From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
Following the Sages and Our Fathers' Tradition
Every mitzvah of Chazal 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 Rav Nechemyah need “Ask your father”? And why does Al HaNissim switch from “Your people” to “Your children”?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Bereishis 42:6
וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל־הָאָרֶץ הוּא הַמַּשְׁבִּיר לְכׇל־עַם הָאָרֶץ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ־לוֹ אַפַּיִם אָרְצָה
And Yosef was the ruler over the land; he was the provider to all the people of the land. And Yosef's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
1“And Yosef was the ruler over the land; he was the provider to all the people of the land.” Notice the doubled wording: “he was the ruler, he was the provider.” Why does the verse say “he” twice?
וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל הָאָרֶץ הוּא הַמַּשְׁבִּיר לְכָל עַם הָאָרֶץ (מב, ו). יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק כֶּפֶל הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט הוּא הַמַּשְׁבִּיר׳.
In shortThe verse says “he” twice, “he was the ruler, he was the provider”: why the doubled wording?
2Let us also look at a passage of the Gemara. On the blessing over the Chanukah lamp, “… Who has commanded us,” the Gemara asks: “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 But why does the Gemara ask “Where did He command us?” about the mitzvah of Chanukah, of all mitzvos? We do not find the Gemara asking it about any other mitzvah that Chazal instituted. A second question: what practical difference is there between what the two verses imply, “You shall not turn aside” and “Ask your father”? We must also ask: we find that all the mitzvos of Chazal are grounded in the prohibition “You shall not turn aside.”2 Why, then, did Rav Nechemyah need to expound “Ask your father” for the mitzvos of Chanukah?
וְנַקְדִּים עוֹד, דְּהִנֵּה בַּגְּמָרָא שַׁבָּת (דף כג, א) אִיתָא, וְהֵיכָן צִיוָּנוּ רַב אַוְיָא אָמַר מִ״לֹא תָסוּר״ (דברים יז, יא), רַב נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקָנֶךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ״ (דברים לב, ז). וְיֵשׁ לְהַקְשׁוֹת, מַדּוּעַ בְּמִצְוַת חֲנוּכָּה דַּוְקָא הִקְשׁוּ וְהֵיכָן צִיוָּנוּ, וּבְכָל שְׁאָר מִצְוֹות דְּרַבָּנָן לֹא מָצִינוּ דְּפָרִיךְ הַגְּמָרָא הֵיכָן צִיוָּנוּ. עוֹד צָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר, מַה נָפְקָא מִינַּהּ אִיכָּא בֵּין מַשְׁמָעוּת הַמִּקְרָאוֹת ״לֹא תָסוּר״ וּ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ״. וְעוֹד, דִּבְכָל מִצְוֹות דְּרַבָּנָן מָצִינוּ שֶׁאַסְמְכִינְהוּ עַל לָאו דְּ״לֹא תָסוּר״ (ברכות יט, ב), וְלָמָּה בְּמִצְוֹות חֲנוּכָּה הוּצְרַךְ רַב נְחֶמְיָה לִדְרוֹשׁ מִקְּרָא דִּ׳שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ׳.
- Shabbos 23a; Devarim 17:11; 32:7. The mitzvah of Chanukah was instituted by Chazal and is not written in the Torah, hence the question. The first verse commands following the rulings of the Sages: “You shall not turn aside from the word that they tell you, right or left.” ↩
- Berachos 19b. ↩
In shortWhy ask “Where did He command us?” only of Chanukah, and why does Rav Nechemyah need “Ask your father” beyond “You shall not turn aside”?
3Let us also cite the prayer Al HaNissim, which we say on Chanukah. There we say, “And afterward Your children came to the inner chamber of Your House.” Notice the words “Your children.” Just before this, the prayer says, “and for Your people Israel You performed a great salvation.” Why does it change here from “Your people” to “Your children”?
עוֹד נַקְדִּים, דְּהִנֵּה בִּתְפִילָּה אָנוּ אוֹמְרִים ׳וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּאוּ בָנֶיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ׳. וְיֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳בָּנֶיךָ׳, וְלָמָּה שִׁינָּה כָּאן מֵהַלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁהִזְכִּיר לְעֵיל מִינֵּיהּ ׳וּלְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל׳ עָשִׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְּדוֹלָה.
Sources here
In shortAl HaNissim first says “Your people Israel” and then “Your children came”: why the change?
4To resolve all this, let us first cite the words of my holy father and teacher, zt"l, on the verse “So that he will command his children and his household after him.”3 He asked: what do the words “after him” mean? He explained with a parable. A man was walking with his son through a great forest, and he was afraid that his son might lose his way. So he told his son to walk always behind him and not to stray to the right or the left. If the son did so, walking only behind his father, he would surely reach a settled place together with him. In the same way, Avraham Avinu commanded the generations to come to walk only in his path, behind him. That is “so that he will command his children and his household after him.” If they walk in this way, they will surely reach “secure dwellings,”4 and will not be lost or led astray by the counsel of the yetzer hara, the evil inclination. Those are his holy words.
וּלְיַישֵּׁב הָעִנְיָן, נַקְדִּים לְהָבִיא דִּבְרֵי קוֹדֶשׁ כ״ק אאמו״ר זצללה״ה (הקדמה להגדה של פסח) עַל הַפָּסוּק (בראשית יח, יט) ״לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו״, וְהִקְשָׁה מַהוּ הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳אַחֲרָיו׳. וּבֵיאֵר עַל דֶּרֶךְ מָשָׁל לְאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ עִם בְּנוֹ בְּיַעַר גָּדוֹל, וְהָיָה יָרֵא פֶּן יִתְעֶה בְּנוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, לָכֵן צִוָּה לִבְנוֹ שֶׁתָּמִיד יֵלֵךְ אַחֲרָיו וְלֹא יַסְטֶה יָמִין אוֹ שְׂמֹאל, וּבְאִם כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה וְיֵלֵךְ רַק אַחֲרָיו, אֲזַי לָבֶטַח יַגִּיעַ עִמּוֹ לִמְקוֹם יִישּׁוּב. כֵּן אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ צִוָּה לְדוֹרוֹת, שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ הַדּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים רַק בְּדַרְכּוֹ אַחֲרָיו, וְזֶהוּ לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ ׳אַחֲרָיו׳, וּבְאִם יֵלְכוּ בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה אֲזַי לָבֶטַח יַגִּיעוּ לְמִשְׁכְּנוֹת מְבֻטָּחִים, וְלֹא יֹאבְדוּ וְיִתְעוּ אַחַר עֲצַת הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע, עכד״ק.
In shortA son who walks right behind his father through the forest arrives safely; so Avraham commanded every generation to walk “after him.”
5[So the foundation that will strengthen Israel in every generation is to follow the guidance of the tzaddikim and the Sages, who know the path handed down through “the years of generation after generation.”5 That is why all Israel must do whatever Yosef says,6 for Yosef stands for the level of the tzaddik. And this is what the Greeks wanted to abolish in Israel. Their decrees were aimed chiefly at the mitzvos whose manner of fulfillment can be known only from the tradition the Sages received. That is why, for the mitzvah of Chanukah of all mitzvos, the Sages asked “Where did He command us?”: where is the mitzvah to believe in the Sages' power to make this enactment? They answered that we learn it from “You shall not turn aside” and from the verse “Ask your father.” These verses allude to faith in the Sages and to the tradition of the fathers, through which Israel will always be able to endure in exile.]
[נִמְצָא שֶׁהַיְּסוֹד שֶׁעַל יָדָם יִתְחַזְּקוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת הוּא לֵילֵךְ אַחַר הַדְרָכַת הַצַּדִּיקִים וְהַחֲכָמִים שֶׁהֵם מַכִּירִים אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ הַמְּסוּרָה מִשְּׁנוֹת דּוֹר וָדוֹר, וְלָכֵן כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל צְרִיכִים לְקַיֵּים אֵת כָּל אֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר לָהֶם יוֹסֵף הַמְּרַמֵּז לְמַדְרִיגַת צַדִּיק, וְדָבָר זֶה רָצוּ הַיּוֹנִים לְבַטֵּל מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁגָּזְרוּ בְּעִיקָּר עַל הַמִּצְוֹת שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לָדַעַת אֶת אוֹפֶן קִיּוּמָם אֶלָּא מִכֹּחַ קַבָּלַת הַחֲכָמִים, וְלָכֵן דַּוְקָא בְּמִצְוַת חֲנוּכָּה בָּאוּ חֲכָמִים לְפָרֵשׁ הֵיכָן צִוָּנוּ, הַיְינוּ מִצְוַת הָאֱמוּנָה בְּכֹחַ הַחֲכָמִים לְתַקֵּן תַּקָּנָה זוֹ, וְעַל זֶה הֵשִׁיבוּ דִּלְמֵדִים זֹאת מִלֹּא תָסוּר, וּמֵהַפָּסוּק שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ, שֶׁהֵם מְרַמְּזִים לֶאֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, שֶׁעַל יָדָם יוּכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲמוֹד תָּמִיד בַּגָּלוּת].
- Devarim 32:7, the verse that continues “Ask your father.” ↩
- Echoing Bereishis 41:55: “Go to Yosef; whatever he tells you, do.” ↩
In shortIsrael endures by following the tzaddikim and the Sages, which the Greeks attacked; so on Chanukah the Gemara seeks the verse behind their authority.
6All this can be understood as follows. The faith handed down to us from generation to generation rests on two things. The first is holding fast to the tradition of the fathers: conducting ourselves in the way of our fathers, as we have received it through the generations. This is what the verse says: “Ask your father, and he will tell you.” The second is faith in the Sages, which we were commanded in the verse “You shall not turn aside”: to do everything the Sages instruct us. These are the foundations on which the House of Israel leans. They strengthen and sustain us in the bitter exile until Moshiach comes.
וּבִכְדֵי לְהָבִין כָּל הַנִּזְכָּר אֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה. דְּהִנֵּה יֶשְׁנָם שְׁנֵי דְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר עֲלֵיהֶם נִשְׁעָן יְסוֹד הָאֱמוּנָה הַמְּסוּרָה לָנוּ מִדּוֹר דּוֹר, הָאֶחָד הוּא עַל יְדֵי שֶׁמַּחֲזִיקִים בְּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, לְהִתְנַהֵג בְּדֶרֶךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ כְּפִי מַה שֶׁקִּבַּלְנוּ מִדּוֹרֵי דּוֹרוֹת, וְהוּא הָאָמוּר בַּפָּסוּק ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ״. וְהַשֵּׁנִי הוּא אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים שֶׁעָלֶיהָ נִצְטַוִּוינוּ בַּפָּסוּק ״לֹא תָסוּר״, לְקַיֵּים כָּל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ אוֹתָנוּ הַחֲכָמִים. אֵלּוּ הֵם הַיְּסוֹדוֹת שֶׁבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל נִשְׁעָנִים עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהֵם הַמְּחַזְּקִים וּמְקַיְּימִים אוֹתָנוּ בַּגָּלוּת הַמַּר עַד בִּיאַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ.
In shortOur faith rests on two foundations: the fathers' tradition (“Ask your father”) and faith in the Sages (“You shall not turn aside”).
7aThese two foundations are what the Greeks wanted to abolish in Israel. As Chazal said, the kingdom of Greece decreed against three things: Shabbos, milah and the sanctification of the new month.7 The reason is that in these three mitzvos, more than in any others, we find the power of the Sages. Of the sanctification of the new month Chazal said: “When the ministering angels gather before the Holy One, blessed be He, to ask, ‘When is Rosh Hashanah, and when is Yom Kippur?’ He says to them, ‘Why do you ask Me? You and I will go to the court below.’”8 From here we see how great the power of the Sages is.
וּשְׁנֵי עִנְיָנִים אֵלּוּ רָצוּ הַיּוֹנִים לְבַטֵּל מֵעִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רז״ל (מגילת אנטיוכוס) שֶׁמַּלְכוּת יָוָן גָּזְרָה עַל שְׁלוֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים שַׁבָּת מִילָה וְחוֹדֶשׁ, וְהוּא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁבִּשְׁלוֹשֶׁת מִצְוֹות אֵלּוּ מוֹצְאִים אָנוּ בְּיוֹתֵר אֶת הַכֹּחַ שֶׁל חֲכָמִים. לְגַבֵּי קִידּוּשׁ הַחוֹדֶשׁ מָצִינוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (דברים רבה ב, יד) כְּשֶׁמִּתְכַּנְּסִין מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לִפְנֵי הקב״ה לוֹמַר אֵימָתַי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְאֵימָתַי יוֹם הַכִּיפּוּרִים, הקב״ה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם לִי מָה אַתֶּם שׁוֹאֲלִים, אֲנִי וְאַתֶּם נֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל מַטָּה, וְרוֹאִים מִכָּאן אֶת גּוֹדֶל הַכֹּחַ שֶׁל הַחֲכָמִים.
In shortThe Greeks decreed against Shabbos, milah and the new month, where the Sages' power is seen most: Hashem Himself tells the angels, “Let us go to the court below.”
7bWe find the same with Shabbos. As is well known, the Tzedokim, the Sadducees, read the verse “You shall not kindle fire in all your dwellings on the Shabbos day” to mean that no fire may be left burning on Shabbos.9 But Chazal expounded: “‘On the Shabbos day’ you may not kindle, but you may kindle on Erev Shabbos for Shabbos.”10 From this we see that we have no understanding of the Torah except through the explanations of Chazal. So too with milah, circumcision: all its laws are made clear to us from the mouth of Chazal; even the place on the body where the mitzvah is done is known only from Chazal's exposition in the Gemara.11 Since the Greeks wanted to abolish faith in the words of the Sages and in the tradition of the fathers, they aimed their decrees at these very mitzvos.
וְכֵן לְגַבֵּי שַׁבָּת מָצִינוּ עִנְיָן זֶה, דְּכַיָּדוּעַ (מגיד מישרים, ילקוט ראובני ויקהל) הַצָּדוֹקִים פֵּירְשׁוּ פָּסוּק ״לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ״ (שמות לה, ג) שֶׁלֹּא לְקַיֵּים אֵשׁ בּוֹעֶרֶת בְּשַׁבָּת, אַךְ חז״ל דָּרְשׁוּ (מכילתא שם) בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת אִי אַתָּה מַבְעִיר אֲבָל אַתָּה מַבְעִיר מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְשַׁבָּת, רוֹאִים אָנוּ מִזֶּה שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ הֲבָנָה בַּתּוֹרָה רַק עַל יְדֵי פֵּירוּשֵׁי חֲכָמֵינוּ ז״ל. וְגַם לְגַבֵּי מִילָה מָצִינוּ שֶׁכָּל הִלְכוֹת מִילָה מְפוֹרָשׁ לָנוּ מִפִּי חז״ל, שֶׁכֵּן אֲפִילּוּ מְקוֹם הַמִּצְוָה אֵין יָדוּעַ אֶלָּא מִדְּרָשַׁת חז״ל בַּגְּמָרָא (שבת קח, א). וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָצוּ הַיּוֹנִים לְבַטֵּל אֶת הָאֱמוּנָה בְּדִבְרֵי חֲכָמִים וּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, לָכֵן גָּזְרוּ עַל אֵלּוּ הַמִּצְוֹות דַּיְיקָא.
In shortShabbos and milah, too, are understood only through Chazal, so the Greeks aimed at them to uproot faith in the Sages and the fathers' tradition.
8The heart of the miracle of the pure cruse of oil also came from the strength of faith in the Sages. The asks a well-known question: why did the Chashmona'im, the Hasmoneans, need a miracle at all, when tumah, ritual impurity, is permitted for the community?12 The gist of his answer is this. By strict law they could indeed have lit the Menorah without the miracle. The miracle came for the sake of hiddur mitzvah, doing the mitzvah in the most beautiful way. Bnei Yisrael wanted to fulfill the mitzvah in purity, which is a form of beautifying the mitzvah. They wanted to keep what Chazal expounded on the verse “This is my God and I will glorify Him”: “Beautify yourself before Him with mitzvos.”13 So the Holy One, blessed be He, in His love for His people Israel, performed the miracle. We see from this that the heart of the miracle was that they held so firmly to the words of Chazal [“Beautify yourself before Him with mitzvos”] and to the tradition of the fathers, the very opposite of what the Greeks wanted to uproot from Israel.
וְהִנֵּה עִיקַּר הַנֵּס בְּפַךְ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר, גַּם הוּא הָיָה מִתּוֹךְ תּוֹקֶף אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי יָדוּעַ מַה שֶּׁכָּתַב הַפְּנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (שבת כא, ב) לָמָּה הָיוּ צְרִיכִים לְנֵס הֲרֵי טוּמְאָה הוּתְּרָה בְּצִיבּוּר (יומא ז, ב). וְתוֹכֶן תֵּירוּצוֹ הוּא, דְּאַף שֶׁאָמְנָם מִצַּד הַדִּין הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לְהַדְלִיק הַמְּנוֹרָה גַּם בְּלֹא הַנֵּס, רַק הַנֵּס בָּא בִּשְׁבִיל הִידּוּר הַמִּצְוָה, שֶׁכֵּיוָן שֶׁבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רָצוּ לְקַיֵּים הַמִּצְוָה בְּטָהֳרָה שֶׁהוּא בְּחִינַת הִידּוּר מִצְוָה, וּלְקַיֵּים מַה שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ חז״ל (שבת קלג, ב) ״זֶה קֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ״ (שמות טו, ב) הִתְנָאֵה לְפָנָיו בַּמִּצְוֹות, עַל כֵּן בְּחִיבַּת הקב״ה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשָׂה לָהֶם הַנֵּס. נִרְאֶה מִזֶּה, שֶׁעִיקַּר הַנֵּס הָיָה מִטַּעַם שֶׁהָיוּ מַחֲזִיקִים בְּיוֹתֵר בְּדִבְרֵי חז״ל [הִתְנָאֵה לְפָנָיו בַּמִּצְוֹות] וּבְמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, הֵיפֶךְ מַה שֶׁרָצוּ הַיּוֹנִים לַעֲקוֹר מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל.
In shortThe oil miracle only beautified the mitzvah, the Pnei Yehoshua explains; it came because Israel held fast to Chazal's words, which the Greeks attacked.
9This explains what we say in the Chanukah prayer: “And afterward Your children came to the inner chamber of Your House, and purified Your Mikdash.” “And purified Your Mikdash,” the Beis HaMikdash, alludes to what we have seen: they fulfilled the mitzvah in purity. That is why the prayer says “children”: to hint that we are children who follow the tradition of our fathers, in the spirit of “Ask your father …” And it was as such children that “they purified Your Mikdash.” By Torah law Israel could have fulfilled the mitzvah even in impurity. Only because they took such great care with the words of Chazal, who expounded that mitzvos be done beautifully, did they take the trouble to fulfill it in purity.
וּבָזֶה יִתְפָּרֵשׁ מַה שֶּׁאוֹמְרִים בִּתְפִילַּת חֲנוּכָּה ׳וְאַחַר כָּךְ בָּאוּ בָנֶיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ וְטִיהֲרוּ אֶת מִקְדָּשְׁךָ׳, ׳וְטִיהֲרוּ אֶת מִקְדָּשֶׁיךָ׳ רוֹמֵז לָעִנְיָן הַנִּזְכָּר שֶׁקִּיְּימוּ אֶת הַמִּצְוָה בְּטָהֳרָה, וְלָכֵן נִזְכַּר לְשׁוֹן ׳בָּנִים׳, לְרַמֵּז שֶׁאָנוּ בָּנִים הַהוֹלְכִים אַחַר מָסוֹרֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, בְּחִינַת שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְגוֹ׳, שֶׁלְּכָךְ טִיהֲרוּ אֶת מִקְדָּשְׁךָ, אַחַר דְּמִדִּין הַתּוֹרָה הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יְכוֹלִים לְקַיֵּים הַמִּצְוָה אַף בְּטוּמְאָה, וְרַק מֵחֲמַת גּוֹדֶל זְהִירוּתָם בְּדִבְרֵי חז״ל שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ לְקַיֵּים הַמִּצְוֹות בְּהִידּוּר, טָרְחוּ לְקַיֵּים הַמִּצְוָה בְּטָהֳרָה.
In shortAl HaNissim says “Your children” because they purified the Mikdash beyond the law's demand, as children following their fathers' tradition and Chazal's words.
10This also lets us understand a Midrash on the verse “And he saw the wagons.”14 Yosef sent the wagons, agalos, to tell his father that when they parted, the two of them had been studying the section of the eglah arufah.15 About the eglah arufah the verse says, “The Kohanim, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for Hashem your God has chosen them … and by their word shall every dispute and every affliction be settled.”16 Here the verse says explicitly that every matter stands by the word of the sages of the generation. We may explain that Yaakov Avinu's teaching Yosef the eglah arufah was arranged from Heaven: before Yosef went into the exile of Egypt, Yaakov Avinu passed this subject on to him. Through it Yaakov taught Yosef how great the need is for faith in the Sages and for the tradition of the fathers, for these are the foundations that sustain and strengthen the Jewish people in exile.
וּבָזֶה גַּם יוּבָן מַה דְּאִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה צד, ג. ועיין שם צה, ג) עַל פָּסוּק ״וַיַּרְא אֶת הָעֲגָלוֹת״ (בראשית מה, כז) שֶׁשָּׁלַח יוֹסֵף לוֹמַר לְאָבִיו, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁפָּרַשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ הָיוּ עוֹסְקִים בְּפָרָשַׁת עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה. דְּהִנֵּה לְגַבֵּי עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (דברים כא, ה) ״וְנִגְּשׁוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי כִּי בָם בָּחַר ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ וְגוֹ׳ וְעַל פִּיהֶם יִהְיֶה כָּל רִיב וְכָל נָגַע״, דְּכָאן בַּכָּתוּב זֶה מְפוֹרָשׁ שֶׁעַל פִּי הַחֲכָמִים שֶׁבַּדּוֹר יָקוּם כָּל דָּבָר. וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁמַּה שֶּׁלִּימֵּד יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ לְיוֹסֵף עִנְיַן עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה, הַיְינוּ שֶׁמִּשָּׁמַיִם נִסְתַּבֵּב שֶׁמָּסַר יַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ ע״ה לְיוֹסֵף קוֹדֶם שֶׁהָלַךְ לְגָלוּת מִצְרַיִם עִנְיָן זֶה, שֶׁלִּימְּדוֹ גּוֹדֶל הַצּוֹרֶךְ בֶּאֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, שֶׁאֵלּוּ הֵם הַיְּסוֹדוֹת הַמְּקַיְּימִים וְהַמְּחַזְּקִים אֶת עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּגָּלוּת.
- Bereishis 45:27. ↩
- Bereishis Rabbah 94:3; see there 95:3. The eglah arufah is the calf whose neck is broken when a murdered person is found and the killer is unknown (Devarim 21:1–9). The word agalah, “wagon,” recalls eglah, “calf.” ↩
- Devarim 21:5. ↩
In shortYaakov's last lesson to Yosef, the eglah arufah, where all stands “by their word,” armed him for exile with faith in the Sages and tradition.
11Now we can properly answer why Chazal asked “Where did He command us?” about the mitzvah of Chanukah, of all mitzvos. In the events of Chanukah one sees, more than anywhere, the strength of faith in the Sages and the great care people took with their words, the very opposite of what the Greeks wanted to uproot from us. On this Rav Avya said, from “You shall not turn aside,” which is faith in the Sages; Rav Nechemyah said, “Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will say to you,” which is the tradition of the fathers. These two foundations stood Israel in good stead at the time of the miracle. Each sage grounds one of them in a verse, and they do not disagree: both are explaining what we must learn from the miracle of Chanukah.
וּמֵעַתָּה מְיוּשָּׁב לְנָכוֹן גַּם מַה שֶׁדַּוְקָא בְּמִצְוַת חֲנוּכָּה בָּאוּ חז״ל לְפָרֵשׁ הֵיכָן צִיוָּנוּ, כִּי מֵעִנְיַן חֲנוּכָּה רָאוּ בְּיוֹתֵר תּוֹקֶף אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וְגוֹדֶל הַזְּהִירוּת בְּדִבְרֵיהֶם, הֵיפֶךְ מַה שֶׁהַיּוֹנִים רָצוּ לַעֲקוֹר מֵאִתָּנוּ. וְעַל זֶה אָמְרוּ, רַב אַוְיָא אָמַר מִ״לֹא תָסוּר״, שֶׁהוּא עִנְיַן אֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים, וְרַב נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר ״שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ״, שֶׁהוּא עִנְיַן מָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, אֲשֶׁר שְׁנֵי עִנְיָנִים אֵלּוּ עָמְדוּ לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּשְׁעַת הַנֵּס, וְכָל אֶחָד מַסְמִיךְ אַקְּרָא אֶחָד מֵאֵלּוּ הָעִנְיָנִים, וְלָא פְּלִיגִי, דִּשְׁנֵיהֶם מְפָרְשִׁים מַה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָנוּ לִלְמוֹד מֵעִנְיַן נֵס חֲנוּכָּה.
In shortRav Avya and Rav Nechemyah do not argue: each grounds in a verse one of the two foundations that saved Israel on Chanukah.
12We may say that the verse “And Yosef was the ruler …” alludes to these two foundations. “Yosef” means the tzaddik, who is “the foundation of the world.”17 “He was the ruler” alludes to “You shall not turn aside,” for the tzaddik is the ruler and leader of the Jewish people, and one must do all that he instructs. “He was the provider” means that he fed and sustained all the people of the land, and this alludes to the tradition of the fathers, for in the way of the world it is the father who feeds and supports his children.
וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר שֶׁהַכָּתוּב ״וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט״ וְגוֹ׳, רוֹמֵז לִשְׁנֵי הַבְּחִינוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת, ׳יוֹסֵף׳ הַכַּוָּונָה לְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם, ׳הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט׳ רוֹמֵז עַל עִנְיָן ׳לֹא תָסוּר׳, שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק הוּא בִּבְחִינַת מוֹשֵׁל וּמַנְהִיג בְּעַם יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְצָרִיךְ לְקַיֵּים כָּל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרֶה, ׳הוּא הַמַּשְׁבִּיר׳ שֶׁפֵּירוּשׁוֹ שֶׁהוּא הָיָה זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לְכָל עַם הָאָרֶץ, רוֹמֵז לְעִנְיַן מָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, שֶׁכֵּן הַדֶּרֶךְ הִיא שֶׁהָאָב הוּא שֶׁזָּן וּמְכַלְכֵּל אֶת בָּנָיו.
- Mishlei 10:25. ↩
In short“He was the ruler” points to obeying the tzaddik; “he was the provider,” like a father feeding his children, to the fathers' tradition.
13We surely stand now just before the coming of Moshiach. May Hashem grant that in these days too we be able to strengthen ourselves in faith in the Sages and in the tradition of the fathers, which the “Greeks” of our own day want to uproot. Through this may we be privileged to greet Moshiach. Amen.
יִתֵּן ה׳, שֶׁגַּם בְּיָמִים אֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר וַדַּאי אָנוּ עוֹמְדִים לִפְנֵי בִּיאַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, נוּכַל לְהִתְחַזֵּק בֶּאֱמוּנַת חֲכָמִים וּמָסוֹרֶת אָבוֹת, מַה שֶׁהַיּוֹנִים שֶׁבְּיָמֵינוּ רוֹצִים לַעֲקוֹר, וּבָזֶה נִזְכֶּה לְקַבֵּל אֶת פְּנֵי מָשִׁיחַ, אָמֵן:
In shortMay we hold fast to faith in the Sages and to our fathers' tradition against today's “Greeks,” and so be privileged to greet Moshiach.
The Rebbe opens with three puzzles: the doubled “he” in “Yosef was the ruler … he was the provider,” the Gemara's “Where did He command us?” asked only of Chanukah, and Al HaNissim's shift to “Your children.” The parable of the Rebbe's father, R' Yechiel Yehoshua of Biala, of a son who arrives safely by walking right behind his father leads him to two foundations of Israel's faith: the fathers' tradition (“Ask your father”) and faith in the Sages (“You shall not turn aside”). The Greeks aimed their decrees at Shabbos, milah and the new month, where the Sages' power is seen most. The oil miracle, beyond what the law required, came because Israel beautified the mitzvah as Chazal taught, as children walking after their fathers. So Rav Avya and Rav Nechemyah do not argue, Yaakov armed Yosef for exile with the eglah arufah, and Yosef, ruler and provider, embodies both foundations that will bring us to Moshiach.
Takeaway
The Greeks aimed their decrees at the mitzvos that depend most on the Sages, because faith in the Sages and the tradition of our fathers are what keep Israel on its path through every exile. Like a son walking close behind his father through a dark forest, we reach safety by following the tzaddikim and the way our fathers walked. The Chanukah miracle came because Jews cared so much for Chazal's words that they went beyond the strict law, and that same care keeps us on the road toward Moshiach.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.