From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
When the World Runs on Miracles: Relying on the Nes
The Beis Yosef suggests dividing the oil into eight parts, so every night held a miracle. But one may not rely on a miracle: how could they pour too little on the first night? And why did Hashem ask Moshe at the Sea, “Why do you cry out to Me?”
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Shabbos 21b
מַאי חֲנוּכָּה? דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן: בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּלָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְלָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שֶׁכְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ יְוָונִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל. וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְּחוּם, בָּדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְלִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים.
What is Chanukah? For the Rabbis taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev begin the days of Chanukah. They are eight, and on them one may not eulogize and one may not fast. For when the Greeks entered the Heichal, the inner hall of the Beis HaMikdash, they defiled all the oils there. When the kingdom of the house of the Chashmona'im grew strong and defeated them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that lay with the seal of the Kohen Gadol, and it held enough to light for only one day. A miracle was done with it, and they lit from it for eight days.
1“What is Chanukah? For the Rabbis taught: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev … A miracle was done with it, and they lit from it for eight days.” The asks a well-known question: why did they establish eight days?1 The oil in the cruse held enough to light for one night, so the miracle took place on only seven nights. He answers that they may have divided the oil into eight parts. Each night they put one part into the Menorah, and it burned until morning, so there was a miracle on every one of the nights. The commentators ask:2 we hold it as an established rule that one does not rely on a miracle.3 How, then, could they rely on a miracle and divide the oil? [That is, the Torah said, “Give it its full measure, so that it will keep burning all night.”4 How were they allowed on the first night to put in less oil than the required measure, relying on a miracle to keep it burning all night?]
מַאי חֲנוּכָּה דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן בכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵו וְכוּ׳, נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים (שבת כא, ב). נוֹדַע מַה שֶׁהִקְשָׁה בְּבֵית יוֹסֵף (סימן תר״ע) מַדּוּעַ קָבְעוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים, הֲרֵי הַשֶּׁמֶן שֶׁבַּפַּךְ הָיָה בּוֹ כְּדֵי לְהַדְלִיק לַיְלָה אַחַת, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשָׂה הַנֵּס אֶלָּא בְּשִׁבְעָה לֵילוֹת. וְתֵירֵץ, דְּיֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁחִילְּקוּ הַשֶּׁמֶן שֶׁבַּפַּךְ לִשְׁמוֹנָה חֲלָקִים, וּבְכָל לַיְלָה הָיוּ נוֹתְנִים בַּמְּנוֹרָה חֵלֶק אֶחָד, וְהָיָה דּוֹלֵק עַד הַבּוֹקֶר, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁבְּכָל הַלֵּילוֹת נַעֲשָׂה נֵס. וְהִקְשׁוּ הַמְּפָרְשִׁים (מאירי שבת כא, ב, פרי חדש שם, שו״ת מהר״י אסאד סימן רא) הֲרֵי כְּלָל נְקוֹט בְּיָדֵינוּ שֶׁאֵין סוֹמְכִין עַל הַנֵּס (על פי זוהר ח״א רל, ב. ועיין פסחים סד, ב), וְאִם כֵּן אֵיךְ סָמְכוּ עַל נֵס לְחַלֵּק הַשֶּׁמֶן, [הַיְינוּ, דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה אָמְרָה תֵּן לָהּ כְּדֵי מִדָּתָהּ שֶׁתְּהֵא דּוֹלֶקֶת וְהוֹלֶכֶת כָּל הַלַּיְלָה, אִם כֵּן אֵיךְ הוּתַּר לָהֶם בַּלַּיְלָה הָרִאשׁוֹן לִיתֵּן שֶׁמֶן פָּחוֹת מֵהַשִּׁיעוּר, עַל סְמַךְ שֶׁיֵּיעָשֶׂה לָהֶם נֵס וְיִדְלַק כָּל הַלַּיְלָה].
- Beis Yosef, Orach Chaim 670. ↩
- Meiri on Shabbos 21b; Pri Chadash there; Responsa Mahari Asad §201. ↩
- Based on Zohar I 230b; see Pesachim 64b. ↩
- See Shemos 27:21 and Rashi there. ↩
Sources here
In shortIf the oil was split into eight parts so each night held a miracle, how could they rely on a miracle, against the established rule?
2A similar question can be asked about the splitting of the Red Sea. The verse says: “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael and let them journey forth.’”5 This implies that Moshe should have told Bnei Yisrael on his own to journey into the sea. But even if Moshe should have understood that the sea would split for them, the rule still holds that one does not rely on a miracle. Surely, then, he should not have commanded them to walk into the sea until the Holy One, blessed be He, explicitly commanded him to do so.
וְהִנֵּה כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה יֵשׁ לְהַקְשׁוֹת, לְגַבֵּי מַה דִּכְתִיב בְּעִנְיַן קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף (שמות יד, טו) ״וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ״, דְּמַשְׁמַע שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה צָרִיךְ מִדַּעְתּוֹ לוֹמַר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְיִסַּע אֶל תּוֹךְ הַיָּם, וַהֲרֵי אֲפִילּוּ אִם הָיָה לוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה לְהָבִין שֶׁיִּקְרַע לָהֶם הַיָּם, מִכָּל מָקוֹם הֲרֵי הַכְּלָל הוּא שֶׁאֵין סוֹמְכִין עַל הַנֵּס, אִם כֵּן וַדַּאי דְּלָא הָיָה עָלָיו לְצַוּוֹת עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לָלֶכֶת אֶל תּוֹךְ הַיָּם, עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִצְטַוָּוה כֵּן מְפוֹרָשׁ מִפִּי הקב״ה.
- Shemos 14:15. ↩
In shortHashem implies that Moshe should have sent Bnei Yisrael into the sea unbidden, yet one may not rely on a miracle without an explicit command.
3's comment there also needs explaining: “We learn that Moshe was standing and praying. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘This is not the time to pray at length, when Israel is in distress.’”6 The holy sefarim ask:7 on the contrary, just because Israel is now in distress, this is the most fitting time to stand in prayer and cry out to Hashem! As writes, “It is a positive mitzvah from the Torah to cry out and to sound the trumpets … over every distress that comes upon the community.”8 This is all the more so according to , who holds that daily prayer is not a Torah obligation, yet in a time of distress prayer is a Torah obligation.9 What, then, did Hashem mean when He told Moshe, “This is not the time to pray at length”?
עוֹד צָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר, בְּמַה דְּאִיתָא שָׁם ברש״י ז״ל, לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה עוֹמֵד וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, אָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה לֹא עֵת עַתָּה לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִילָּה, שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל נְתוּנִין בְּצָרָה. וְהִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (אור החיים, פרי הארץ, תפארת שלמה) הֲלֹא אַדְּרַבָּה דַּיְיקָא מֵחֲמַת זֶה שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל נְתוּנִין עַתָּה בְּצָרָה, עַתָּה הוּא הַזְּמַן הָרָאוּי בְּיוֹתֵר לַעֲמוֹד בִּתְפִילָּה וְלִצְעוֹק אֶל ה׳, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הרמב״ם (ריש הלכות תענית) מִצְוַות עֲשֵׂה מִן הַתּוֹרָה לִזְעוֹק וּלְהָרִיעַ וְכוּ׳ עַל כָּל צָרָה שֶׁתָּבוֹא עַל הַצִּיבּוּר. וּבְיוֹתֵר לְשִׁיטַת הרמב״ן (על ספר המצוות עשין ה) הַסּוֹבֵר שֶׁתְּפִילָּה בְּכָל יוֹם אֵינֶנָּה מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם בְּעֵת צָרָה הַתְּפִילָּה הִיא מִן הַתּוֹרָה, אִם כֵּן מַהוּ זֶה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה לֹא עֵת עַתָּה לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִילָּה.
- Rashi on Shemos 14:15. ↩
- Ohr HaChaim; Pri HaAretz; Tiferes Shlomo. ↩
- Rambam, Hilchos Taaniyos 1:1. ↩
- Ramban's glosses on the Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvos, positive mitzvah 5. ↩
In shortDistress is just when prayer is called for, even by Torah law; why did Hashem tell Moshe it was no time to pray at length?
4To explain all this, we may say the following. As is well known, the Holy One, blessed be He, runs His world in two ways: by way of nature and by way of miracles. Perhaps the rule that one does not rely on a miracle was said only when the world is being run by way of nature, with no change in the order of creation. At such a time, to perform miracles Hashem must, as it were, step outside His usual way of guiding the world and change the way it is run. And it is not proper for Him to step outside the usual bounds unless we are worthy of it. So we should not rely on a miracle, for “there is none among us who knows how far”:10 none of us knows whether we are worthy. But there are times when we see that Hashem is running His world beyond the way of nature, as at the Exodus from Egypt, when the Ten Plagues and all the miracles went beyond nature. Then it is clear that one may rely on a miracle. Since the world is now being run by miracles, there is no departure at all from the usual bounds when Hashem performs one more.
וּלְבָאֵר כָּל זֶה יֵשׁ לוֹמַר, עַל פִּי מַה שֶׁנּוֹדַע שהקב״ה מַנְהִיג עוֹלָמוֹ בִּשְׁנֵי דְּרָכִים, הַדֶּרֶךְ הָאַחַת בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, וְהַדֶּרֶךְ הַשֵּׁנִית בְּדֶרֶךְ נִיסִּים. וְיִתָּכֵן לוֹמַר, שֶׁהַכְּלָל שֶׁ׳אֵין סוֹמְכִים עַל הַנֵּס׳ נֶאֱמַר דַּוְקָא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָעוֹלָם מִתְנַהֵג בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע בְּלִי שִׁינּוּי סִדְרֵי מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁאָז בִּשְׁבִיל לַעֲשׂוֹת נִיסִּים צָרִיךְ הקב״ה כִּבְיָכוֹל לָצֵאת מִגֶּדֶר הַהַנְהָגָה הָרְגִילָה וּלְשַׁנּוֹת מֵהַנְהָגַת הָעוֹלָם, וְאֵינוֹ בַּדִּין לָצֵאת מִגֶּדֶר הָרָגִיל אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן רְאוּיִים אָנוּ לְכָךְ, לָכֵן אֵין לָנוּ לִסְמוֹךְ עַל הַנֵּס, כִּי אֵין אִתָּנוּ יוֹדֵעַ עַד מָה, אִם רְאוּיִים אָנוּ לְכָךְ. אֲבָל בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁרוֹאִים שהקב״ה מַנְהִיג עוֹלָמוֹ בְּהַנְהָגָה שֶׁל מִחוּץ לְדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, וּכְמוֹ בִּזְמַן יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם שֶׁהָעֶשֶׂר הַמַּכּוֹת וְכָל הַנִּיסִּים הָיוּ הַנְהָגָה שֶׁל מִחוּץ לְדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, אִם כֵּן פָּשׁוּט הוּא שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה זוֹ מוּתָּר לִסְמוֹךְ עַל הַנֵּס, דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁהַהַנְהָגָה בָּעוֹלָם עַתָּה הִיא הַנְהָגָה שֶׁל נִיסִּים, מִמֵּילָא אֵין כָּאן שׁוּם שִׁינּוּי מִגֶּדֶר הָרָגִיל בָּזֶה שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה הקב״ה עוֹד נֵס.
- Tehillim 74:9. ↩
In shortWhile the world runs by nature, a miracle needs a merit we cannot be sure of; once Hashem works miracles, one more is no departure.
5When Bnei Yisrael stood at the Red Sea after the Exodus, the world was being run by miracles, as we saw with the Ten Plagues. That is why the Holy One, blessed be He, rightly said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael and let them journey forth.” In other words, Moshe could see that at this time the world was not being run by way of nature. Why, then, should he have any doubt at all whether Bnei Yisrael were worthy of a miracle? A miracle would certainly be done for them, since at this time Hashem was running the world by miracles. This is what meant by “This is not the time to pray at length”: the way of miracles was already at work in the world, and a miracle would certainly be done for them.
וּלְכָךְ בְּעֵת שֶׁעָמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל יַם סוּף לְאַחַר יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהַהַנְהָגָה בָּעֵת הַהִיא בָּעוֹלָם הָיְתָה הַנְהָגָה נִיסִּית כָּאָמוּר, שַׁפִּיר אָמַר הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה ״מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ״, הַיְינוּ דְּכֵיוָן שֶׁאַתָּה רוֹאֶה שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה זוֹ הַנְהָגַת הָעוֹלָם הִיא שֶׁלֹּא בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, אִם כֵּן מַה לְךָ לְהִסְתַּפֵּק כְּלָל אִם רְאוּיִים יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה לָהֶם נֵס, דְּוַדַּאי יֵיעָשֶׂה לָהֶם נֵס, שֶׁהֲרֵי בָּזֶה הַזְּמַן הַהַנְהָגָה הִיא נִיסִּית. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתַב רש״י ז״ל ׳לֹא עֵת עַתָּה לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִילָּה׳, כִּי הַנְהָגַת הַנִּיסִּים הִיא כְּבָר בָּעוֹלָם, וּבְוַדַּאי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם נֵס.
In shortAt the Sea the world already ran by miracles, so Moshe needed neither doubt nor long prayer: Bnei Yisrael could simply go forward.
6So it was also at the time of the Chanukah miracle. The Holy One, blessed be He, was then running His world beyond the way of nature. We see it in the war, where He “delivered the many into the hands of the few,”11 and in their finding pure oil, which was also a miracle beyond nature, for the Greeks had not touched it and defiled it. The time was therefore ripe for miracles, and their relying on a miracle was no flaw, since the way of miracles was already at work in the world. That is why they were permitted to divide the oil among all eight nights and rely on the miracle.
וּכְמוֹ כֵּן הָיָה גַּם בִּזְמַן הַנֵּס שֶׁל חֲנוּכָּה, שֶׁמֵּאַחַר שהקב״ה הִנְהִיג אָז עוֹלָמוֹ מִחוּץ לְדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה שֶׁמָּסַר רַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים, וְכֵן מַה שֶׁמָּצְאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר, שֶׁהָיָה נֵס מִחוּץ לְדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע מַה שֶׁלֹּא נָגְעוּ בּוֹ הַיְוָונִים וְטִמְּאוּהוּ, אִם כֵּן הָיָה הַזְּמַן מְסוּגָּל וּמוּכְשָׁר לְנִיסִּים, וּמִמֵּילָא אֵין נֶחְשָׁב זֹאת לִפְגָם מַה שֶׁסּוֹמְכִים הֵם עַל הַנֵּס, שֶׁהֲרֵי הַנְהָגַת הַנִּיסִּים הִיא כְּבָר בָּעוֹלָם, וְעַל כֵּן מוּתָּר הָיָה לָהֶם לְחַלֵּק הַשֶּׁמֶן לְכָל שְׁמוֹנַת הַלֵּילוֹת, וְלִסְמוֹךְ עַל הַנֵּס.
- From Al HaNissim. ↩
In shortThe victory of the few and the untouched oil showed that time ran by miracles, so dividing the oil, trusting a miracle, was permitted.
7We may say that this is the meaning of the verse “You gave those who fear You a banner, nes, to be raised high, lehisnoses.”12 The holy sefarim apply this verse to Chanukah.13 The verse comes to resolve our very question: how could they rely on a miracle and divide the oil for lighting the Menorah? To this the verse says, “You gave those who fear You a nes,” a miracle. Since You, Hashem, did miracles for them and showed them that You were running the world by way of miracle, they too added lehisnoses, a word built on nes: they relied on the miracle, as we explained with the dividing of the oil.
וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר דְּזֶהוּ פֵּירוּשׁ הַכָּתוּב (תהלים ס, ו) ״נָתַתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ נֵּס לְהִתְנוֹסֵס״, שֶׁהוּבָא פָּסוּק זֶה בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (אבודרהם פירוש על הניסים, בני יששכר טבת ד, פה, תפארת שלמה, שפת אמת) לְעִנְיַן חֲנוּכָּה. דְּבָא הַכָּתוּב לְיַישֵּׁב עִנְיָן זֶה, אֵיךְ סָמְכוּ עַל הַנֵּס וְחִילְּקוּ אֶת הַשֶּׁמֶן לְהַדְלָקַת הַמְּנוֹרָה, וְעַל זֶה אָמַר ׳נָתַתָּ לִּירֵאֶיךָ נֵּס׳, הַיְינוּ כֵּיוָן שֶׁאַתָּה הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ עָשִׂיתָ לָהֶם נִיסִּים וְהֶרְאֵתָ לָהֶם שֶׁהַנְהָגָתְךָ בָּעוֹלָם הִיא בְּדֶרֶךְ נֵס, לָכֵן הוֹסִיפוּ גַּם הֵם ׳לְהִתְנוֹסֵס׳, הַיְינוּ לִסְמוֹךְ עַל הַנֵּס, כַּנִּזְכָּר.
- Tehillim 60:6. ↩
- Abudarham, commentary on Al HaNissim; Bnei Yissaschar, Teves 4:85; Tiferes Shlomo; Sfas Emes. ↩
In short“You gave those who fear You a nes to lehisnoses”: once Hashem showed them miracles, they could rely on the miracle themselves.
8May the Holy One, blessed be He, help us, so that in our generation too we will always be privileged to see Hashem run the world by miracles, in the spirit of “at this time,”14 so fully that we can rely on miracles. And may He bring the redemption near. Amen.
הקב״ה יַעֲזוֹר לָנוּ, שֶׁגַּם בְּדוֹרֵנוּ אָנוּ נִזְכֶּה תָּמִיד שֶׁיַּרְאֶה לָנוּ השי״ת הַנְהָגָה נִיסִּית בָּעוֹלָם, בִּבְחִינַת ׳וּבַזְּמַן הַזֶּה׳, עַד כְּדֵי כָּךְ שֶׁנּוּכַל לִסְמוֹךְ עַל נִיסִּים, וְשֶׁיִּקְרַב הקב״ה אֶת הַגְּאוּלָּה, אָמֵן:
- From the blessing over the Chanukah lamps and Al HaNissim: “in those days, at this time.” ↩
In shortMay Hashem show us, in our own time, a world run by miracles we can rely on, and bring the redemption near.
He sets the Beis Yosef’s answer, that the oil was divided into eight, against the rule that one does not rely on a miracle, and asks the same at the Sea: Hashem seems to expect Moshe to send Bnei Yisrael into the water unbidden, and Rashi has Him say it is no time for long prayer, though distress is the very time to pray. His answer: Hashem runs the world by nature and by miracles. The rule against relying on a miracle holds while the world runs by nature, for then a miracle needs a merit no one can be sure of. When Hashem is already working miracles, as at the Exodus, and on Chanukah with the victory of the few and the untouched oil, one more is no departure, so they could rely on it. This is “You gave those who fear You a nes lehisnoses.”
Takeaway
Hashem runs the world through nature and through miracles, and how we act depends on which He is showing us. At the Sea and at Chanukah, once His miracles were plain, it was right to step forward and rely on Him instead of holding back. On Chanukah we pray to see that same way of miracles in our own time.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.