make a tough choice: to wage what seemed to be a doomed battle in order to remain faithful to Torah, or resign to the easier route of least resistance. They knew that to choose the later would eventually lead to the total spiritual devastation of the Jewish people. Their hearts were filled with zeal and courage. The more pressure the Greek government applied through increasingly hideous enactments, the more passionate and courageous they became. The more the Greeks tried to extinguish the study of Torah the more the Rabbis and their disciples yearned to engross themselves in its wisdom.
It is not a coincidence that the main development of the oral Torah took place during this period. The yoke of oppression, physical and spiritual, strengthened and intensified the hearts of the Jewish people to yearn for deeper and broader knowledge of Hashem's Torah. The heart and will of the nation were fortified by the trials and difficulties to which they were subjected. The nation, in its entirety, was transformed into a worthy receptacle for the Torah wisdom that was previously the lot of a privileged small number of Torah sages. The dissemination of the oral Torah during that period reached unprecedented proportions and serves, unto this day, as the basis for all Torah knowledge.
The sages teach us that when the Hashmonaim (the priests that led the revolt against Greek forces) finally regained control of the Temple mount, they could not find the menorah to fulfill the daily mitzvah of lighting the candles in the Beith Hamikdash. But these wise and courageous priests were not prone to resignation, they searched high and low until they finally came across seven metal rods that were well suited, and still ritually pure, to function as a makeshift menorah. According to the Pesiktah, (an authoritative medrash from that period) the main miracle of Hanuka was finding of those rods.
Rav Tzadok explains the significance of this miracle. The menorah in the Beit Hamikdash symbolized the wisdom of the oral Torah. The kindling of the candles served to shine its light and wisdom in the hearts of the Jewish people and outwards, illuminating every area of life. During the period of the Hanuka miracle, the Jewish people, by virtue of their selfless and courageous devotion to Torah, had effectively turned themselves into a virtual menorah. They became the holy vessel that could receive and disseminate the wisdom and sanctity of Torah that would shine through the darkness of every subsequent generation. Hashem, by disclosing to them the existence of those rods, conveyed to them their remarkable accomplishment.
Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues who new the value of tough times; were the most qualified to institute the holiday of Hanuka.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated to Elisheva bas Yocheved, may Hashem bless her.
Hanuka is the first holiday that is entirely of Rabbinic origin. Whereas all of the other holidays are rooted in scriptures, the Talmud teaches us that the source for the holiday of Hanuka is derived from the manuscripts of Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues [Megilat Ta'anit], who documented many miracles and redemptions from numerous evil decrees that befell the Jewish people up to and prior to their period[the period of the sages of the Mishna]. The later sages of the Talmud refer to these towering Torah wise men as people who “cherished the troubles†of the times.
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin illustrates a fascinating point. The Talmudic sages did not say that Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues cherished the miraculous redemption from their troubles, rather they cherished the troubles themselves. It seems that in order to institute the new holiday of Hanuka, they needed to posses special qualifications, i.e. people who appreciated the value of enduring hardship.
Rav Tzadok explains that the name that the sages chose for the holiday, Hanuka, is the Hebrew word for dedication. In the case of Hanuka those great heroes rededicated the Beit Hamikdash and renewed the service of the altar and the menorah. But the same word is used in a slightly different sense, i.e. the quality of training and preparing someone for his future role. Rav Tzadok draws this from a verse in the book of Proverbs (Mishle 22:6) “Train [derived from the same root as Hanuka] a child in his way, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it.†Effective educational begins in the youthful years, when passion for knowledge and willingness for hard work is easier to cultivate. The combination of passion and hard work creates an extremely effective guarantee that the child will remain loyal to his upbringing even as he matures and grows into adulthood.
During the period that preceded the Hanuka miracles the Greek empire issued horrific decrees against the Jewish people. They impoverished them with unjust taxation, pillaged their possessions, defiled their woman, and attempted to eliminate fulfillment and study of the Torah. The situation was desperate. Despair and resignation began to erode the moral fiber of the people. However, ultimately the selfless bravery of thousands of Jewish men and women, young and old, brought the mighty Greek military machine to its knees. The magical combination of passion and pain staking physical effort was the secret not only of their military victory, but also guaranteed the physical and spiritual continuity of the Jewish nation for all future generations.
The evil decrees of the Greek empire had an amazing effect on these courageous heroes. They were forced to make a tough choice: to wage what seemed to be a doomed battle in order to remain faithful to Torah, or resign to the easier route of least resistance. They knew that to choose the later would eventually lead to the total spiritual devastation of the Jewish people. Their hearts were filled with zeal and courage. The more pressure the Greek government applied through increasingly hideous enactments, the more passionate and courageous they became. The more the Greeks tried to extinguish the study of Torah the more the Rabbis and their disciples yearned to engross themselves in its wisdom.
It is not a coincidence that the main development of the oral Torah took place during this period. The yoke of oppression, physical and spiritual, strengthened and intensified the hearts of the Jewish people to yearn for deeper and broader knowledge of Hashem's Torah. The heart and will of the nation were fortified by the trials and difficulties to which they were subjected. The nation, in its entirety, was transformed into a worthy receptacle for the Torah wisdom that was previously the lot of a privileged small number of Torah sages. The dissemination of the oral Torah during that period reached unprecedented proportions and serves, unto this day, as the basis for all Torah knowledge.
The sages teach us that when the Hashmonaim (the priests that led the revolt against Greek forces) finally regained control of the Temple mount, they could not find the menorah to fulfill the daily mitzvah of lighting the candles in the Beith Hamikdash. But these wise and courageous priests were not prone to resignation, they searched high and low until they finally came across seven metal rods that were well suited, and still ritually pure, to function as a makeshift menorah. According to the Pesiktah, (an authoritative medrash from that period) the main miracle of Hanuka was finding of those rods.
Rav Tzadok explains the significance of this miracle. The menorah in the Beit Hamikdash symbolized the wisdom of the oral Torah. The kindling of the candles served to shine its light and wisdom in the hearts of the Jewish people and outwards, illuminating every area of life. During the period of the Hanuka miracle, the Jewish people, by virtue of their selfless and courageous devotion to Torah, had effectively turned themselves into a virtual menorah. They became the holy vessel that could receive and disseminate the wisdom and sanctity of Torah that would shine through the darkness of every subsequent generation. Hashem, by disclosing to them the existence of those rods, conveyed to them their remarkable accomplishment.
Hanania ben Hezkia and his colleagues who new the value of tough times; were the most qualified to institute the holiday of Hanuka.