Maamar (Discourse) What is Chanukah 5701 (1940)
Maamar (Discourse) “What is Chanukah” 5701
By Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson
(translated from the Hebrew by Noah Shavrick, while maintaining the flavor of the original Hebrew)
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(Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson moved to the United States in the spring of 1940. He delivered this Maamar on Chanukah the following winter.)
With the help of heaven, Shabbos Parshas Mikaitz, 5701 (Friday evening, 12/27/1940)
Chapter 1
(The Talmud says,) “What is Chanukah? For our rabbis taught, ‘On Chof Hay (the 25th) of (the month of) Kislev, there are eight days of Chanukah. When the Greeks entered the temple, they made impure all of the oil of the Temple, and when the kingdom of the House of the Chashmonaim (Maccabees) overpowered and defeated the Greeks, they searched, yet they could not find except one flask of oil, which was placed with the seal of the high priest, and it only contained the amount to light one day. A miracle occurred upon it and they lit from it for eight days. The next year they established them and made them into holidays, with praise and thanks.’”
We need to understand, that only after they had already learned many laws in the Talmud, with regards to the laws of Chanukah, do they ask, “What is Chanukah?”
With every revelation and drawing down of Light from above, and every revelation of deliverance that the Holy One blessed be He does with Israel, His nation, whether it is from the drawing down of the Lights and revelations in the revelation of miracles which are enclothed in the garments of nature, or whether it is from the drawing down of the Lights and revelations in the revelation of miracles which go outside of the ways of nature, it is specifically at the “time” that was established for this. This means that even the set time, which then was the miracle, (that time) is the main thing in that matter.
This means, besides the fact that the establishment of the “time” of the revelation and the miracle affects the future time (of its commemoration and celebration), when it’s time is reached in the course of the year, since at that (celebratory) time is again revealed the radiance, and it is similar to what was at that time, the first time (of the miracle and revelation), and this is the content of the blessings, in the blessing of Shehecheyanu, that he has given us life and sustained us and we have reached this time, and the blessing of She’assa Nissim, that he has made miracles for our fathers in those days, in this time.
This means that just like on Rosh Hashanah we say, “This is the day of the beginning of your acts, a remembrance to the first day,” that on every Rosh Hashanah it is a remembrance to the first day of the intent of creation, which was the sixth day, in the act of creation. It is similarly so with every Sabbath, Yom Tov (Holiday), and special times of the miracles, that the radiance from them is recalled and accomplished, every year, on that day upon which was the miracle. Besides this, the time itself, upon which that matter was for the first time, that “time” has a relationship to the essence of the matter, that this matter needed to be specifically at this time.
The miracle of Chanukah was in the month of Kislev, on the 25th in it. We need to understand the relationship between Chanukah and specifically the month of Kislev.
Furthermore, we need to understand that, seemingly, the main miracle was that Israel found a flask of oil, sealed with the seal of the high priest, that when the Greeks defiled all of the oil, which was in the Temple, this flask they did not touch, since it was in the ground, like the commentary of Tosafos, since they had already decreed upon the Gentiles to cause defilement by contact like a Zav (impurity), and they also recognized that the Greeks did not touch this flask, like the commentary of Rashi.
Seemingly, the main miracle was the victory (Netzach) of the war, and through the victory of the war, they were able to find the oil. Furthermore, we need to understand, why did they establish eight lamps? The menorah in the temple had only seven lamps, and why are the lamps of Chanukah eight?
At the simple level, this is because of the miracle, that, from one flask, they lit from it for eight days. However, this itself we need to understand, since it had enough oil for one day, if so, the miracle was only for seven days. From the words of the Gemara (Talmud), that they lit from it for “eight days”, it sounds like the miracle was for all eight days, that each night, the menorah was (miraculously) filled from just one eighth of the flask, (instead of the whole flask).
We need to understand, why was the miracle of the flask of oil for eight, no less and no more? And with the issue in general, it is not understandable, that with the whole issue of the war with the Greeks, when they overpowered the Jews and entered the Temple, all of their victory, that they showed, was to make impure the oils that were in the Temple, since in the Holy Temple there were vessels of silver and gold, and it is the way of conquerors in the war to capture the spoils, and to take the silver, gold, and precious stones. In the war with the Greeks, this is not at all mentioned, except that they made impure, oils that were in the temple.
However, the issue is that the war with the Greeks was a spiritual war. They did not want to physically harm the bodies of Israel, but their main desire was to have the Jews forget “Your Torah” and to remove them from the “Laws of Your Will”. The whole matter of their war was against the Torah of Hashem and against the Commandments, which are the Laws of His Will, may He be blessed. This means that with regards to the Torah, which is a great wisdom and remarkable intelligence, to this, even the Greeks agreed, and since the Greeks were great wise men, they were also amazed over the great magnitude of the wondrous wisdom within the laws of the Torah.
However, what they were opposed to was that this is the “Torah of Hashem”, i.e. to the holiness of the Torah, which is His wisdom, may He be blessed. Against this, they waged war. And likewise, with regards to the Commandments which are (Mishpatim) logical laws, like honoring one’s father and mother, charity, keeping from stealing and thievery, and the Commandments which are (Aidos) testaments, like the Sabbath, and Passover, and the like, the Greeks also agreed to them, but the Commandments of the (Chukim) statutes (which have no logical reason) like impurity and purity, the red heifer, and (Shaatnez) mixing linen and wool, to this they were opposed.
And in truth, from the Torah, which is Light, even the Commandments, which are logical laws and testaments (Mishpatim and Aidos), need to be fulfilled, not because they are understood, even by the human intellect, but only because they are the commandment of Hashem. Against this the Greeks waged war, that they wanted Israel to forget the Torah “of Hashem” and the statutes “of His Will”, as the teaching, “(The Greeks commanded the Jews,) ‘Write for you upon the horn of an ox that you have no portion in the God of Israel.’” All of the war was against G-dliness. You can learn Torah, you can fulfill the Commandments of the logical laws and the testaments, just do not mention that it is the Torah of G-d and that the Commandments are the statutes of His Will, may He be blessed. Do not mention, in the Torah and the Commandments, the issue of G-dliness. Therefore, when the Greeks entered the temple, their first matter was to make impure all of the oil, which was in the temple.
Chapter 2
However, in this main issue of the war, the war of the Greeks, which was a spiritual war against the Torah of God and against the Commandments of God, which are the statutes of His Will, may He be blessed, why was their main desire to make impure the oil? The Greeks did this for the sake of victory (Netzach), since, at that moment, they had not yet conquered, it was only the beginning of the victory. Just as it is the way of those waging war is to capture or to stop up sources of water and the like, that through this they weaken the powers of the other side, likewise the Greeks, when they wanted to strongly establish their standing, and to conquer Israel, the beginning of everything was in their efforts to make impure the oil.
We need to understand why does this matter so much, that when they made impure the oil, in the temple, that through this they were certain of their victory? And also with regards to the miracle that the Holy One, blessed be He, did for Israel, through the Chashmonaim, it was primarily with the issue of the oil, that they found one flask of oil, sealed with the seal of the high priest, But, all of this was already after the victory that the Chashmonaim were victorious over the Greeks, and in this there were many revealed miracles beyond the ways of nature, that the weak ones were victorious over the strong ones, and the few over the many. For all of these miracles they did not establish a remembrance of an action, except praise and thanks, and only after they found one flask of oil, sealed with the seal of the high priest, and they recognized with it that the Greeks had not touched it, they established to light eight lamps.
The general issue of the strength of Israel’s power was through the saying of Shema Yisroel (Hear O Israel), and through this they were victorious over the Greeks, and upon the sword of Yehuda the Chasmonai (Judah Maccabee) was written the holy name “Maccabee”, which is the first letters of the verse, “Who is like you amongst the powers Hashem?” (Mi Chamocha Ba’eilim Hashem, Mem Chof, Bais, Yud spells Maccabee), since it was a spiritual war.
This war is constant in every generation, with every single individual, as the teaching, “The evil desire (Yetzer Hara) of a person increases upon him every day.” There are within this many different levels. There is one who his Animal Soul (Yetzer Hara) bothers him, in his war with him, with regards to emotional attributes, and with regards to behavior. The Animal Soul shoots upon him arrows and bombs from issues of the world, worldly things, which place in him a pleasure in eating and drinking, and primarily with regards to his clothing and to fix his hair, like the behavior of those who sit on the street corners.
And even if he is a student of Torah, the Animal Soul, that wants to cause him to stumble, even in this, that he should be arrogant in his Torah, it continues to blind the eyes of his intellect, that, on the contrary, since he is a student of Torah he needs to find positive reasons behind such (improper) behavior, and through this the animal soul captures the person and brings him into his (evil) domain, and while he is in his (evil) domain, then the Animal Soul pushes him, Heaven save us, from one push to another.
There is another person whose whole issue of the war of his inclination with him is with regards to thoughts, to throw into the man strange thoughts. This means, first of all, to interfere with the man in his prayer, that even when he is standing before God in prayer, his heart is not with him. This is not, God forbid, that he does not want to pray, or he is, God forbid, at the level that he does not believe in what he says in his prayer. He wants to pray and he believes in truth, in a complete faith, about all that he says in his prayer, and at times he even says a Psalm with feelings of the heart (Hartzig), but in spite of all this, suddenly, strange thoughts fall upon him, and from them are also foolishness and nonsense, which have no matter or content at all. This means, that in those thoughts there are no needs at all, not even for his physical matters.
For in truth, from a healthy intellect and even a human intellect, which is gross and physical, it would never agree in any manner, that while he’s standing before God in prayer, he should think of such things. Since, from a healthy intellect, a person needs to be orderly in all of his matters, and when he is standing and speaking before a wise man or official, this is not like the way that he speaks with another person like himself, and especially when he’s standing before God in prayer. And all of this is where the matter itself has content, but that he needs to push it off to another time. But, a matter, that from itself has no content of any type at all, and it is only to mix up his mind, where the animal soul mixes up his mind, at that moment, he is like one who lacks intelligence, G-d forbid, since someone who has a healthy mind, even his thoughts are orderly, which is not the case for someone who lacks intelligence, G-d forbid, his thoughts are not orderly.
And at times, the animal soul throws strange thoughts of heresy, G-d forbid, and the reason for this is because of the nature of his being regularly accustomed to be involved with unnecessary things, that the mind becomes empty, which is called by people a Pusta Kup.
And there is one whose animal soul fights with him with regards to speech, that even in this there are many levels, whether forbidden speech, like gossiping and evil talk, lying and slandering, whether with ugly speech, in forms all of flattery and the like, or with speech of jokes. And at times, the animal soul wages war with him with regards to seeing or hearing.
The beginning of everything is that the animal soul makes impure the “oil”, which is “pleasure”. It takes the pleasure that a person should have in issues of holiness and replaces it with the pleasure in this world, in general, and with all other issues, of the emotional attributes, thought and speech. And most of all is what the animal soul makes impure, G-d forbid, the oil of Torah and the commandments. That not only this, that it takes, God forbid, the G-dly pleasure and vitality, which is in the Torah and the commandments, but even more than this, it cools off for him (removes the spiritual vitality from) all of the holiness of the Torah and the commandments, to only grasp the matter in its simple form, according to the comprehension of his simple intellect.
Chapter 3
The well counseled “advice”, to be victorious over the war, is through the saying of the Shema, which is the Avodah (work) of the mind, to understand and comprehend what is His Unity and His Oneness, may he be blessed, in all of the creation, as Maimonides writes in the laws of reading the Shema, Chapter 1, Law 2, about the reason that the saying of the portion of Shema precedes the portion of “Vehaya Im Shamoah” (the second paragraph dealing with the commandments), and the portion of “Vayomer” (the third paragraph dealing with Tzitzis), since the portion of Shema has in it the Unity of Hashem, loving Him and studying His teachings, which is the main thing that everything else is dependent on.
This means, that in the actual issue of his learning Torah, should be the Unity of God and his love of G-d, that he does not grasp the words of Torah, just in their literal sense, but rather that, through the study of the laws, a unity of God is made, and a revelation of his love of G-d, may He be blessed.
And the Rambam’s words in Law 4 are specific when he says that Yaakov commanded (his sons to say the Shema) and encouraged them about the Unity of Hashem and “the way of Hashem”, upon which walked Abraham and Isaac his father. Seemingly, it is not understandable, what is his intent by adding the saying “and upon the way of Hashem, which Avraham and Yitzchak his father walked on,” since all of this is relative to the unity of God, since even the saying of the first verse of Shema, which requires a complete intention, our rabbis of blessed memory have said to make Him the King, above and below, and to the four directions of the world; more is not needed, since this is the issue of the true unity. If so, what did he come to add, by saying that Yaakov commanded them and encouraged them also about “the way of Hashem, upon which walked Abraham and Isaac his father?”
However, the matter is that with regards to the unity of Hashem there is a way and manner as to how to unify Him, may He be blessed, as our rabbis of blessed memory have said, “The forefathers are literally the Chariot.” The whole issue of a chariot (a vehicle) is a nullification and setting oneself aside, giving over oneself and setting oneself aside for G-dliness. The unification of Hashem needs to be only in a manner according to “the way of Hashem,” for it is possible to be that there is someone who unifies Hashem by studying Torah, but not in a manner that is “the way of Hashem”. This means that it is not in a manner of nullification and setting himself aside, but on the contrary, since he is a servant of Hashem, to unify Him, may he be blessed, the man is precious in his own eyes, and automatically becomes a “something” and existence to himself, and upon him our rabbis of blessed memory have said that the Holy One blessed be He says, “He and I are unable to dwell in the same world,” that his grossness and being something, pushes away the feet of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), because the inner light of Torah is hidden and further concealed from him.
This is the Avodah of the saying of the Shema, the unification of Hashem, in a manner that is according to “the way of Hashem” upon which walked Abraham and Isaac, with Mesiras Nefesh (giving over one’s soul to Hashem). The beginning of this work is in a manner of an acceptance of the Yoke, as the teaching of our rabbis of blessed memory, “Why does Shema precede “Vehaya Im Shamoah?” in order to accept upon himself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven first.
The beginning of the Avodah is the acceptance of the yoke. This means, that although the Avodah of the saying of the Shema is the Avodah of the mind, the beginning of the Avodah, must be in the way of specifically accepting the yoke, that the ideas that one needs to know, in order to serve Hashem, its beginning is in the way of the acceptance of the yoke. This means to put out effort with his mind and to push his intellect, once, twice, three times, until many times, with a great and awesome effort, until he receives that comprehension. And after he receives the divine comprehension, he needs to put out effort with his mind, and to push his intellect, to understand that comprehension in clarity.
For it is brought by Maimonides, in the beginning of Mishneh Torah, “The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a First Existence, and He brought all other existences into existence, and everything that exists from heaven and earth, and what ever is between them, did not come into existence, except from the truth of His Existence. The Rambam says here three foundational things: The first foundation is that Hashem, may He be blessed, is the First Existence. The second foundation is that Hashem brought everything else into existence. The third foundation is that the manner of (everything) coming into existence is from the truth of His Existence.
And although they are foundations, which means the central issues, that with essential issues, investigation and philosophizing cannot apply, since only something which is principally new, like a concept, can investigation and philosophizing be applied to it, but something which is foundational, which is essential, investigation and philosophizing cannot apply. Upon this the Rambam says “the pillar of wisdom”, for the foundation of all foundations is His nature and His essence, may He be blessed, and He Himself is the pillar of all wisdom, since He and His Wisdom are one. And the emanation of the issue of wisdom within His Essence, may He be blessed, this in itself is giving permission and the ability for the creatures to comprehend Him, may He be blessed.
And therefore it is possible to know these three foundational issues, that God, may He be blessed, is the First Existence, and that He has brought everything else into existence, and the manner of bringing them into existence is from the truth of His Existence. This is only what is possible to know, i.e. what the mind and intellect of a person are able to grasp. Moreover, the knowledge of this matter is also an obligation, as the Rambam says in Law 6, “And the knowledge of this matter is a positive commandment.” This means that besides this, that the knowledge of this matter is a foundation of all foundations and “the pillar of wisdom”, the actual and essential knowledge of this is a positive commandment.
The matter is that “knowing the Torah” is a commandment, and the parameter of the commandment is that his mind and intellect understand and grasp the matter of the law that he is learning. And the commandment of “knowing the Torah” is a commandment in addition to the commandment of “studying Torah”, since the parameter of the commandment (of “studying Torah”) is just saying the letters of the Torah, even if he does not understand their meaning. Yet, “knowing Torah”, the parameter of its commandment is specifically by “knowing the meaning”, and the more he knows is a greater and more beautiful fulfillment of the commandment. But nevertheless, knowing Torah is a general commandment, without a difference as to which law he studies.
In addition to “knowing Torah” and “studying Torah” is the commandment of “knowing Hashem”, which is a positive commandment, where the actual “knowing” is a particular positive commandment.
And in the study of the “inner esoteric aspects” of Torah, there are three commandments: “studying Torah”, “knowing Torah”, and the “knowing of G-dliness”, which is in the Torah, which is higher than all of them. It is the flask of oil that is sealed with the seal of the high priest, that through this they are victorious over the war with the animal soul.
And this is, (the meaning of the Talmud’s question) “What is Chanukah?” Since the word Chanukah makes up the words Chanu Koh (they “camped” (at the end of the war) on Koh”, the 25th , Chof Hay). Koh is the Sefirah of Malchus (which in Avodah is Mesiras Nefesh and acceptance of the yoke), and “Chanu Koh” means that the emanation (from the Sefiros above) reached (and “camped” (Chanu) at) the level of Malchus (Koh). For in the matter of Sefiros (Divine Emanations), the Sefirah of Malchus (Koh) is the end (and achievement) of all levels. And in Avodah, the matter of the Sefirah of Malchus (Koh) is the accepting of the Kingship and Dominion upon himself, as the teaching, “Make him king upon all of his limbs,” (make him) a ruler over himself.
And this is the question, “What is Chanukah?” (It is asking) how is it possible that a person become a ruler over themselves? This is through the Avodah. And this is that on the “Koh (25th) of Kislev” there are eight days of Chanukah. The summer months are the Ohr Yashar (straight light in the Sefiros, from above to below) (where the Sefiros are in the order of Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferes, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod), and the winter months are the Ohr Chozer (returning light from below to above, where the order of the Sefiros is Yesod, Hod, Netzach, Tiferes, Gevurah, and Chessed). In the summer months, Sivan is the third month (Tiferes), and in the winter months, Kislev is the third month (Netzach).
The summer months are the “straight light” in Avodah, which is the issue of “Torah”, which is the drawing down “from above to below”, and in the Sefiros, Sivan is the Sefirah of Tiferes. And the months of winter are the “returning light” in Avodah, which is the issue of “prayer”, which is sending up “from below to above”, for in the Sefiros, in the manner of the returning light, Kislev is the Sefirah of Netzach (Victory).
Therefore, we now understand the meaning of (“the 25th of Kislev”, the “Koh of Kislev”, the Netzach victory due to Malchus, the victory through the acceptance of the yoke and self-sacrifice of Mesiras Nefesh) in the month of “Kislev”, which is the Sefirah of “Netzach (Victory)”, in the Avodah of “Mesiras Nefesh” (Malchus, giving over one’s soul to Hashem), which is “on the 25th (Koh)” they were victorious over the Greeks, who opposed the Torah of Hashem and His commandments, may He be blessed.