From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
Ask Your Father: Chanukah and the Tradition of Our Fathers
Every rabbinic mitzvah rests on “You shall not turn aside.” Why, then, does the Gemara ask “Where did He command us?” only of the Chanukah lamp, and why does one view cite “Ask your father”? And why does Al HaNissim say “Your Torah” and “the chukim of Your will”?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Devarim 32:7
זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּר־וָדֹר שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ
Remember the days of old, consider the years of each generation; ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will say to you.
1“One who lights a Chanukah lamp must say a blessing … What blessing does he say? ‘Who has sanctified us with His commandments … to light …’ And where did He command us? Rav Avya said: from ‘You shall not turn aside.’ Rav Nechemyah said: from ‘Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will say to you.’”1
הַמַּדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנוּכָּה צָרִיךְ לְבָרֵךְ וְכוּ׳, מַאי מְבָרֵךְ מְבָרֵךְ אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹותָיו לְהַדְלִיק וְכוּ׳, וְהֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ רַב אַוְיָא אָמַר מִלֹּא תָסוּר, רַב נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ. (שבת כג, א).
- Shabbos 23a; Devarim 17:11; 32:7. Chanukah is a mitzvah instituted by Chazal and is not written in the Torah, hence the question. “You shall not turn aside” commands following the rulings of the Sages. ↩
In shortChanukah's blessing says Hashem “commanded us”; Rav Avya finds the command in “You shall not turn aside,” Rav Nechemyah in “Ask your father.”
2Why did Chazal ask “Where did He command us?” about Chanukah in particular, and not about the rest of the seven mitzvos instituted by the Rabbis? Moreover, we know that “all the words of the Rabbis rest on the prohibition of ‘You shall not turn aside,’”2 and rules the same way.3 What, then, is different about the mitzvah of the Chanukah lamp, that one opinion bases it on the verse “Ask your father”?
וְיֵשׁ לְהַקְשׁוֹת, לָמָּה דַּוְוקָא בַּחֲנוּכָּה בָּאוּ חז״ל לְפָרֵשׁ הֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ, יוֹתֵר מִבִּשְׁאָר שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹות דְּרַבָּנַן. וְעוֹד, הֲרֵי יָדוּעַ (ברכות יט, ב) דְּכָל מִילֵּי דְּרַבָּנַן אַסְמְכִינְהוּ עַל לָאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״, וְכֵן כָּתַב הרמב״ם (פי״א מהלכות ברכות ה״ג עי״ש ובכסף משנה), וּמַה נִשְׁתַּנָּה מִצְוַות נֵר חֲנוּכָּה דְּאַסְמִיכְנְהוּ אַקְּרָא דְּ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ״ לְחַד מַאן דְּאָמַר.
In shortEvery rabbinic law rests on “You shall not turn aside”; why ask “Where did He command us?” only of Chanukah, and why “Ask your father”?
3The wording of Al HaNissim also needs explaining: “to make them forget Your Torah and to make them stray from the chukim of Your will.” This seems to say the same thing twice. Once it says “to make them forget Your Torah,” it is clear that this includes “to make them stray from the chukim of Your will,” for the chukim, the decrees without a reason, are part of the Torah. Notice, too, the words “Your Torah.” Why not simply “to make them forget the Torah”? It is obvious that the Torah is from Heaven.
גַּם צָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר נוֹסַח תְּפִילַּת עַל הַנִּיסִּים ׳לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ׳, וְלִכְאוֹרָה הוּא כֶּפֶל הַלָּשׁוֹן, דְּמֵאַחַר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ׳לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ׳ מוּבָן דְּבִכְלַל זֶה כָּלוּל ׳לְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ׳ שֶׁהֲרֵי הַחוּקִּים הֵם חֵלֶק מֵהַתּוֹרָה. גַּם יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳תּוֹרָתֶךָ׳ וְלֹא אָמַר לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם מֵהַתּוֹרָה, דִּפְשִׁיטָא שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא.
Sources here
In shortAl HaNissim seems to repeat itself with “the chukim of Your will,” and why does it say “Your Torah”?
4aWe may say that the mitzvah of Chanukah truly is different from the other rabbinic mitzvos. In all the others, Chazal saw a need to institute the act of the mitzvah itself for all generations. Take the mitzvos of Purim. The decree was “to destroy, to kill … all the Jews,”4 and all of Klal Yisrael was included in it, for Achashverosh ruled over the whole world.5 So the decree was in effect also upon all the generations to come, to the end of time. Had Israel, Heaven forbid, been killed in that generation, the generations to come would never have been born. The miracle done at that time, then, was a miracle of rescue for all the generations that followed as well. So the Sages saw fit to set a remembrance of the miracle for all generations: in every generation Jews hold feasting and rejoicing over their own rescue.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לוֹמַר, דְּבֶאֱמֶת שׁוֹנֶה מִצְוַות חֲנוּכָּה מִשְּׁאָר מִצְוֹות דְּרַבָּנַן, כִּי הִנֵּה כָּל שְׁאָר מִצְוֹות דְּרַבָּנַן הֵם מִצְוֹות אֲשֶׁר חֲכָמֵינוּ ז״ל רָאוּ צוֹרֶךְ לְתַקֵּן לְדוֹרוֹת אֶת עֶצֶם מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוָוה עַצְמָהּ, וּכְגוֹן בְּמִצְוֹות פּוּרִים, דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁהַגְּזֵרָה הָיְתָה לְהַשְׁמִיד וְלַהֲרוֹג אֶת כָּל הַיְּהוּדִים, וְכָל כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ בִּכְלַל גְּזֵרָה זוֹ, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ מָלַךְ בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ (מגילה יא, א), נִמְצָא שֶׁהַגְּזֵרָה הָיְתָה אַף עַל כָּל בְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הָעֲתִידִים לָבוֹא עַד סוֹף כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת, שֶׁכֵּן אִילּוּ ח״ו נֶהֶרְגוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר, לֹא הָיוּ בָּאִים לָעוֹלָם בְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הָעֲתִידִים, וּמִמֵּילָא אַף הַנֵּס שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בִּשְׁעָתוֹ הוּא נֵס הַצָּלָה גַּם לִבְנֵי כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים, וְעַל כֵּן רָאוּ חֲכָמִים לִקְבּוֹעַ זִכְרוֹן הַנֵּס לְדוֹרוֹת, לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכָל דּוֹר וְדוֹר מִשְׁתֶּה וְשִׂמְחָה עַל הַצָּלָתָם שֶׁלָּהֶם עַצְמָם.
In shortPurim’s decree reached every future generation, who would never have been born, so its rescue was theirs too, and Chazal instituted its mitzvos for all time.
4bThis is what Chazal meant: “Esther sent to the Sages: Establish me for all generations.”6 This miracle, she meant, was fit to be remembered by all the generations to come, since they too were part of it. So Chazal had a reason to institute the very acts of the mitzvos of Purim.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רז״ל בְּמַסֶּכֶת מְגִילָּה (ז, א) שָׁלְחָה לָהֶם אֶסְתֵּר לַחֲכָמִים קִבְעוּנִי לְדוֹרוֹת, הַיְינוּ שֶׁנֵּס זֶה רָאוּי לִקְבּוֹעַ לוֹ זֵכֶר לְכָל בְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁגַּם הֵם הָיוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַנֵּס. נִמְצָא שֶׁהָיָה טַעַם לחז״ל בִּקְבִיעוּת מַעֲשֵׂה מִצְוֹות פּוּרִים עַצְמָם.
- Megillah 7a. ↩
In shortEsther’s “Establish me for all generations” means the later generations were part of the miracle, so the acts of Purim themselves were fit to be instituted.
5aThe mitzvah of Chanukah is different. The miracle, in which the kingdom of the house of the Chashmona'im, the Hasmoneans, prevailed over the Greeks, was a spiritual rescue, for the decrees concerned spiritual matters. As Chazal said, the kingdom of Greece would say to Israel, “Write on the horn of the ox …”7 So this miracle is not a miracle for the later generations as well. It could well be that later generations would return to the right path and would not fall under the decree at all. Besides, not all of Klal Yisrael was under Greek rule, so not all the later generations were included in that miracle. That being so, the Sages had no reason to set a remembrance of the miracle for all generations. They had no reason to set even the miracle of the cruse of oil for all generations, only for the time when the Beis HaMikdash stands.
אָמְנָם הַמִּצְוָוה דַּחֲנוּכָּה אֵינוֹ כֵּן, כֵּיוָן שֶׁעִנְיַן הַנֵּס שֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי עַל הַיְוָונִים הָיָה הַצָּלָה רוּחָנִית, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהַגְּזֵרוֹת הֲרֵי הָיוּ עַל עִנְיְינֵי רוּחָנִיּוֹת, וּכְמַאֲמַר חז״ל (בראשית רבה ב, ד) שֶׁהָיְתָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן אוֹמֶרֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר וְכוּ׳. וְעַל כֵּן נֵס זֶה אֵינֶנּוּ נֵס גַּם עֲבוּר בְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי הָיָה יָכוֹל לִהְיוֹת שֶׁבְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים יַחְזְרוּ לְמוּטָב, וְלֹא יִהְיוּ בִּכְלַל הַגְּזֵירָה. וּלְבַד מִזֶּה, הִנֵּה לֹא כָּל כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ תַּחַת מַלְכוּת יָוָן, וְאִם כֵּן אֵין כָּל בְּנֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים בִּכְלַל אוֹתוֹ הַנֵּס. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁכֵּן, לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֲכָמִים לִקְבּוֹעַ זִכְרוֹן הַנֵּס לִבְנֵי כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת, וְגַם עַל נֵס פַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶן לֹא הָיָה לָהֶם לִקְבּוֹעַ עִנְיָן זֶה לְדוֹרוֹת, אֶלָּא לִזְמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ עַל מְכוֹנוֹ.
- Bereishis Rabbah 2:4 (the sefer has 2:5). The Greeks' words continue: “… that you have no portion in the God of Israel.” ↩
In shortChanukah was a spiritual rescue of only part of Israel, which later generations might not need, so there was no reason to set even the oil for all time.
5bThe mitzvah of Chanukah was set for all generations not because of any need for the act of the mitzvah itself, but for another reason. Above all, the Greeks wanted to uproot the Oral Torah and emunas chachamim, faith in the Sages, as we know from the holy sefarim and from Chazal.8 So Chazal established for all generations that the mitzvah of Chanukah be done as an enactment of the Sages, to strengthen the power of faith in the Sages and of the mesorah, the tradition and customs of our fathers. It declares that the hand of the Sages prevailed over the Hellenist factions, who wanted to bring innovations into Israel, such as studying the wisdom of the nations. It declares that Israel returned to the way of its holy fathers, who received the Sages' words by tradition, generation after generation. And it shows the power of the Oral Torah to add yet another new mitzvah. Certainly, once the mitzvah of Chanukah was instituted, it is like any rabbinic mitzvah. But the essence and the starting point of Chazal's enactment was only to strengthen the tradition of our fathers.
אַךְ מַה שֶׁקָּבְעוּ אֶת מִצְוַות הַחֲנוּכָּה לְדוֹרוֹת הָיָה לֹא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהָיָה צוֹרֶךְ בְּעֶצֶם מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוָוה כְּלָל, אֶלָּא מִטַּעַם אַחֵר. דְּהִנֵּה הַיְוָונִים רָצוּ בְּעִיקַּר לַעֲקוֹר אֶת הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה וֶאֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים, כַּיָּדוּעַ מִסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים ומחז״ל (עיין מדרש תנחומא שמיני ח, מסכת סופרים א, ז, ספר יוחסין מאמר א, לקוטי מאמרים לר״צ הכהן עמוד קצב, שפת אמת תרל״א נר ד), וְלָזֶה קָבְעוּ לְדוֹרוֹת, שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ מִצְוַות חֲנוּכָּה כְּתִיקּוּן חֲכָמִים, בִּכְדֵי לְחַזֵּק אֶת הַכֹּחַ שֶׁל אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וּמָסוֹרֶת וּמִנְהֲגֵי אָבוֹת, לוֹמַר שֶׁגָּבְרָה יַד הַחֲכָמִים עַל כִּתּוֹת הַמְּתֻוָּונִים שֶׁבִּקְּשׁוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת חֲדָשׁוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לִלְמוֹד חָכְמוֹת הַגּוֹיִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל חָזְרוּ לְדֶרֶךְ אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ דִּבְרֵיהֶם בְּמָסוֹרֶת דּוֹר אַחַר דּוֹר, וּבְכֹחַ הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה לְהוֹסִיף עוֹד מִצְוָוה חֲדָשָׁה. וְזֶה וַדַּאי שֶׁלְּאַחַר שֶׁנִּקְבְּעָה מִצְוַות חֲנוּכָּה, הֲרֵי הִיא כְּכָל מִצְוָוה דְּרַבָּנַן, אֲבָל עִיקַּר וְהַתְחָלַת תַּקָּנַת חז״ל בָּזֶה הָיָה רַק מִפְּנֵי חִיזּוּק מָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת.
- See Midrash Tanchuma, Shemini 8; Maseches Soferim 1:7; Sefer Yuchasin, essay 1; R' Tzadok HaKohen, Likkutei Maamarim, p. 192; Sfas Emes, Chanukah 5631, fourth light. ↩
In shortChanukah was set for all generations to strengthen faith in the Sages and the fathers’ tradition, which the Greeks tried to uproot along with the Oral Torah.
6This explains why the Gemara asked “Where did He command us?” about the mitzvah of Chanukah in particular. Chazal's question means: how do we know that the Torah commanded us to keep even a mitzvah of the Sages whose whole purpose is not the act of the mitzvah itself, but only to strengthen the tradition of our fathers? Rav Avya answered that this too is included in “You shall not turn aside.” Rav Nechemyah held that “You shall not turn aside” covers only a rabbinic mitzvah rooted in the Sages' seeing a need for the act itself. But the foundation of this mitzvah is to strengthen faith in the Sages and the Oral Torah, so we learn it from the verse “Ask your father,” which speaks more explicitly of the tradition of the fathers. From there we learn that such a mitzvah, too, is counted among the mitzvos of the holy Torah, over which one must say a blessing.
וּבָזֶה יוּבָן מַה שֶׁדַּוְקָא עַל מִצְוֹות חֲנוּכָּה שָׁאֲלָה הַגְּמָרָא ׳הֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ׳, דְּכַוָּונַת חז״ל בִּשְׁאֵלָה זוֹ הִיא, מִנָּלַן שֶׁצִּיוָּונוּ בַּתּוֹרָה לְקַיֵּים גַּם מִצְוָוה מִדִּבְרֵיהֶם שֶׁכָּל עִיקַּר קְבִיעָתָהּ הִיא לֹא עֲבוּר עֶצֶם מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוָוה גּוּפָא, אֶלָּא רַק לְחִיזּוּק מָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת. וְעַל זֶה אָמַר רַב אַוְיָא שֶׁגַּם זֶה כָּלוּל בְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״, וְרַב נְחֶמְיָה סָבַר שֶׁלָּאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״ הוּא רַק עַל מִצְוָוה דְּרַבָּנַן שֶׁשָּׁורְשָׁהּ הוּא מִשּׁוּם שֶׁרָאוּ חֲכָמִים צוֹרֶךְ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוָוה עַצְמָהּ, אֲבָל כָּאן שֶׁיְּסוֹד הַמִּצְוָוה הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל לְחַזֵּק אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וְתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, מִצְוָה זוֹ יָלְפִינַן מִן הַפָּסוּק ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ״, אֲשֶׁר בָּזֶה יוֹתֵר מְפוֹרָשׁ עִנְיַן מָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, וּמִשָּׁם נִלְמַד שֶׁגַּם מִצְוָוה כָּזוֹ הִיא בִּכְלַל מִצְוֹות הַתּוֹרָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה שֶׁצְּרִיכִים לְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ.
In shortOnly Chanukah exists mainly to strengthen tradition, so Rav Nechemyah grounds it in “Ask your father,” the verse that speaks of the fathers' tradition.
7This makes the wording of the prayer precise: “to make them forget Your Torah.” The Greeks wanted to uproot the Oral Torah, as we saw with their war on faith in the Sages, and this is what “Your Torah” means. This was what they wanted to uproot from us, for they said, like the Tzedukim, the Sadducees, that the Oral Torah, Heaven forbid, is not Torah from Heaven. The next words, “to make them stray from the chukim of Your will,” refer to the Written Torah. By uprooting the Oral Torah they plotted to make Israel stray from the Written Torah as well. For we know that without the Oral Torah one cannot understand anything in the Written Torah, and so, Heaven forbid, the Written Torah too could have been forgotten.
וּלְפִי זֶה מְדוּקְדָּק לְשׁוֹן הַתְּפִילָּה ׳לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶיךָ׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁרָצוּ לַעֲקוֹר תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה כַּנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל, וְזֶהוּ הַמְכֻוָּון בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳תּוֹרָתֶיךָ׳, שֶׁאֶת זֶה רָצוּ הַיְוָונִים לַעֲקוֹר מֵאִתָּנוּ, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שח״ו הַתּוֹרָה שבע״פ אֵינֶנּוּ תּוֹרָה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּכְדֶרֶךְ הַצָּדוֹקִים. וְהֶמְשֵׁךְ הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳לְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ׳, הַכַּוָּונָה לַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, כִּי בָּזֶה שֶׁבָּאוּ לַעֲקוֹר ח״ו תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, זָמְמוּ לִגְרוֹם עַל יְדֵי זֶה לְהַעֲבִירָם גַּם מֵהַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, דְּיָדוּעַ אֲשֶׁר בְּלִי הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה אֵין יְכוֹלִים לְהָבִין כְּלוּם בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, וּמִמֵּילָא ח״ו הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהִשְׁתַּכֵּחַ גַּם הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב.
In short“Your Torah” is the Oral Torah, which the Greeks denied; “the chukim of Your will” is the Written Torah, which would be forgotten without it.
8[This also explains the double phrase in Al HaNissim, that the wicked kingdom rose up against “Your people Israel.”9 As is well known, amcha, “Your people,” is the lower level of the simple folk, and “Israel” is the level of people of stature and Torah scholars. We also know that people of stature can easily err in their thinking and stumble in a test, while simple folk are better able to withstand a test with mesirus nefesh, the readiness to give one's life, to keep the Torah and the mitzvos. We see this in the days of the decrees against the Jews of Spain. So the wording “Your people Israel” is precise. The Greeks knew that against the simple folk, on the level of “Your people,” they could not prevail. They had to be cunning in their decrees: first “to make them stray from the chukim of Your will,” and only through that “to make them forget Your Torah.”10 And the Holy One, blessed be He, helped His people Israel overcome them in this.]
*[וּלְפִי זֶה מוּבָן כֶּפֶל הַלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁעָמְדָה מַלְכוּת הָרְשָׁעָה עַל ׳עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׳, דְּנוֹדָע שֶׁ׳עַמְּךָ׳ הוּא הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַפְּחוּתָה שֶׁל פְּשׁוּטֵי הָעָם, וְ׳יִשְׂרָאֵל׳ הוּא מַדְרֵיגַת אַנְשֵׁי הַמַּעֲלָה וְהַתַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים. וְהִנֵּה נוֹדַע, שֶׁאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲלָה נָקֵל לָהֶם לִטְעוֹת בְּדַעְתָּם וּלְהִכָּשֵׁל בַּנִּסָּיוֹן, וּפְשׁוּטֵי הָעָם יְכוֹלִים יוֹתֵר לַעֲמוֹד בְּנִסָּיוֹן בִּמְסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ לְמַעַן שְׁמִירַת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹות, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בִּימֵי הַגְּזֵירוֹת שֶׁל סְפָרַד. וּמְדוּקְדָּק הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׳, כִּי נֶגֶד פְּשׁוּטֵי הָעָם מַדְרֵיגַת ׳עַמְּךָ׳ יָדְעוּ הַיְוָונִים שֶׁלֹּא יוּכְלוּ לָהֶם, וְהָיוּ צְרִיכִים לְהִתְחַכֵּם בִּגְזֵירוֹתֵיהֶם כַּנִּזְכָּר, לְהַעֲבִירָם תְּחִילָּה רַק מֵהַחוּקִּים, וְרַק עַל יְדֵי זֶה לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶךָ. והקב״ה עָזַר לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהִתְגַּבֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם בָּזֶה.
- The sefer's note: An addition from another place. ↩
- This plan of the Greeks is explained in an earlier maamar for the first night of Chanukah. ↩
In shortThe Greeks knew the simple folk, “Your people,” would give their lives, so they schemed to erode the chukim first.
9a[We can also explain it another way. Why does it say “the chukim of Your will,” and not “the chukim of the Torah”? To explain this, let us first cite the , who brings a teaching of the holy , with some added explanation,11 on the verse “Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the appointed time of our festival day. For it is a chok for Israel, a judgment (mishpat) for the God of Yaakov.”12 He asks: what does “a chok for Israel” mean? And if it is a chok, it is not a mishpat, a law whose reason is understood. He answers: we know that a chok is a mitzvah without a reason.]
עוֹד יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר בְּאוֹפֶן אַחֵר. דְּהִנֵּה יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר מֵחוּקֵּי ׳רְצוֹנֶךָ׳ וְלֹא נֶאֱמַר מֵחוּקֵּי ׳הַתּוֹרָה׳. וּבִכְדֵי לְבָאֵר זֶה, נַקְדִּים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר (כסלו מאמר ד אות סא בשם הרה״ק רבי זושא מאנפולי בתוספת ביאור) עַל הַכָּתוּב (תהלים פא, ד-ה) ״תִּקְעוּ בַחוֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּינוּ, כִּי חוֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב״. וְהִקְשָׁה, מַה הַכַּוָּונָה בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳חוֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל׳, וְעוֹד דְּאִם זֶה חוֹק אִם כֵּן אֵינֶנּוּ מִשְׁפָּט. וְתֵירֵץ, דְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁבְּחִינַת חוֹק הוּא מִצְוָוה בְּלֹא טַעַם.
In shortWhy “the chukim of Your will” and not “of the Torah”? The Bnei Yissaschar, after R’ Zusha, asks how the shofar can be both “a chok for Israel” and “a mishpat.”
9b[When the Day of Judgment comes, there are accusers above who say there is no reason to find Bnei Yisrael worthy in judgment, since they are guilty on many counts. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, pleads for Bnei Yisrael and says: “Just as I gave them chukim without reasons, and they do not ask the reason but keep the chukim with mesirus nefesh, so the King of judgment, too, can judge them favorably without a reason.” This is “Blow the shofar at the new moon … for it is a chok for Israel.” The mitzvah of shofar is a chok without a reason, and through it comes “a judgment for the God of Yaakov.” Precisely through this, Hashem can judge Israel and find it worthy on the Day of Judgment. That is the gist of his words.]
וְהִנֵּה כְּשֶׁבָּא יוֹם הַדִּין, וְיֵשׁ עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַעְלָה מַסְטִינִים הָאוֹמְרִים שֶׁאֵין טַעַם לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּדִּין, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם חַיָּיבִים בַּדִּין הַרְבֵּה. אָז כִּבְיָכוֹל טוֹעֵן הקב״ה עֲבוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֲנִי נָתַתִּי לָהֶם חוּקִּים בְּלִי טַעַם, וְהֵם לֹא שׁוֹאֲלִים הַטַּעַם וּמְקַיְּימִים בִּמְסִירוֹת נֶפֶשׁ הַחוּקִּים, עַל כֵּן אַף הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמִּשְׁפָּט יָכוֹל לִשְׁפּוֹט אוֹתָם לְצַד זְכוּת בְּלִי טַעַם. וְזֶהוּ ״תִּקְעוּ בַחוֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר וְגוֹ׳ כִּי חֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא״, הַיְינוּ דְּמִצְוַות שׁוֹפָר הִיא בִּבְחִינַת חוֹק בְּלֹא טַעַם, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה ׳מִשְׁפָּט לֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב׳, עַל יְדֵי זֶה דַּיְיקָא יָכוֹל השי״ת לִשְׁפּוֹט וּלְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיוֹם הַדִּין, ע״כ תּוֹרֶף דְּבָרָיו.
In shortSince Israel keep chukim without asking reasons, on the Day of Judgment Hashem judges them worthy without a reason: “a chok for Israel, a mishpat for the God of Yaakov.”
10[This explains well why the Greeks wanted to abolish “the chukim of Your will” in particular. They knew the truth we have just seen: the whole existence of the Jewish people, and its acquittal in judgment, rest only on its keeping the mitzvos that are chukim, without reasons. So they wanted to stop Israel from keeping these mitzvos, so that it could not be acquitted in judgment. That is why we say “to make them stray from the chukim of Your will,” and not “the chukim of the Torah.” As is well known, the Holy One, blessed be He, wills only to do good to Bnei Yisrael. When Israel is in pain, what does the Shechinah say? “I am pained by My head, I am pained by My arm.”13 This is “the chukim of Your will”: by stopping Israel from doing the mitzvos that are chukim, the Greeks wanted, Heaven forbid, to undo Hashem's holy will to acquit Israel in judgment. May Hashem grant that we be privileged to keep the chukim too without any second thoughts, Heaven forbid, only to serve Him in truth and wholeheartedly.]
וּלְפִי זֶה יְבוֹאַר יָפֶה הַטַּעַם שֶׁרָצוּ הַיְוָונִים לְבַטֵּל דַּוְוקָא אֶת חוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ, כִּי יָדְעוּ הָעִנְיָן הַנִּזְכָּר, שֶׁכָּל הַקִּיּוּם שֶׁל עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַה שֶׁזּוֹכִים בַּדִּין הוּא רַק מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם מְקַיְּימִים הַמִּצְוֹות חוּקִּיּוֹת בְּלֹא טַעַם, וְעַל כֵּן רָצוּ לְבַטְּלָם שֶׁלֹּא יְקַיְּימוּ מִצְוֹות אֵלּוּ, וּמִמֵּילָא לֹא יוּכְלוּ לִזְכּוֹת בַּדִּין. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים ׳לְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחוּקֵּי רְצוֹנֶךָ׳, וְלֹא ׳חוּקֵּי הַתּוֹרָה׳, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנּוֹדַע שהקב״ה רְצוֹנוֹ רַק לְהֵטִיב עִם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבִזְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בְּצַעַר שְׁכִינָה מַה אוֹמֶרֶת קַלַּנִי מֵרֹאשִׁי קַלַּנִי מִזְּרוֹעִי (סנהדרין מו, א), וְזֶהוּ חוּקֵּי ׳רְצוֹנֶךָ׳ שֶׁרָצוּ לְבַטֵּל ח״ו אֶת רְצוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ שֶׁל הקב״ה לְזַכּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּדִּין, עַל יְדֵי זֶה שֶׁיְּבַטְּלוּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַמִּצְוֹות חוּקִּיּוֹת. יִתֵּן הקב״ה, שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְקַיֵּים גַּם הַחוּקִּים בְּלִי שׁוּם הִרְהוּר ח״ו, רַק לְעָובְדוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְתָמִים].
- Sanhedrin 46a. ↩
In shortThe Greeks attacked “the chukim of Your will” to thwart Hashem's will to acquit Israel, which rests on its keeping the chukim.
11It follows that the whole establishment of the days of Chanukah was to strengthen faith in the Sages, and to strengthen ourselves in the customs of Israel and the tradition of our fathers. So in these days it is our duty to strengthen ourselves in this, as the verse says, “The Torah that Moshe commanded us is a heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.”14 [The whole keeping of the Torah that Moshe commanded us comes through holding fast to the tradition of our fathers and their pure heritage.] In this merit may we be privileged to see the complete redemption. Amen, may it be His will.
הַיּוֹצֵא לָנוּ, שֶׁכָּל קְבִיעַת יְמֵי חֲנוּכָּה הָיְתָה עַל מְנָת לְחַזֵּק אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים, וּלְהִתְחַזֵּק בְּמִנְהֲגֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, לָכֵן מוּטָּל עָלֵינוּ חוֹבָה לְהִתְחַזֵּק בָּזֶה בְּיָמִים אֵלּוּ, כָּאָמוּר ״תּוֹרָה צִוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִילַּת יַעֲקֹב״ (דברים לג, ד), [שֶׁכָּל קִיּוּם הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁצִּוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁמַּחֲזִיקִים בְּמָסוֹרֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וּמוּרְשָׁתָם הַטְּהוֹרָה]. וּבִזְכוּת זֶה נִזְכֶּה לַגְּאוּלָּה הַשְּׁלֵימָה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:
- Devarim 33:4. ↩
In shortMay we hold fast in these days to our fathers' tradition, through which we keep the Torah, and so earn the complete redemption.
The Gemara asks where Hashem “commanded us” to light the Chanukah lamp: Rav Avya answers “You shall not turn aside,” Rav Nechemyah “Ask your father.” Why ask this only of Chanukah? The Rebbe distinguishes. Purim’s rescue included every future generation, so its acts were instituted for their own sake. Chanukah’s was a spiritual rescue of part of Israel, and it was set for all generations chiefly to strengthen faith in the Sages and the tradition of the fathers, which the Greeks attacked in seeking to uproot the Oral Torah. So Rav Nechemyah grounds it in “Ask your father.” In Al HaNissim, “Your Torah” is the Oral Torah and “the chukim of Your will” the Written; or, after R’ Zusha’s teaching, the reasonless chukim on which Israel’s acquittal rests. These days call us to hold fast to our fathers’ tradition.
Takeaway
The Chanukah lamps were instituted less for the act of lighting than to declare that the Sages and the tradition of our fathers prevailed over those who wanted something new. When we light, we affirm that the Oral Torah and the customs handed down through the generations are Hashem's own Torah. These days are a time to strengthen our hold on that heritage and to keep even the chukim we do not understand, without second thoughts, serving Hashem in truth and wholeheartedly.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.