On Monday, January 1, Rav Noach Isaac Oelbaum shlita, Rav of Khal Nachlas Yitzchok, delivered a beautiful shiur on this legal holiday to the community. The Greeks wanted to stop B’nei Yisrael from learning Torah; and yet, because of the Greeks, so much Torah is learned on Chanukah. The Chasam Sofer encouraged everyone to learn more Torah on every day of Chanukah. It’s a time of thanks and praise. Chanukah was the time when Hashem revealed the secrets of the Torah to Moshe Rabbeinu. We see how special it is to learn Torah and to do avodas Hashem during Chanukah.
During Chanukah, there is no fasting and there are no hespeidim. The Gemara says that there are no hespeidim because, according to the Levush, Chanukah is a time we should be filled with avodas Hashem, and a hespeid takes your mind away from this. All eight days are not just for lighting candles and Hallel. The entire day of each one of the days of Chanukah should be devoted to avodas Hashem because Chanukah has a particular connection to avodas Hashem.
The Rambam doesn’t include the halachos of Al HaNisim in the halachos of Chanukah but rather in the halachos of t’filah. Why does he “leave it out of Hilchos Chanukah? The answer is that the Al HaNisim doesn’t need a special takanah. On any Yom Tov, we mention the Yom Tov in the davening. So, we know that we mention Yom Tov on Yom Tov in the t’filah for the chag. On Rosh Chodesh, we mention Rosh Chodesh.
We thank Hashem for the miracles of Chanukah by lighting candles. “Lighting is hodaah.”
The Rambam teaches that the mitzvah of Chanukah is such a beloved mitzvah. Why does he call it beloved?
A person has to be careful with the mitzvah of Chanukah candles. He must have in mind to thank Hashem. Part of lighting is thanking Hashem.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l taught that if a person who lights doesn’t pay attention to having gratitude for the neis, he is not fulfilling the mitzvah. If you light and don’t know why you are lighting, then you are missing the ikar – the main point. Hodaas ha’neis is the ikar of the mitzvah. The Rambam doesn’t mention the inyan of saying “Al HaNisim” because it’s obvious to mention the inyan of the Yom Tov.
He quoted the Raavad who taught that to fulfill the mitzvah it’s not enough to light. The ikar ha’mitzvah is to have in mind thanking Hashem for all the miracles. So, even if you use the best wicks and oil but are not thanking Hashem for the nisim, then it doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah.
Ask yourself if you are really putting your mind on thanking Hashem for all the nisim and nifla’os. The ikar of Chanukah is to thank Hashem for nisim and nifla’os.
Rav Aharon Kotler explained that the purpose of Creation is recognizing that all we have is from Hashem. Nothing is because of your own doing.
The underpinning of any mitzvah is thanking Hashem for creating us. Everything we have is because of Hashem. Our purpose in this world is to thank Him by doing what He wants us to do.
The purpose of nisim is for Hashem to reveal His power. The Rambam teaches that from open nisim we believe in hidden nisim. We can’t have a portion in the Torah unless we know that there is nothing natural. Nature is continuous miracles. Nature is Hashem. According to the Rambam, there is no such thing as nature.
Our obligation is to thank Hashem for open and hidden miracles. The mitzvah of Chanukah is beloved because the ikar of Chanukah is to thank Hashem for the miracles and wonders. We thank Him by doing what He wants us to do, so neir Chanukah encompasses what we need to do for all mitzvos. This is the foundation of all mitzvos.
The community thanks Rav Oelbaum for this beautiful shiur!
By Susie Garber
