Illuminations Volume 8 by Ramaz School

‫הארות‬

Illuminations

November 5, 2013 Volume VII

‫מוקדש לז״נ עזרא בן פרידה מלכה ע״ה‬

Volume 8

Ramaz Upper School

Chanukah 5775, 2014

Torah and Shekhinah

Whose Holiday?

Hadassah Brenner ‘17

David Major ‘15

Chanukah and Purim are two holidays I am curled up in a corner of our library, perusing the Torah. Concealed and enveloped that are often compared even though they have behind a burgundy velvet curtain, I am certain many differences. Other than commonly being no one will discover me here and interrupt my the two favorite holidays, they are both the holidays in which we say A l H a n i s i m . The secret meeting with God. This has become our evening ritual. Just A l H a n i s i m of each holiday are similar in as the sun slowly descends behind our estate’s m a n y w a y s , b u t a l s o h a v e s i g n i fi c a n t tall oaks, I hide beside the window, gazing at the differences. Exploring these two prayers can sinking orb, entranced by God’s wonders. Then, shed light on both holidays and teach us an important lesson about humility. I learn, alone with the Book. I n t h e A l H a n i s i m of Pu ri m, Except, I’m not alone. Mordechai and Esther are not credited at all for I hear breathing on the other side of the curtain. My heart pounds frightened at the saving the Jewish people. Their names are not even mentioned in the prayer other than as thought of us being discovered. Slowly, I peel back the thick material and indicators of the time period the prayer is take a peek around the room. At first glance, it’s discussing. The verse completely credits vacant. I sigh with relief, but then worry, as to Hashem. It is written, “You in Your great compassion thwarted his [Haman’s] counsel, who was watching me sets in. “Who’s there?” I inquire, attempting to frustrated his plans, and caused his scheme to recoil on his own head”. sound authoritative and demanding. S i m i l a r l y, i n No response. I’m the A l H a n i s i m of just about to return to my beloved reading when a Dedicated in Loving Memory of Chanukah, the Maccabees are similarly not credited translucent figure appears Ezra Shabot A”H for winning the war against across the chamber. A the Greek Empire; woman clad in white. ‫עזרא בן פרידה מלכה ע״ה‬ Continued on page 19

by the Shabot and Maleh families

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Illuminations The Torah Light Hadassah Brenner ‘17

I stood there, recalling the past. Inevitably, it transformed quite fast. Foremost of the gezeros we are forbade to study Torah and Mitzvot. Outlawed are the beloved Shabbat, Brit Milah, and Kiddush Hachodesh. On our doors we are obliged to write Regardless of the perils, we continued to delight in the Torah light. Some stole away in caves; some perished for the sake of Hashem. They were murdered by Yaven. Some practiced in the ways of the Greeks, they betrayed us too. But no, I remained true. Suddenly, fiery stallions descended from the sky. The enemies gaped, puzzled over why. To Yisrael it was a signal from Hashem. A sign that He would soon rescue them. I recollect Elazar impale an elephant’s immense abdomen in the battle. He presumed Antiochus was mounted on its saddle. He too died l’kiddush Hashem, When the elephant fell upon him. During the fight, Hashem dispatched aiding angels. It was a magnificent sight. The angels propelled arrows back in the enemy’s direction. Marvels like this should occur only in tales of fiction. That is why it was a genuine miracle. The struggle of the Jews; it was indeed spiritual. The last thing I perceive, the Macabees erupted in a warrior’s cry. “Mi L’Hashem Elei!” I hope the Jews accomplished a significant victory. One destined to be recorded in history. I will never know.

‫הארות‬ Chanukah: A Reestablishment of Jewish Identity Alex Eisenstein ‘16 The conflict of Chanukah was an internal, civil struggle between religious Jews and the highly acculturated Hellenistic Jews to either maintain a religious identity under the Torah or to abandon Jewish beliefs and become assimilated, Hellenistic Jews. During the Hellenistic Period, the Greeks’ way of life became increasingly popular amongst all nations. The Jews like many other nations wanted to experience and benefit from Hellenistic philosophy, such as Stoicism and Epicureanism, Greek athletic competitions, such as the ancient Olympic Games, and to acculturate into Hellenistic culture. Internalizing Greek philosophy caused many Jews to commit idolatry, pray to multiple Greek gods, and to be led astray from the mitzvot. In addition to psychological changes, many Jews underwent excruciatingly painful surgeries in order to reverse their circumcisions. The Olympic Games were played naked.

Many Jews wanted to be socially accepted by the Greeks and they were willing to undergo physical pain in order to assimilate. The Maccabees fought in order to cleanse the Jewish nation and to eradicate their nation of all self-hating Jews. It was a civil war to define a Jewish identity. The spoils of the miraculous Chanukah war was a reformation of a Judaism that abided by the Torah’s laws. A common theme among Jewish holidays is that some force attempts to destroy the Jewish identity that has persevered for over 2,000 years. In every case, Judaism prevails. As an American, Modern Orthodox Jew, there is an intrinsic struggle to maintain a practice of Judaism through the following of the Torah and to enjoy American culture without assimilating. The ideologies that drove the war of Chanukah are never-ending and, to this day, Jews across the world fight for the survival of their Jewish Identity. Jill Adler ‘15

Illuminations ‫הארות‬ Publicity of the Miracle of Chanukah Nate Fessel ’15 These issues relate to the essence of the holiday itself. A major distinction between Purim/ Pesach and Chanukah is that on Purim/Pesach, we were faced with a physical threat (i.e., death), whereas on Chanukah, we faced a spiritual threat (i.e., conversion). To fight against the threat of death is clear – either you fight or you die. However, in the case of Chanukah, the lines are not so clear-cut – sometimes, one may lose more by fighting a spiritual danger instead of accepting the circumstances and trying to make the best of them. Thus, the miracle of Chanukah is not only that we won, but that we consciously chose to fight in the first place and retained our commitment to the mitzvot and to our religion. The Talmud (Shabbat 53a) contributes another side to this explanation. There, the Gemara presents the story of a man who was miraculously able to nurse an infant himself when no female was around. Rav Yosef inferred that the man must have been exceptional to have merited this miracle, but Abaye seems to think that the man was lowly, since the ways of the world had to change for him. Thus, there are two types of miracles: those which come as a result of an individual’s actions and merits and those which are performed to save the individual from disaster with no relation to his merits. The exodus from Egypt seems to fit into this second category: the miracle was performed to save the Jewish people from annihilation and occurred in the merit of the . The miracle of Chanukah,

Essential to the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Chanukah is Pirsumei Nisah, the publicizing of the miracle. Laws regarding the time, location, and number of candles are all centered around this fundamental requirement, and are thus subject to debates between various commentators. The Talmud ( 26b) presents a Beraita that teaches: “In times of danger, he should place the light on his table, and that is sufficient for him to fulfill the mitzvah.” This raises an obvious contradiction: if the fundamental mitzvah is pirsumei nisah, then why would we light the menorah on our tables if no one will see it? If the danger makes this mitzvah impossible, why don’t we forgo the lighting, rather than perform it in an ineffective way? , Chapter 4, 12), rules that “Even one who only receives food from charity must lend or sell his clothing, purchase oil and wicks, and light.” The , in response to the question of why we must give up so much of our money for this mitzvah (whereas in most other cases we do not), explains ruling: just as a destitute individual is required to sell his clothes in order to acquire four cups of wine for the Passover Seder, certainly that is the case in relation to Chanukah. The objects and argues that the menorah is not comparable to the miracle that is remembered on Pesach.

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‫הארות‬ however, came about as a result of the Jewish People’s desire to perform the and defend their faith. The miracle of Chanukah, then, may be even more worthy of publicizing than the miracle of . Even though the exodus was more supernatural, the miracle of Chanukah was brought about through the commitment of the Jewish People. This may explain why a poor person must sell his clothes to fulfill the mitzvah. This also answers the question as to why we must light on our tables despite there being no pirsumei nisah.

The whole point of Chanukah is to realize that we can’t be complacent with the spiritual obstacles in our time. We have to continue to push to accomplish our goals and further our spirituality. Lighting on the table in times of danger symbolizes our intrinsic desire to fight back and merit our own miracles. sources: One of these Mitzvot is not like the Others Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky https://www.shaalvim.org/yeshiva/torah/view.asp? id=475 http://doleh-u-mashkeh.blogspot.com/2013/12/ chanukah-dvar-torah-from-last-yr.html http://toratshraga.com/articlenav.php?id=339

Chanukah on the Road Ben Kaplan ‘16 The Talmud (Shabbat 23a) discusses this problem and gives three possible solutions. The first is that you can acquire partial ownership in the lighting by giving the owner money. Second, if you have your own family who is lighting in your home, you can be included in their lighting. Lastly, you are allowed to light your own separate menorah. This also applies to a hotel, as it is considered your temporary place of dwelling, just like your friend’s house. The next scenario is if one is incapable of lighting candles in one’s location. For example, if one is on a plane during the hours in which one is allowed to light the menorah, as one is not allowed to light candles on a plane.

Chanukah falls out most years in midDecember, and we go about commemorating it in a couple of different ways, with the main way being lighting candles. The states that one is supposed to light candles in one’s place of residence. This leads to a lot of possible issues if one is traveling over Chanukah. This article will discuss some of the different places one could be on a night of Chanukah and how to perform the mitzvah of lighting the menorah in these locations. A common situation is when you are staying in someone else’s house on Chanukah. Are you are included in the lighting of your host, or do you light your own?

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Illuminations In this case it seems that the only solution is As a whole the mitzvah of lighting the would be to appoint someone to light on your menorah is the most important mitzvah of behalf at your house. Chanukah. We should make sure to either light The was once asked, what the candles ourselves, or appoint someone else should one do if we are not able. It about lighting has very few candles on an requirements, and overnight train? therefore we He responds that should be one should bring e s p e c i a l l y a menorah and stringent to fulfill light it on the train. this “easy He claims the opportunity” for a train acts as a mitzvah of lighting t e m p o r a r y candles. In residence. a d d i t i o n , The Talmud Chanukah does ( S h a b b a t 23a) not really feel very discusses the different from a possibility of regular day, so we lighting candles must light candles on a boat. in order to suggests that one differentiate cannot light a between the menorah at all, holiday and a Jill Adler ‘15 but should recite normal day, and to the other two blessings of create a holiday atmosphere. and , on the lights one Sources: sees on the coast. http://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/shiur.asp?id=6569 The explains one cannot light on a boat but may light on a train because the boat did not have a roof so technically it is not considered a place of dwelling. 6

‫הארות‬ Is Chanukah Really Sukkot? A Textual Hunt Mr. Paul Shaviv, Head of School You light eight on the first night, and decrease to one; says that on the first night you light one, and from then on you increase…. Before we explore further, we should note the following: At the time of the (about 600 years after the events of Chanukah), the normal practice was to light one light per household, per evening. Those who wanted to do more lit one light per family member, per evening. Lighting up to eight lights was something reserved for the "ultra-observant," or, perhaps better, the "ultra-enthusiastic" - and there was no explicit connection to the story of the single jar of oil. 2. The jar of oil Only when this discussion is over does the ask “What is Chanukah anyway?” (" ?"), and the response includes the story of the jar of oil that should have lasted for one day, but lasted for eight. (In a further twist, the , written by R’ Yosef Karo, the author of the , asks a famous question: if there was enough oil for one day, then wasn’t the miracle for seven days?) This is the first, and only place in Jewish sources where this story is mentioned, and it comes after the discussion (and conclusion) of the question of how we light the Chanukah lights. 3. and

There are two fundamental debates about Chanukah. 1. The first asks whether the central miracle of Chanukah was the military victory, as the Al haNisim prayer states, or if it was the miracle of the jug of oil? 2. The second is the question of why Chanukah is celebrated for eight days? Ah, you will argue, “everyone knows” that we keep eight days of Chanukah because of the miracle of the oil. But buried in the , and supported by other sources, is the idea that Chanukah commemorates a belated celebration of Sukkot which took place in the month of when the Hasmoneans finally captured, purified, and rededicated the Temple. Sounds strange? Read on….. 1. Chanukah lights in the time of the The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) describes and discusses different traditions of lighting the Chanukah lamps. The first suggestions of the , which it assumes everyone knows to be the usual practices, are unfamiliar to us: The mitzvah of Hanukkah [is that] every [head of the house] lights one light each night. The (those who want to especially beautify their observance) light one light each night for each member of the family. The more familiar practice is defined as the custom of the ‘ultra-observant’: The (= the extra)says: 7

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Illuminations 4. Enter: Sukkot! Our main source for the Chanukah story is the Books of the Maccabees. These are not part of the , but part of a twilight collection of texts known as the Apocrypha – not holy, but accepted as authoritative in varying degrees. There are four “Books of the Macabbees,” and we regard the first and second as most important. They contain almost everything we know about Chanukah (except the legend of the Pach haShemen!). The second Book of the Maccabbees preserves an interesting tradition about the origins of Chanukah, and in 2 Maccabees 10: 5 - 8 we read the following astonishing passage: "5 It happened that on the same day on which the sanctuary had been profaned by the foreigners, the purification of the sanctuary took place, that is, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, which was . 6 They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of Sukkot, remembering how not long before, during the festival of Sukkot, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. 7 Therefore, carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also fronds of palm ( = – PJS), they offered hymns of thanksgiving to Him who had given success to the purifying of His own holy place. 8 They decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year." T h e fi r s t c h a p t e r o f 2 B o o k o f Maccabees gives less detail, but in a letter addressed to the Jews of Egypt is even more explicit:

Let us return to and , who agreed that during Chanukah you light different numbers of lights each evening, but disagreed about whether you progressively decreased ( ) or increased ( ) in number. Our text brings different explanations of their views (note that neither refer to the miracle of the oil). One of the explanations of views opens a window onto a fascinating “alternative” view of Chanukah, and connects the eight days of Chanukah very closely to the eight days of Sukkot. This is what the says about their opinions:

“Corresponding to the bulls of the Sukkot sacrifices” – what is that all about??? And why is it relevant? The reference is to the order of Temple sacrifices on the eight successive days of Sukkot. In the Torah ( 29:18 – Parshat Pinchas) we learn that on the first day of Sukkot thirteen bulls are to be sacrificed; on the second day, twelve ... and so on in decreasing order (Up to a total of seventy). prescription for the Chanukah lights mirrors this exactly. Why?

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‫הארות‬ Why is the Book of Maccabees not in the Canon? Flora Lipsky ‘15 Judaism is a religion of the written word. It may not have started that way, but it has certainly evolved in that direction. Over the course of the last millennia, the rabbis and Jewish scholars have come to rely more and more on text and less on traditions, oral or otherwise. In this vein, Judaism developed a fixed canon, the . The question of how exactly the Jewish canon came to be is significantly more nuanced. Dr. Shnayer Leiman gave a speech on “Inspiration and Canonicity: The Formation of the Biblical Text” in which he sought to clarify the origin of our canon. The primary source for our canon is “quotability” in Talmud. If Talmud introduces a quote with the words “as it is written,” it gives canonical weight the book which it is quoting. Further, the Talmud ( 7) directly discusses whether certain books are canonical. A scroll will “defile the hands” thought a unique “ ” that is associated with the holy books of the Jewish canon. Chanukah is a special holiday because it is not mentioned in any part of the . Of all the Jewish chagim, Chanukah is the only holiday which bases itself in the apocrypha. Why is it that this seemingly very important holiday has no part in ? There are several interesting possible explanations: Maccabees and 2 Maccabees were written in the second century BCE and are

therefore very late in Jewish history. The Dead Sea Scrolls date to 235 BCE at the very earliest, which would mean that Jews were assembling the canon before the Maccabee and Chanukah story fully solidified. 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees do not have a place in the Torah because they are neither prophetic, nor do they express the wisdom of the Torah. According to understanding of , this would mean that the books fit in neither the “Prophets” section, nor the “Writings” sections of Hagiography. thinks that any given writing has to be more than just a history of Jews during a certain period to be considered part of the canon. Due to the lack of inherent value in the Maccabee books, they cannot be included in the canon with other serious Jewish texts. The books are unique in that they address and are related to huge political battle that develops into an issue for . The Hasmonean dynasty and the Jewish leaders in the Chanukah story represent a contingent of Jews known as the Sadducees. These Jews belonged the sect of Judaism that focused on the laws of the in a time when Jewish traditions in the Temple were more and more distanced from the original paradigm. Instead of basing their actions in a love of G-d and attempts to purify themselves of sins,

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Illuminations temple-goers focused more and more on getting the perfunctory rituals done and less with the message the rituals. The rabbis of the Talmudic period would have sided against this Jewish leadership and supported the Pharisees, the early rabbinic Jews. Although the historical and technical aspects of canonicity are fascinating, one also has to consider the issue of content with regards to the books of Maccabees. What is it that makes these books not worthy of being part of the Jewish canon? It seems to me that the Rabbis thought about why each book, especially in Ketuvim, would be a clearly positive influence on the population reading these texts. It follows that there must be a reason why the Rabbis thought that 1 and 2 Maccabees were not appropriate. Of course, despite finding the actual text inappropriate, they were still fine with the institution of Chanukah as a holiday.

I think this reason is rooted in the fact that the Maccabee story is one of much confusion. We don’t really know where the Jewish community stood in the eyes of God and we cannot claim that those Jews were doing the right thing because we have no evidence. In some ways it seems like the community at large was being punished for something, but in others it seems like the community is being rewarded with miracles. The acts of God in the Jill Adler ‘15 story seem s o m e w h a t inaccurate. It is not normal for Him to introduce supernatural miracles into everyday life in the post prophetic period. When presented with a book whose facts and evidence are questionable, we would always rather be safe than sorry and thus separate the story of the Maccabees from the rest of the canon. sources: http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/mahanaim/ hasal.htm http://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/725302/ Dr._Shnayer_Leiman/ Inspiration_and_Canonicity:_The_Formation_of_the_Bi blical_Text#

‫הארות‬ Why Ask First? Tess Solomon ’16

The (Shabbat 21a) introduces the topic of Chanukah by using the phrase " ?" This is an unusual way to start a discussion in the Talmud; usually a mishna is first quoted and then the difficulties are discussed. Why specifically with Chanukah does the discussion in the Talmud begin in this unconventional way? Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro posits that to understand why Chanukah is introduced with a question, and what that teaches us, we must look to Parshat Vayishlach, which we read on or just before Chanukah each year. On Yaakov’s way home, he struggled with an angel until dawn, at which point the angel gives him a new name, the name, Yisrael. This new name would become the primary name for the entire Jewish nation (“ ”). There are many explanations as to why Yaakov was given this name, but literally, the name means, “One who fought with [an angel of] God.” There is a Jewish concept that posits that a person or thing’s name reflects their essence. So what does this name teach us about Yaakov? To answer this question, consider the following : Yaakov, who knew that a name was the essence of something, wanted to know with whom he had fought, so Yaakov asked the angel his name. The angel answered, “Why are you asking such questions?”

Rav Leib Chasman offers an unconventional interpretation of the midrash: he posits that the phrase, “Why are you asking such questions,” was, in fact, the angel’s name. Yaakov had been wrestling all night with a being who was the essence of denying questions. When Yaakov is named “Yisrael,” he is effectively being named “one who fought with the one who denies questions,” or, alternatively, “one who fought to ask questions.” The fact that the nation and the land are named for this incredible idea shows how central to Judaism is the principle of questioning, pondering, and challenging ideas. The celebration of Chanukah is not simply remembering a military or spiritual victory over the Greeks. In fact, it was a group of Jews, the , who recruited the Greeks to join in the challenge. The point of the was that they denied the precepts of rabbinic Judaism and practiced the Torah literally. They refused to ask questions on the text, and would therefore never be able to derive all the laws of rabbinic Judaism. On a deeper level, Chanukah celebrates prevailing over the and retaining our right to continue chasing truth in the manner so valued in our religion. source: Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro www.baismedrash.com/2011/12/chanukah-theneed-to-ask-questions

Illuminations Everyone a Hero Erica Newman-Corré ‘15 Chanukah by linking it to one of the three holidays that require a trip to Jerusalem (shalosh regalim). This connection re-emphasizes the problem it was solving: Why is the text and observance of Chanukah so minimal? Perhaps it is not actually a low status conferred by the lack of documentation, but rather a high one. The retelling of Chanukah without a canonical story harkens to a time before our traditions were written. Chanukah brings the community together by forcing a collective memory. We participate in a number of traditions that are not recorded anywhere, but are ubiquitous. Chanukah, with its minimal observances, does not divide the community with (whose many interpretations and various levels of observance can cause division), but brings it together through joyous celebration, that again matches up with Sukkot. Chanukah is not about our traditional texts and observances; it is about the collective spirit of a community coming together to save itself, the Maccabees uniting against their oppressors. Communal effort is what separates Chanukah from the other holidays. Pesach celebrates a salvation by God only (with some help from Moses); Purim’s deliverance was through Esther and God; only on Chanukah were the human saviors many, not only one or two people and God. This holiday is about the collective, the unity of the Jewish people, and we should commemorate that by celebrating the holiday with friends and family. Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah occupies an odd position in the Jewish calendar; it has a dual status not found in the other holidays. On the one hand, Chanukah occupies a seemingly unimportant status—there is no record of its story in , and it only has minimal treatment in the and Talmud, despite occurring hundreds of years before they were written. It also has no refraining from work associated with it, nor a requirement for a meal. Compared to the other holidays, the obligations associated with Chanukah are minimal. Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot are all biblical holidays and are accompanied by numerous laws. Purim is more similar to Chanukah than the others, but unlike Chanukah, the story of Purim (the Book of Esther) is included in the . In addition, Purim has its own tractate of Talmud, and has an obligation for a festive meal. On the other hand, Chanukah seems like a high level holiday because we say the full for all eight days, which we do not even do for Pesach or Purim, for which we say no at all. We do say the full for all the days of Sukkot, implying that this oddity of saying Hallel for all the days could arise from the welldocumented connection between Sukkot and Chanukah. This link is also a two-fold—olive oil (which represents the miracle of Chanukah and was poured on the steps of the on Sukkot) and the harvest (which is celebrated on Sukkot and was completed on Chanukah). The association not only explains the rise in status, but further raises the status of 12

‫הארות‬ The Book of Maccabees: Forgotten Yet Relevant Gabriel Silverman ‘16 When most people think of Chanukah The book of tells the story of , they think of lighting the menorah for eight days, who lived in the Jewish city of Bethulia, and was an act we do to commemorate the miracle of the the daughter of the . The oil. This miracle, that a small amount of oil lasted book relates how during the war, Bethulia came for eight whole days, is actually the reason cited under siege by the Greek general named in the Talmud for why we celebrate Chanukah. Holofernes and his army. snuck into the However, there is another Jewish source tent of Holofernes, gained his trust, got him in which the events surrounding the miracle are drunk, and then slew him in his sleep. Just as recounted, and that is the Book of Maccabees. the Jewish defendants of the city were on the The two volumes of the Book of Maccabees, as verge of surrendering to the enemy due to well as an adjoining book known as the Book of starvation, she returns with the head of , was written in Hebrew by an unknown Holofernes, giving the Jews the strength to Jewish author around the year 100 B.C., within defeat the confused and leaderless Greek one hundred years of the events themselves forces. Everything we know about Chanukah taking place. While these three books are comes from these three books, and yet hundreds of years older than the Talmud, they surprisingly they are practically unheard of, and were not included in the canon of the Tanakh, certainly not spoken about by the majority of and instead are classified as part of the religious Jews today. Apocrypha, a series of Jewish texts that were Therefore, I would like to pose the not divinely inspired. following question: is there ever a case in which Therefore, the Book of Maccabees has the Book of Maccabees or are used in a much less religious significance than it does Talmudic or debate? The answer can historical. It relates in detail the events leading be found in (4a); Rabbi up to the Jewish rebellion against the Seleucid states that women are dynasty in the second century B.C., beginning obligated in the reading of megillat Esther with the conquering of Israel by the Greek leader because even they were in the miracle of purim. Alexander the Great. It then recounts the entire A debate arises between and the story that we are all familiar with: the religious on the meaning of the words “that persecution under the rule of Antiochus IV, the even they [the women] were included in the bravery of and his sons, the miracle”. The opinion is that a main remarkable military victory of the Maccabees, miracle was actually fulfilled through the women; and finally the rededication of the Esther in the story of Purim, and in the by Judah, and the miracle of the oil. story of Chanukah. rejects this, however,

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Illuminations noting the extra word “even”, which implies that they were merely secondary in the events. Therefore, believes that the meaning of the phrase is that even the women were present and in danger when the miracle took place, both in Persia during the miracle of Purim, and in Israel during the miracle of Chanukah. While the opinion is ultimately rejected by , it is interesting to note his mention of The uses the story of as proof that women were involved in the miracle, and therefore are obligated in the lighting of Chanukah candles. Here is a case in which the question of why women are obligated in the lighting of Chanukah candles is actually answered using the Book of as a source. So while the Book of Maccabees and the Book of are not technically part of , and are mostly used for historical purposes, there are still certain cases in which they are used in a religious context, and as a valid source in disputes.

Jill Adler ‘15

Sources: Talmud Bavli: Masechet Megillah daf daled amud aleph Book of Maccabees Book of Yehudit Jewish virtual library website (http:// www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ ejud_0002_0013_0_12956.html)

‫הארות‬ ‫הארות‬ A Light Unto No One Gabe Roth ‘15

The two main goals of lighting the menorah on Chanukah are to perform the mitzvah of lighting the candles and to publicize the miracle that occurred in the 2nd century BCE. One of the well-known laws of Chanukah is that we cannot benefit from the lights of the eight candles of the . There are two possible problems with benefitting from the Chunakah candles (each relating to an aspect of the holiday): (1) we would be denigrating the mitzvah of lighting the candles by using them for a personal purpose, and (2) it would seem that the purpose for the candles is functional and not to publicize the miracle of Chanukah (“pirsumei nisa”). The first problem with benefitting from the Chanukah candles is derived from the Talmud (Shabbat 22a), which states that one cannot use the Chanukah candles to count money because it is a bizui mitzvah (denigration of a mitzvah) to use the light for a mundane, pragmatic use. The infers that other uses are permitted and the prohibition is limited to this particular use. The disagrees and suggests that there is a prohibition against using the lights for any established activity (for example, reading a book or playing a board game), as opposed to a spontaneous act like counting your money. Since the case of counting money is not considered an established activity,

the says the brings it to teach us the additional prohibition of denigrating the mitzvah of Chanukah. Regardless of whether or not we can benefit from the candles because they are considered ‘holy,’ all agree that we cannot use them for mundane purposes that would degrade the mitzvah. The second issue with using the Chanukah candles is articulated by (the ). He comments on the opinion that the reason there is a general prohibition against using the candles for an established activity is because it detracts from the true purpose of the lights, pirsumei nisa. Someone who sees a person using the light from the candles for some activity would just think that the candles were lit for that functional purpose. Only by not using the light of the candles can we show that they have a higher purpose, which is to represent the miracle of Chanukah. These two issues are behind the use of the (the auxiliary candle or “the attendant” candle). The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) states that the should be lit in order to permit the use of the candles. There is a debate whether the shamash solves the first problem of bizui mitvah. This debate is based on the technicality of whether we can actually claim that we are only using the light from the .

The reason the Greeks despised the Jewish religion and forbade Jewish practices was because of the fundamental difference between Judaism and the Greek religion. While the Hellenistic Greeks tried to master the gods by living decadent lives of luxury and indulgence, the Jewish people accept God’s mastery of man. It is therefore fitting that we remember our religious triumph over the Hellenistic culture by lighting a shamash to demonstrate that the candles we light on Chanukah do not serve ourselves, but serve God. On Chanukah we recognize that not everything is for our own human enjoyment. Jill Adler ‘15

However, everyone agrees that the solves the second issue of pirsumei nisa. Lighting the as an additional candle, physically differentiated from the other candles, shows that the purpose of the Chanukiah is not functional. So the seems to be the best solution to the prohibition of benefitting from the Chanukah lights. It seems that nowadays, when we use electrical lighting and generally light in rooms are that well lit, there should be no need for the . These electrical lights solve both problems because we use that lighting for all activities that we do, and no one who sees our menorah would ever think that we are using it for functional lighting when we are fortunate to have electricity! In fact, Auerbach holds that there is no technical reason for the shamash if a room is well-lit with electrical lighting. However, the common practice is to light the even today. So what is the purpose for the shamash now?

Sources: www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/752955/ R a b b i _ J o s h _ F l u g / The_Prohibition_against_Benefitting_from_the_ Chanukah_Lights# Gemara: Shabbat 22a, Shabbat 21b Ba’al HaMaor, Ramban, Rosh, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach http://www.ou.org/torah/mitzvot/meaning-inmitzvot/prohibition-benefit-chanukah-lights

Aside from the technical, practical, or purpose behind the , it has symbolic meaning. The significance of the can be connected to the very nature of the historical cultural conflict between the Hellenistic Greeks and the Jews in the time of the Chanukah story. 16

‫הארות‬ Continued from page : Is Chanukah Really Sukkot?

"9 This is why we urge you to celebrate in the month of a festival similar to the Festival of Sukkot." In plain language: According to the Second Book of the Maccabees, when the were able to conquer and re-dedicate the Temple, on the 25th , they took the opportunity to belatedly celebrate the Festival of Sukkot, which they had not been able to do at the right time, as they had still been fighting in the hills around Jerusalem, and had no access to the Temple. They did so for eight days, with (and possibly other components of the " ") “in the manner of the Festival of Sukkot”. They decreed that the whole nation of the Jews should observe these days every year. This may be the origin of the eight days of Chanukah, and the legend of the "Pach haShemen – the Jug of Oil" came later to give a different dimension of meaning. Some suggest that wanted to deflect attention from the military background of the holiday and give a spiritual emphasis instead. Intriguingly, the legend of the oil – Sh-MN – echoes and resonates in a Midrashic sort of way with the theme of eight days – Sh-M-NH – and the – H-Sh-M-N-[A]-M. So do we celebrate eight days of Channukah because of the miracle of the oil – or do we tell of the miracle of the oil – Sh-M-N to give us a spiritual, miraculous (and non-

military… thus deflecting attention from the , who were not favorites of ) reason why we have always celebrated Chanukah as an eight- Sh-M-N-H day festival? 5. Other curious facts! Association with Sukkot would also explain some of the other puzzles around Chanukah: Why do we say full on all eight days of Chanukah – when we don’t say it at all on the other post-biblical holiday of Purim? The ( 28b) brackets Sukkot and Chanukah together in this regard – “ [we say full on] eight days of (= Sukkot) and eight days of Chanukah.” The Talmudic Encyclopedia records an ancient custom of treating the first and last days of Chanukah as a “similar to Pesach and Sukkot.” (We no longer observe this in any form, and it seems to be unknown since the very early Middle Ages – noted even then as something no longer observed.) The term “ ”, root “ ” is first mentioned in connection with Chanukah, but is also a key concept of celebrating Sukkot, connected with the (especially the etrog) and the sukkah. May the Chanukah lights illuminate and inspire our observance, our study, our thinking and our discussions!

Illuminations Continued from page 1: Whose Holiday?

God alone is responsible for the victory. We say: “You championed their cause, judged their claim, and avenged their wrong”. The also gives full credit to God: “The Jews suffered great difﬁculties from them, for they oppressed them greatly until the God of our ancestors had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them” ( Chanukah 3:1). Why are Mordechai, Esther, and the Maccabees all not credited for their victories in both Al Hanisims ? The reason for this omission, according to Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (Days of Deliverance: Essays on Purim and Hanukkah) is to highlight God’s involvement in the world. He writes, “God uses the human hand as an instrument of His will. He recruits man. He uses human energy, human resources, to implement the plan that He has devised. But Judaism has said that in this case [of military and political victories], the man who is the messenger of God should not be credited with the salvation.” When it comes to war and politics, our heroes are merely God’s messenger, and thus He should be given full credit for these victories. So when should our heroes be credited for their actions? That answer lies in the A l Hanisim of Chanukkah. At the end of this Al

Hanisim , the Maccabees are actually credited for their actions. As it is written, “Your children then entered the holiest part of Your House, cleansed Your Temple, puriﬁed Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and designated these eight days of Chanukah for giving thanks and praise to Your great name” (Al Hanisim of Chanukkah). Although the prayer does not credit the Maccabees for their political and military victories, it does credit them for their spiritual victories. This teaches us that Hashem values our spiritual successes much more than our secular successes. This emphasis on spiritual success can teach us an important lesson about humility. Many times we become too proud because of our victories, whether they be economic, political, or educational. In these moments, we should remember that these victories, like those of Mordechai, Esther, and Maccabees, are really Hashem’s and not our own. As it is written in , “who is smart enough to explain everything? I saw everything God does, and I realized that no one can really understand what 8:1,16). However, we can be happens” ( proud of our spiritual and religious victories. Like the successes of the Maccabees, these are the only victories that we will be rewarded and remembered for.

‫הארות‬ Continued from page 1: Torah and Shekhinah

She flickers, drifts through the wall into the corridor. I follow her into the hallway. She hovers, waiting for me. When I enter, she continues gliding forward. Finally, she halts outside in the garden. We stare into the setting sun. I know who she is. “It’s beautiful. The sunlight. Your creation.” I praise Mother, the . She smiles s o m b e r l y. S h e detests bidding it goodnight, allowing it to withdraw from her loving grasp. “ Yo u ’ v e found me.” Her voice is sweet as nectar. She gratefully wraps her arms around me, enveloping my soul in Heavenly love; warmth and light burst forth. For a moment, all disappears, then, I am once again among the flowers.

“I’ve been searching with all my heart and all my soul,” I whisper, but she is already gone. There is only wind. In her place stands Father. He is towering; his arms arms crossed, his countenance glowering. "Where have you been? We must conclude the day’s learning." He doesn’t particularly approve of my rendezvous with . He ought to participate in the act of educating me, he declares. He draws his arm behind me and guides me back inside. I obey and he is satisfied. and God. Love and respect. They are both satisfied.

Dynnor Shebshaievitz ‘16 19

Jill Adler ‘15

Illuminations

Student Editor: Sarah Ascherman ’16 Faculty Advisor: Rabbi Schiowitz The Rabbi Joseph H. Lookstein Upper School of Ramaz 60 East 78th St. New York, NY 10075

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