Zos: A Light One Can Point To
Bamidbar 7:84 (with 7:1)
זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ מֵאֵת נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל קַעֲרֹת כֶּסֶף שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מִזְרְקֵי כֶסֶף שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר כַּפּוֹת זָהָב שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה
This was the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed, from the princes of Israel: twelve silver bowls, twelve silver basins, twelve golden spoons.
170aThe verse above calls the dedication of the altar, on the day it and “all its vessels” were anointed, zos, “this.”1 Zos means revelation: something seen by the eye, that one points to with the finger. So Chazal expounded at the end of Taanis on the verse “Behold, this (zeh) is our God; we hoped for Him …”: in the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will make a circle dance for the tzaddikim, and each one will point with his finger.2 So too Chazal say that “This month” was one of the things Hashem showed Moshe with His finger, and that He showed him the anointing oil, as it says, “This (zeh) shall be a holy anointing oil …”3
[נג] זֹאת חֲנוּכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אוֹתוֹ וְאֶת כָּל כֵּלָיו, זֹאת הוּא הַהִתְגַּלּוּת דָּבָר שֶׁנִּרְאֶה לָעַיִן וּמַרְאִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאֶצְבַּע, כְּמוֹ שֶׁדָּרְשׁוּ חז"ל (סוף תענית) עַל פָּסוּק הִנֵּה אֱלֹקֵינוּ זֶה קִוִּינוּ לוֹ וְכוּ' שֶׁעָתִיד הקב"ה לַעֲשׂוֹת מָחוֹל לַצַּדִּיקִים וְכָל אֶחָד מַרְאֶה בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ. וּכְמַאֲמָרָם ז"ל (ש"ר פט"ו) וְכֵן הַחוֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה שֶׁהֶרְאָה הקב"ה לְמֹשֶׁה בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ, הֶרְאָהוּ שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר שֶׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת קוֹדֶשׁ יְהִי' זֶה וְכוּ' עיי"ש.
- Bamidbar 7:84; the words “and all its vessels” are from 7:1. ↩
- Taanis 31a; Yeshayahu 25:9. ↩
- Shemos Rabbah 15:28; Shemos 12:2; Shemos 30:31. ↩
In shortZos and zeh mean a revelation one can point to with a finger, like the tzaddikim's dance to come and what Hashem showed Moshe.
170bChazal said as well that Moshe's prophecy came through a clear, shining lens, since it is written of him, “This (zeh) is the thing.”4 On the eighth day, when the altar and its vessels were anointed, the tremendous force of the holy life-force resting on the altar could be seen and recognized by every eye, until each person could point to it with his finger. This is “Zos was the dedication of the altar”: it was on the level of zos, the feminine form of zeh. And this is why the eighth day of Chanukah is called Zos Chanukah. On the last day the lights of all the days of Chanukah are revealed so fully that one can point with a finger to the light revealed.
וְכֵן אָמְרוּ חז"ל נְבִיאוּת מֹשֶׁה הָיְתָה בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְּאִירָה מִדִּכְתִיב זֶה הַדָּבָר, וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי שֶׁנִּמְשַׁח הַמִּזְבֵּחַ וְכֵלָיו הֵי' נִיכָּר וְנִרְאֶה עוֹצֶם תּוֹקֶף פְּעוּלַּת הַחַיּוּת דִּקְדוּשָּׁה שֶׁהֵי' שׁוּרָה עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְעֵין כֹּל עַד שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד הֵי' יָכוֹל לְהַרְאוֹת בְּאֶצְבָּעוֹ, וְזֶה זֹאת חֲנוּכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ שֶׁהֵי' בִּבְחִי' זֹאת וְהוּא כְּמוֹ זֶה בִּלְשׁוֹן זָכָר, וְזֶה הַטַּעַם שֶׁנִּקְרָא יוֹם ח' דַּחֲנוּכָּה זֹאת חֲנוּכָּה לְפִי שֶׁבַּיּוֹם הָאַחֲרוֹן הוּא הִתְגַּלּוּת הָאוֹרוֹת מִכָּל יְמֵי חֲנוּכָּה כ"כ עַד שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהַרְאוֹת בְּאֶצְבַּע הַהִתְגַּלּוּת הָאוֹר.
- Bamidbar 30:2; Rashi there: the other prophets prophesied with “Thus says Hashem,” and Moshe, beyond them, with “This is the thing.” The clear lens is from Yevamos 49b. ↩
In shortAt the altar's anointing its holiness was plain to every eye; so on Zos Chanukah the light of all eight days is revealed enough to point to.
170cBut one who is not worthy of this has eyes too clouded to see,5 and he does not see the revelation at all, though it is on the level of zos. As Dovid HaMelech said, “A boor cannot know, and a fool cannot understand this (zos).”6 For the revelation is chiefly for the angels on high and for the perfect tzaddikim. This explains the verse “From Hashem was this (zos).”7 We believe with complete faith that the revelation was from Hashem, but “it is wondrous in our eyes,” for “a boor cannot know ….” We do not know or feel the splendor and preciousness of the revelation of the great lights. Even so, we rejoice and are glad in the joy of the tzaddikim and the upright, for we believe that they see this zos, and their joy is our joy.
אַךְ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רָאוּי לָזֶה טַחוּ עֵינָיו מֵרְאוֹת וְאֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה כְּלָל הַהִתְגַּלּוּת אַף שֶׁהִיא בִּבְחִי' זֹאת, וכמו"ש דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ ע"ה (תהלים צ"ב) אִישׁ בַּעַר לֹא יֵדָע וּכְסִיל לֹא יָבִין אֶת ״זֹאת. כִּי הָעִיקָּר הַהִתְגַּלּוּת הוּא לְמַלְאֲכֵי מָרוֹם וְלַצַּדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים, וז"ב הַכָּתוּב (שם קי"ח) מֵאֵת ד' הָיְתָה זֹּאת, אָנוּ מַאֲמִינִים בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵימָה שֶׁמֵּאֵת ה' הָיְתָה הַהִתְגַּלּוּת, אֲבָל נִפְלָאת הִיא בְּעֵינֵינוּ כִּי אִישׁ בַּעַר לֹא יֵדָע וְכוּ', וְאָנוּ אַף שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ יוֹדְעִים וּמַרְגִּישִׁים יִפְעַת יִקְרַת הִתְגַּלּוּת הָאוֹרוֹת הַגְּדוֹלוֹת, עכ"ז אֲנַחְנוּ שָׂשִׂים וּשְׂמֵחִים בְּשִׂמְחַת צַדִּיקִים וִישָׁרִים שֶׁמַּאֲמִינִים אֲנַחְנוּ שֶׁהֵמָּה רוֹאִין אֶת זֹאת וְשִׂמְחָתָם הוּא שִׂמְחָתֵינוּ,
In shortThe revelation is for angels and perfect tzaddikim; we who cannot see it believe it is “from Hashem” and rejoice in the tzaddikim's joy.
170dThis is the meaning of “This (zeh) is the day Hashem has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”8 We believe that Hashem made the day on the level of zeh, a light one can point to, and though we do not see it, still “let us rejoice and be glad in it,” in the joy of the tzaddikim. And this is the meaning of “By this (bezos) I know that You desire me, that my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.”9 “By zos” is by Zos Chanukah: through the revelation of the tremendous force of the holy lights, “I know that You desire me, that my enemy does not shout in triumph” then, in the days of the Chashmona'im, “over me.”
וְזֶה הַפֵּי' זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה ד', שֶׁמַּאֲמִינִים אָנוּ שֶׁד' עָשָׂה הַיּוֹם בִּבְחִי' ״זֶה וְאַף שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ רוֹאִים עכ"ז נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בּוֹ בְּשִׂמְחַת הַצַּדִּיקִים, וְזֶה הַפֵּי' (שם מ"א) בְּזֹאת יָדַעְתִּי כִּי חָפַצְתָּ בִּי כִּי לֹא יָרִיעַ אוֹיְבִי עָלָי הַיְינוּ בְּזֹאת חֲנוּכָּה ע"י הַהִתְגַּלּוּת עוֹצֶם תּוֹקֶף הָאוֹרוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת יָדַעְתִּי כִּי חָפַצְתָּ בִּי כִּי לֹא יָרִיעַ אוֹיְבִי הַיְינוּ אָז בִּימֵי חַשְׁמוֹנָאִים עָלָי:
In short“This is the day Hashem has made” lets us rejoice in a light we do not see, and “by zos” the revealed lights show Hashem's love, as in the Chashmona'im's day.
171Chanukah also speaks of a beginning and of chinuch, training, as one trains a young child, and Chanukah is the beginning of the drawing down of the lights. That is why on Chanukah we say, “This is the gate to Hashem; the righteous will enter it”:10 the beginning is the gate. And “prepare yourself in the antechamber, so that you may enter the banquet hall,”11 so that the lights will surround you, as an ohr makif, a surrounding light.
חֲנוּכָּה הוּא לְשׁוֹן הַתְחָלָה וְחִינּוּךְ כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּחַנְּכִין הַתִּינוֹק, וְאָז הִיא הַתְחָלָה לְהַמְשָׁכוֹת הָאוֹרוֹת, וְזֶה שֶׁאוֹמְרִין בַּחֲנוּכָּה זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַד' צַדִּיקִים יָבוֹאוּ בוֹ שֶׁהַהַתְחָלָה הִיא הַשַּׁעַר, וְהַתְקֵן עַצְמְךָ בַּפְּרוֹזְדוֹר כְּדֵי שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס לַטְּרַקְלִין שֶׁיְּהִי' הָאוֹרוֹת מַקִּיפִין לְךָ בִּבְחִי' אוֹר מַקִּיף:
In shortChanukah is a beginning, the “gate” through which the lights start to come; one prepares at the entrance so the lights may surround him.
Takeaway
Even when we cannot see the great lights of Zos Chanukah, we can believe that they are revealed and rejoice in the joy of the tzaddikim who see them. And Chanukah is a beginning: standing at the gate, we prepare ourselves now, so that the light will come to surround us.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Yerachmiel Yisroel Yitzchok Danziger of Alexander. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.