From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Bialaרבי דוד מתתיהו רבינוביץ מביאלאProfile ›
Repenting Even for Good Deeds: Reuven and Zos Chanukah
The Midrash says that “the mandrakes give off fragrance” is Reuven and “at our doorways are all choice fruits” is the Chanukah lamp. What has Reuven to do with Chanukah? And why should Avraham's “ad koh” on the way to the Akeidah hint at the 25th of Kislev?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Midrash Pli'ah §31
הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ זֶה רְאוּבֵן, וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים זֶה נֵר חֲנֻכָּה.
“The mandrakes give off fragrance”: this is Reuven. “And at our doorways are all choice fruits”: this is the Chanukah lamp.
1The Midrash says: “‘The mandrakes give off fragrance’: this is Reuven. ‘And at our doorways are all choice fruits’: this is the Chanukah lamp.”1
הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ (שיר השירים ז, יד) זֶה רְאוּבֵן, וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים זֶה נֵר חֲנוּכָּה (מדרש פליאה לא).
- Midrash Pli'ah §31, a collection of cryptic Midrashic sayings; Shir HaShirim 7:14. Reuven was the one who found the mandrakes, duda'im, in the field (Bereishis 30:14), and the Chanukah lamp is placed at the doorway. ↩
In shortThe Midrash reads “the mandrakes give off fragrance” as Reuven and “at our doorways are all choice fruits” as the Chanukah lamp.
2The holy sefarim ask: what connection does Reuven have with Chanukah?2
הִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (תורת משה, בת עין, עטרת ישועה) מַה שַׁיָּיכוּת יֵשׁ לִרְאוּבֵן עִם חֲנוּכָּה.
- Toras Moshe; Bas Ayin; Ateres Yeshuah. ↩
In shortWhy should the Midrash pair Reuven with Chanukah at all?
3Let us also first cite the verse “I and the lad will go yonder, ad koh.”3 The and the say that this hints at Chanukah, for koh, whose letters have the numerical value 25, alludes to the 25th of Kislev.4 But what connection does this verse, said of Avraham Avinu as he went to the Akeidah, the binding of Yitzchak, have with Chanukah? We must also explain why this day, the eighth of Chanukah, is called Zos Chanukah.5
וְנַקְדִּים עוֹד מַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (בראשית כב, ה) ״וַאֲנִי וְהַנַּעַר נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה״, דְּאִיתָא בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (מאור עינים מקץ בת עין וישב), שֶׁזֶּה רֶמֶז לַחֲנוּכָּה, ש׳כה׳ רוֹמֵז לכ״ה כִּסְלֵו. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין מַה שַׁיָּיכוּת זֶה הַפָּסוּק שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר גַּבֵּי אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה כְּשֶׁהָלַךְ אֶל הָעֲקֵידָה, לְעִנְיַן חֲנוּכָּה. גַּם צָרִיךְ לְבָאֵר טַעַם קְרִיאַת יוֹם זֶה בְּשֵׁם ׳זֹאת חֲנוּכָּה׳.
- Bereishis 22:5 (the sefer has 21:5). ↩
- Me'or Einayim, Mikeitz; Bas Ayin, Vayeishev. ↩
- The day's Torah reading begins “Zos, this, was the dedication of the altar” (Bamidbar 7:84). ↩
In shortAvraham's “ad koh” at the Akeidah hints at the 25th of Kislev; but what links the Akeidah to Chanukah, and why the name Zos Chanukah?
4We can explain it this way. Chazal said: “‘Reuven returned to the pit.’ Where had he been? R' Eliezer says: with his sackcloth and his fasting. … The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: ‘Never has a man sinned before Me and done teshuvah, and you have opened with teshuvah first. By your life, a descendant of yours will arise and open with teshuvah first.’ And who is he? Hoshea, as it says, ‘Return, Yisrael, unto Hashem your God.’”6 The Reishis Chochmah, and the ask: we find that Adam HaRishon did teshuvah before Reuven!7
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ בְּדֶרֶךְ זֶה, דְּהִנֵּה אָמְרוּ חז״ל (בראשית רבה פד, יט) ״וַיָּשָׁב רְאוּבֵן אֶל הַבּוֹר״ (בראשית לז, כט), וְהֵיכָן הָיָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אָמַר בְּשַׂקּוֹ וּבְתַעֲנִיתוֹ וְכוּ׳, אָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה מֵעוֹלָם לֹא חָטָא אָדָם לְפָנַי וְעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה, וְאַתָּה פָּתַחְתָּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה תְּחִילָּה, חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁבֶּן בִּנְךָ עוֹמֵד וּפוֹתֵחַ בִּתְשׁוּבָה תְּחִילָּה, וְאֵיזֶה זֶה הוֹשֵׁעַ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע יד, ב) ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה׳ אֱלוֹקֶיךָ״. וְהִקְשׁוּ בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים (ראשית חכמה שער התשובה פ״ג, של״ה פרשת במדבר, בני יששכר תשרי ד, ג), הֲרֵי כְּבָר מָצִינוּ בְּאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה קוֹדֶם לִרְאוּבֵן.
- Bereishis Rabbah 84:19; Bereishis 37:29; Hoshea 14:2. Reuven was repenting for having disturbed his father's bed (Bereishis 35:22). ↩
- Reishis Chochmah, Shaar HaTeshuvah, ch. 3; Shelah, Bamidbar; Bnei Yissaschar, Tishrei 4:3. ↩
In shortHashem told Reuven he was the first to repent, yet Adam HaRishon repented before him; how was Reuven first?
5We may answer through a well-known teaching: there are two kinds of teshuvah. The first concerns “turn from evil”:8 a person returns in teshuvah for the sins he committed and the blemishes he caused. The second concerns “and do good”: teshuvah for the good deeds he did that were not as complete as they should have been. For even after doing mitzvos and good deeds, we must make a cheshbon hanefesh, an honest accounting of the soul. Did we do the mitzvos completely, without ulterior motives, and for the sake of His Name? So the tzaddikim explained the verse “There is no righteous man on earth who does good and does not sin”:9 no one does good without some trace of sin mixing into it, through some ulterior motive at the time he does the good. As is well known, this second level of teshuvah, for matters of “do good,” is very high and lofty.
וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר עַל פִּי מַה שֶׁיָּדוּעַ דְּיֵשׁ שְׁנֵי אוֹפַנֵּי תְּשׁוּבָה, הָאֶחָד עַל בְּחִינוֹת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳, שֶׁשָּׁבִים בִּתְשׁוּבָה עַל מַה שֶׁחָטְאוּ וּפָגְמוּ, וְיֵשׁ עוֹד אוֹפֶן שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה, עַל בְּחִינוֹת ׳וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, דְּהַיְינוּ עַל מַעֲשִׂים הַטּוֹבִים שֶׁעָשָׂה וְלֹא הָיוּ בִּשְׁלֵימוּת כָּרָאוּי, דְּגַם לְאַחַר שֶׁעוֹשִׂים מִצְוֹות וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, צְרִיכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ אִם עָשִׂינוּ הַמִּצְוֹות בִּשְׁלֵימוּת בְּלִי פְּנִיּוֹת וּלְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁפֵּירְשׁוּ צַדִּיקִים (תולדות יעקב יוסף חוקת בשם הבעש״ט, ועיין עשרה מאמרות לרמ״ע מפאנו חיקור דין ח״א פי״ב) מַאֲמַר הַכָּתוּב (קוהלת ז, כ) ״כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁאֵין אָדָם שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַטּוֹב שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה לֹא יִתְעָרֵב לוֹ שׁוּם שֶׁמֶץ חֵטְא, עַל יְדֵי אֵיזוֹ פְּנִיָּה בְּעֵת עֲשִׂיַּית הַטּוֹב. וְהִנֵּה מַדְרֵגַת הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַשְּׁנִיָּה עַל עִנְיְנֵי עֲשֵׂה טוֹב, הִיא מַדְרֵגָה גְּבוֹהָה וְרָמָה כַּיָּדוּעַ.
- Tehillim 34:15: “Turn from evil and do good.” ↩
- Koheles 7:20; Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Chukas, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov; see Asarah Maamaros of the Rema of Fano, Maamar Chikur Din, part 1, ch. 12. ↩
In shortBesides teshuvah for sins there is a loftier teshuvah for good deeds done imperfectly, since some trace of ulterior motive mixes into every good deed.
6Reuven disturbed his father's bed because he demanded redress for his mother's humiliation, as Chazal said.10 So he meant to do something good in Hashem's eyes, acting for his mother's honor. Even so, when Reuven reflected on it further, doubts arose in his heart whether his deed had truly been good and right. For this he did teshuvah and occupied himself with his sackcloth and his fasting. So his teshuvah was of the “do good” kind. In this kind of teshuvah, for good that was not done properly and completely, Reuven was the first, whereas Adam HaRishon had done teshuvah for matters of “turn from evil.” That is what Chazal meant when they said that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Reuven, “You have opened with teshuvah first. By your life, a descendant of yours will arise …” Hoshea too would urge Israel toward this kind of teshuvah: “Return, Yisrael, ad, unto, Hashem your God.” He was calling on Israel to climb the levels of teshuvah ad, all the way up to this one: teshuvah even for the mitzvos of “Hashem your God” that were not as complete as they should have been, an exceedingly lofty level.
וְהִנֵּה מַה שֶׁבִּלְבֵּל רְאוּבֵן יְצוּעֵי אָבִיו הָיָה מֵחֲמַת שֶׁתָּבַע אֶת עֶלְבּוֹן אִמּוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חז״ל (שבת נה, ב), וְאִם כֵּן רְאוּבֵן נִתְכַּוֵּון לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּזֶה מַעֲשֶׂה טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי ה׳, שֶׁעָשָׂה כֵּן לִכְבוֹד אִמּוֹ. וְעִם כָּל זֹאת, אַחֲרֵי שֶׁהִתְבּוֹנֵן רְאוּבֵן בָּזֶה יוֹתֵר, עָלוּ בְּלִבּוֹ סְפֵיקוֹת הַאִם הָיָה מַעֲשֵׂהוּ טוֹב כָּרָאוּי וּכְנָכוֹן, וְעַל זֶה עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְהָיָה עָסוּק בְּשַׂקּוֹ וּבְתַעֲנִיתוֹ, נִמְצָא שֶׁעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה עַל בְּחִינַת ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳. וְהִנֵּה עַל עִנְיַן תְּשׁוּבָה כָּזוֹ, שֶׁהִיא תְּשׁוּבָה עַל עֲשִׂיַּית טוֹב שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה כָּרָאוּי וּבִשְׁלֵימוּת, בָּזֶה הָיָה רְאוּבֵן הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁכֵּן אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה עַל עִנְיְינֵי ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳. וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמְרוּ ז״ל שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה אַתָּה פָּתַחְתָּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה תְּחִילָּה, חַיֶּיךָ שֶׁבֶּן בִּנְךָ עוֹמֵד וְכוּ׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם הוֹשֵׁעַ יַזְהִיר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל עִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַזּוֹ ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה׳ אֱלוֹקֶיךָ״, הַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לְהַגִּיעַ בְּמַדְרֵגוֹת הַתְּשׁוּבָה עַד לִבְחִינָה זוֹ, שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה תִּהְיֶה גַּם עַל מִצְוֹות ה׳ אֱלוֹקֶיךָ, שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ כָּרָאוּי בִּשְׁלֵימוּת, שֶׁזֶּהוּ מַעֲלָה רָמָה בְּיוֹתֵר.
- Shabbos 55b. After Rachel's death Yaakov moved his bed into the tent of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, and Reuven moved it to the tent of his mother, Leah. ↩
In shortReuven acted for his mother's honor yet repented in case the deed was flawed: the first teshuvah for “do good,” which Hoshea urges on Israel.
7We find the same on Chanukah. As the sefarim teach, the final sealing of the judgment continues until Chanukah, and so the time until Chanukah is especially suited to teshuvah. We may say that on the Days of Awe one does teshuvah of the “turn from evil” kind. This teshuvah, the lower level, must come first, and only afterward can one reach teshuvah for “do good.” That is done on Sukkos, a time especially suited to teshuvah out of love, and it continues until Chanukah. So now is the time of teshuvah for “do good.”
וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן מָצִינוּ בַּחֲנוּכָּה, דְּהִנֵּה יָדוּעַ מִסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁגְּמַר הַחֲתִימָה נִמְשָׁךְ וְהוֹלֵךְ עַד חֲנוּכָּה, וְלָכֵן עַד חֲנוּכָּה הוּא זְמַן הַמְּסוּגָּל בְּיוֹתֵר לִתְשׁוּבָה. וְיֵשׁ לוֹמַר, שֶׁבְּיָמִים נוֹרָאִים עוֹשִׂים תְּשׁוּבָה עַל בְּחִינוֹת ׳סוּר מֵרָע׳, שֶׁכֵּן תְּחִילָּה צְרִיכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה זוֹ שֶׁהִיא הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַנְּמוּכָה יוֹתֵר שֶׁל הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וּלְאַחַר מִכֵּן אֶפְשָׁר לְהַגִּיעַ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה עַל ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, וְזֶה עוֹשִׂים בְּחַג הַסּוּכּוֹת שֶׁהוּא זְמַן הַמְּסוּגָּל לִתְשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה, וְנִמְשָׁךְ זֶה עַד חֲנוּכָּה, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁעַתָּה הוּא זְמַן תְּשׁוּבָה עַל ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳.
In shortThe Days of Awe are for “turn from evil”; from Sukkos through Chanukah comes the higher teshuvah of love, for “do good.”
8This explains the Midrash we cited at the start. “‘The mandrakes give off fragrance’: this is Reuven” hints at Reuven's teshuvah, which was of the “do good” kind. “‘And at our doorways are all choice fruits’: this is the Chanukah lamp,” for the teshuvah of Chanukah is of the same kind. That is Reuven's connection to Chanukah.
וּבָזֶה יִתְפָּרֵשׁ הַמִּדְרָשׁ שֶׁהֵבֵאנוּ תְּחִילָּה, הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ זֶה רְאוּבֵן, וּמְרַמֵּז עַל תְּשׁוּבַת רְאוּבֵן שֶׁהָיְתָה עַל בְּחִינַת ׳עֲשֵׂה טוֹב׳, וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים זֶה נֵר חֲנוּכָּה, שֶׁאוֹפֶן הַתְּשׁוּבָה בַּחֲנוּכָּה הוּא גַּם כֵּן עַל דֶּרֶךְ זֶה, וְזֶהוּ שַׁיָּיכוּת רְאוּבֵן לַחֲנוּכָּה.
In shortReuven and the Chanukah lamp share one kind of teshuvah: teshuvah for good deeds not done completely.
9aThis also explains the connection between the Akeidah and Chanukah. A well-known teaching of Chazal tells that when the Holy One, blessed be He, told Avraham not to slaughter his son Yitzchak, Avraham Avinu asked to draw a drop of blood from him.11 Why did Avraham Avinu want so badly, and plead so hard, to do some small thing to his son Yitzchak, once the Creator's will was that he not slaughter him? All Avraham ever wanted was to do the will of the Creator! But Avraham thought that perhaps Hashem did not want him to offer Yitzchak as a burnt offering because, as he was offering Yitzchak to Hashem, he had blemished the holiness of the mitzvah with some thought of an ulterior motive. So he asked to draw a drop of blood from him, a deed in which he would have no ulterior motive at all.
וּבָזֶה יִתְבָּאֵר גַּם שַׁיָּיכוּת עִנְיַן הָעֲקֵידָה לַחֲנוּכָּה. דְּהִנֵּה בְּעִנְיַן הָעֲקֵידָה יָדוּעַ מַאֲמַר חז״ל (בראשית רבה נו, ז) שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁאָמַר הקב״ה לְאַבְרָהָם שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁחוֹט אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, בִּיקֵּשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה לְהוֹצִיא מִמֶּנּוּ טִיפַּת דָּם. וְיֵשׁ לְהָבִין, מַדּוּעַ רָצָה וְהִפְצִיר אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה כָּל כָּךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר קָטָן בְּיִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, אַחֲרֵי שֶׁרְצוֹן הַבּוֹרֵא הָיָה שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁחוֹט, וַהֲרֵי כָּל רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם הָיָה תָּמִיד רַק לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן הַבּוֹרֵא. אָכֵן אַבְרָהָם חָשַׁב בְּדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁאוּלַי מַה שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה הקב״ה שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה אֶת יִצְחָק לְעוֹלָה הוּא מֵחֲמַת שֶׁבְּעֵת שֶׁהֶעֱלָה אֶת יִצְחָק לְקָרְבָּן לָה׳, פָּגַם בִּקְדוּשַּׁת הַמִּצְוָוה בְּאֵיזֶה מַחְשָׁבָה שֶׁל פְּנִיָּה, וְעַל כֵּן בִּיקֵּשׁ לְהוֹצִיא מִמֶּנּוּ טִיפַּת דָּם, שֶׁעַל זֶה לֹא יִהְיֶה לוֹ שׁוּם פְּנִיָּה.
- Bereishis Rabbah 56:7. ↩
In shortAvraham asked to draw a drop of blood from Yitzchak, fearing that an ulterior motive had blemished his offering and kept him from completing it.
9bBut the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the whole mitzvah Avraham Avinu had intended to do was perfectly complete, and that this was not why He had commanded him not to slaughter his son. So He told him, “Do not do anything to him.”12 This makes clear how the verse “we will go ad koh,” said in the account of the Akeidah, is connected to Chanukah. For we find the same thing there: Avraham Avinu thought that a trace of sin had mixed into his doing of good, and that this was why he was not privileged to offer his son as a burnt offering. And on Chanukah too we find this, for it is the time of teshuvah for “do good.”
אָמְנָם הקב״ה שֶׁרָאָה אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה הַמִּצְוָוה שֶׁחָשַׁב אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה לַעֲשׂוֹת, שֶׁהָיְתָה בְּתַכְלִית הַשְּׁלֵימוּת, וְלֹא מֵחֲמַת זֶה צִוָּה לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁחוֹט אֶת בְּנוֹ, לָכֵן אָמַר לוֹ ״וְאַל תַּעַשׂ לוֹ מְאוּמָה״. וּלְפִי זֶה מְבוֹאָר לְנָכוֹן שַׁיָּיכוּת הַפָּסוּק נֵלְכָה עַד כֹּה הַנֶּאֱמָר בְּפָרָשַׁת הָעֲקֵידָה לְעִנְיַן חֲנוּכָּה, דִּלְפִי הַמִּתְבָּאֵר גַּם שָׁם מָצִינוּ עִנְיָן זֶה, שֶׁחָשַׁב אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ ע״ה בְּדַעְתּוֹ שֶׁנִּתְעָרֵב לוֹ שֶׁמֶץ חֵטְא בַּעֲשִׂיַּית הַטּוֹב, וְלָכֵן לֹא זָכָה לְהַקְרִיב לְעוֹלָה אֶת בְּנוֹ, וְגַם בַּחֲנוּכָּה יֶשְׁנוֹ עִנְיָן זֶה, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר.
- Bereishis 22:12. ↩
In shortHashem saw the mitzvah was perfect and said “do not do anything to him”; so the Akeidah shares Chanukah's teshuvah for good deeds.
10In light of this we can explain why this day is called Zos Chanukah. The name rests on the verse “With this shall Aharon come into the holy place,”13 said of the Kohen Gadol's service on Yom Kippur. The verse goes on, “with a young bull for a sin offering,” and this bull came to atone for the sins of Aharon and his household. Aharon's sins were surely only of the kind we have described. Measured by his level, his doing of good and his holiness were not as complete as they should have been, in the spirit of “one rises higher in holiness.”14 Chanukah, too, is especially suited to teshuvah that repairs matters of holiness that were not complete. That is why the last day of Chanukah was named Zos Chanukah, after this verse.
וְעַל פִּי זֶה יֵשׁ לְבָאֵר הַטַּעַם שֶׁקּוֹרְאִים זֶה הַיּוֹם בְּשֵׁם ׳זֹאת חֲנוּכָּה׳, וְסָמְכוּ לָזֶה מִן הַפָּסוּק (ויקרא טז, ג) ״בְּזֹאת יָבֹא אַהֲרֹן אֶל הַקּוֹדֶשׁ״. דְּהִנֵּה בְּהֶמְשֵׁךְ הַפָּסוּק שָׁם כָּתוּב ״בְּפַר בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת״, וְזֶה הַפָּר בָּא לְכַפֵּר עַל עֲוֹונוֹת אַהֲרֹן וּבֵיתוֹ, וַעֲוֹונוֹת אַהֲרֹן וַדַּאי לֹא הָיוּ אֶלָּא בַּבְּחִינָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת, שֶׁלְּפִי דַּרְגָּתוֹ לֹא הָיְתָה עֲשִׂיַּית הַטּוֹב וְהַקְּדוּשָּׁה שֶׁלּוֹ בִּשְׁלֵימוּת כָּרָאוּי, וּבִבְחִינַת מַעֲלִים בַּקּוֹדֶשׁ. וַחֲנוּכָּה גַּם כֵּן מְסוּגָּל לִתְשׁוּבָה לְתִיקּוּן עִנְיְנֵי הַקְּדוּשָּׁה שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ בִּשְׁלֵימוּת, לָכֵן קָבְעוּ אֶת יוֹם הָאַחֲרוֹן שֶׁבִּימֵי חֲנוּכָּה בְּשֵׁם ׳זֹאת חֲנוּכָּה׳ עַל שֵׁם זֶה הַכָּתוּב.
- Vayikra 16:3. ↩
- Berachos 28a. Chazal's principle that in matters of holiness one always rises and never descends. ↩
In shortZos Chanukah echoes “With this shall Aharon come,” whose bull atoned for holiness not yet complete, the very teshuvah Chanukah is suited for.
11Now that we stand in these holy days, let us first turn our thoughts to teshuvah in the simple way. And afterward may the Holy One, blessed be He, grant that we also be able to rise higher in holiness: to return in teshuvah, repairing and raising our holy deeds too, so that they become complete. Through this we will surely bring the redemption near. Amen, may it be His will.
וְכַאֲשֶׁר עַתָּה אָנוּ עוֹמְדִים בַּיָּמִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים הַלָּלוּ, אֲזַי קוֹדֶם נְהַרְהֵר בִּתְשׁוּבָה בָּאוֹפֶן הַפָּשׁוּט, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יְזַכֵּנוּ הקב״ה שֶׁנּוּכַל גַּם לִהְיוֹת מַעֲלִים בַּקּוֹדֶשׁ, לָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה לְתַקֵּן וּלְהַעֲלוֹת גַּם עִנְיְנֵי הַקְּדוּשָּׁה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בִּשְׁלֵימוּת, וּבָזֶה וַדַּאי נְקָרֵב הַגְּאוּלָּה, אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן:
In shortMay we first repent simply, then rise to perfecting our holiness, and so bring the redemption near.
He sets out three puzzles: the Midrash pairing Reuven with the Chanukah lamp, which the holy sefarim find hard; Avraham’s “ad koh,” which the Me’or Einayim and the Bas Ayin read as a hint to Chanukah; and the name Zos Chanukah. Hashem told Reuven he was the first to open with teshuvah, yet, as the Reishis Chochmah, the Shelah and the Bnei Yissaschar ask, Adam repented before him. The Rebbe answers that there are two kinds of teshuvah: for sins, “turn from evil,” and for good deeds not done completely, “do good,” since, as the Baal Shem Tov read Koheles, some ulterior motive mixes into every good deed. Reuven acted for his mother’s honor yet repented in case the deed was flawed, the first teshuvah of this higher kind. The Days of Awe are for the first kind; from Sukkos through Chanukah comes the second. So Reuven belongs with the lamp, Avraham’s fear of a flaw at the Akeidah belongs with Chanukah, and Zos Chanukah recalls Aharon’s bull, which atoned for holiness not yet complete.
Takeaway
Teshuvah is not only for our sins; it is also for our mitzvos, which an ulterior motive so easily touches. Reuven, who acted for his mother's honor and still sat in sackcloth wondering whether his deed was pure, and Avraham, who feared a trace of self-interest at the Akeidah, show us this higher teshuvah. The days through Zos Chanukah are the time to look honestly at our good deeds: first repenting simply, then rising higher in holiness, and so bringing the redemption near.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz of Biala. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.