Allusions to chanuka in the Torah:

1. Where is the festival of chanuka alluded to in the Torah?
2. Where are the Chashmonyim alluded to in the Torah?
3. Where do we find an allusion in the Torah to the date of the 25^th of Kislev being Chanuka?
4. Where do we find an allusion to Chanuka in Parshas Mikeitz when almost always Shabbos chanuka falls?

Answers to allusions to chanuka in the Torah:

1. The Roikaiach sees it alluded to in Parshas Emor straight after talking about the festivals (in Chapter 23) it talks about oil for the menorah alluding to Chanuka.
2. See Rashi (Devorim, 33:11) by the blessing of Moshe to the tribe of Levi before he died. There it alludes to Moshe seeing the battle of the few Chashmonoim against the numerous Greeks and Moshe davens for their success.
3. The Ben Ish Chai says that the 25^th word from the beginning of the Torah is the word “Oir“, light, alluding to the light of Chanuka. One of our readers added: the word before Oir is Yehi that has the gematria of 25. It can therefore allude that Yehi Oir – On the 25th will be light! When it lists in Parshas Masei the different forty-two camps, the 25^th one is called “Chashmoina” (33:29), alluding to the Chashmonoim’s victory on the 25^th of Kislev.
4. At the end of Parshas Mikeitz, in addition to listing the usual number of pesukim, it unusually adds the number of words in an unusual manner. It says 2000 and 25 words. The Bnei Yisoschor sees in this an allusion to chanuka. The minimal requirement is for one candle on each of the eight nights of chanuka. Ner, candle, has the gematria of 250 for the eight nights equals 2000. The 25 alludes to chanuka happening on the 25^th day of Kislev. The Shiltei Geborim (Shabbos) brings an allusion to (Mikeitz, 43:16) וטבח טבח והכן that means slaughtering meat and preparing it. On Chanuka there is an inyan to have festive meals and thank Hashem for the miracles. In this phrase the last letters spell חנוכה and the gematria of the other letters is 36 alluding the 36 candles lit during chanuka. If you take the gematria of the first two words you get 44 alluding to the 36 chanuka lights plus the eight shamoshim.

Questions on Chanuka to think about and discuss:

1. What lies behind the name “Chanuka”?
2. What is the significance of there being eight days of chanuka?
3. What is the significance that the salvation came about specifically through the Kohanim – both the in battle and the jug of oil with the signet of the Kohen Godol?
4. What are the two miracles that we remember on Chanuka and how are they significant?
5. Why do we not publicly read Megillas Antiyochus and why is it not also counted with the Five Megillas?
6. Why is there the minhag to have milky on Chanuka?
7. What is the significance in history of when the chanuka story happened?
8. Why is there no full Yom Tuv on Chanuka – like there is no mussaf?
9. Where is the chanuka reading from and why is this chosen?
10. Why is the last day of chanuka given a special name and what is it?
11. What is the significance that chanuka is the only festival that is found in two months – the months of The month of Kislev and Teves?
12. Why in the davening in Al Hanisim the main remembrance is about the battles while in action we light the menorah remembering the miracle of the oil? Why make separate mentions of each and why in that particular form?
13. What lies behind the special song by chanuka of Mo’oz Tzur?
14. How would you define the days of chanuka?
15. Why are the celebrations of a festive meal (as seen on Purim) missing on chanuka?
16. There are two festivals ordained by the Rabbonon: Purim and Chanuka. We find that Purim has a whole Mesechta, “Megilla”, devoted to it. Why then do we not find that by Chanuka only having a small mention in the Gemora Shabbos?
17. How does Chanuka continue the pathway of the festivals?
18. By every festival (besides Rosh Hashana) outside of Eretz Yisroel it is kept for an extra day because of sefeika deyuma, doubt as to when the first day is that depends if the previous month was 29 or 30 days. Why then do we not celebrate chanuka for nine days in chutz lo’oretz?
19. Why do we omit mention of chanuka in mayein sholosh (al hamichya) while mentioning it in bentching?
20. Other festivals have a maximum of seven days (except in Chutz LoOretz). Chanuka is the festival with the most number of days having eight. How is this significant?

Ideas for answers on Chanuka:

1. Chanuka comes from the word “chinuch” meaning new start of something. The Ran (to Shabbos 21) says it is a contraction of two words – חנו כ”ה, meaning that they rested (from battle) on the 25th (of Kislev).
2. The Maharal explains that the number eight symbolises the supernatural coming after the number seven that represents nature. …
3. Perhaps it is like what happened by the cheit of the egel when the tribe of Levi fought against the first spiritual threat to the Jews. We will discuss that historically by chanuka this was the end of prophecy and the start of the period of chachomim. Yovon was the first spiritual threat of this new period and therefore once again it was the Kohanim from the tribe of Levi that rose up to attack.
4. The miracles of the battles of the Chashmonoyim and the flask of oil that had enough for one day and lasted eight days. The miracle of the battle is a physical act that people could say was achieved through natural warfare therefore we mention it as a miracle in Al Hanisim detailing how the victory was miraculous.
5. The last Megilla that was allowed to be added to Kesuvim was Megillas Ester (See Gemora Megilla 7a). Chanuka happened after this and therefore it could not be added. The Kesuvim were written with Ruach Hakodesh while Megillas Antiyochus was not.
6. This is because of the story of Yehudis that happened during the times of Yovon where she fed the general with cheese and got him thirsty and drunk and then cut off his head and brought it hidden in her basket to Yerushalayim. It was there hung on top of the cities gates and scared away the enemy army.
14. The Rambam refers to them (Hilchos Chanuka 3:2) as days of simcha and hallel.
15. The Levush answers…
17. Pesach is the birth of the Jewish Nation. Shavuos can be compared to the Bar Mitzva when we become commanded with the Torah and Mitzvos. Sukkos is like the wedding canopy achieving such closeness to Hashem. Chanuka can be likened to an argument between husband and wife that is then reconciled. The reunion makes the marriage even stronger…
20. Perhaps this expresses a major difference between their function. The other festivals come to bring kedusha and push aside the mundane. Teva is expressed in the number seven and therefore the festivals span seven days devoted to kedusha. Chanuka is where the festival does not change openly the weekday nature. Rather as seen in the number eight, it takes from above this world and brings the spiritual to join even the weekday realm.

Questions on the Menorah to think about and discuss:

1. On all festivals there is the general mitzva and a higher level called hiddur. Why only by chanuka is there an even higher third level of Mehadrin Min Hamehadrin? Why do we find here that almost everyone does this highest level?
2. When Yovon attacked the Beis Hamikdosh the singled out the Menorah for defiling. Why?
3. Why by chanuka do we remember the miracle with the oil while by Pesach we do not single out for remembering the miracle of the ten plagues?
4. What shape was the Menorah – rounded branches or straight?

Ideas for answers on the menorah:

1. Other mitzvos represent taking something physical and for this there are two levels. The chanuka lights represent something spiritual, Torah, and to show that this is infinite and never-ending, another level of hiddur is added.
3. See Kedushas Levi, Chanuka, Kedusha Chameshis…

Questions on Yovon, the Greeks, to think about and discuss:

1. What is so bad about the wisdom of Yovon? How does it compare to the wisdom of the Torah?
2. What were some of the decrees of Yovon against the Jews and why pick specifically those things?
3. The four exiles are seen alluded to in many places in the Torah. The first place sees Golus Yovon referred to as Choshech, darkness. How does this description epitomize the exile of Yovon?
4. Why did the Greeks focus on defiling, making things tuma, instead of simply destroying?
5. When looking at the Beis Hamikdosh we see increasing places of kedusha – from the azara to the Heichel to the Kodesh Hakodoshim. Why then did Yovon focus on the Heichel area with the menorah and not the Kodesh Hakodoshim?
6. A famous decree of Yovon was to force the Jews to write on the horns of their cows that they did not have a part with the G-d of Yisroel. What lies behind this seemingly bizarre decree?
7. What lies behind the name of Yovon?

Ideas for answers on Yovon:

1. The wisdom of Yovon is based on teva. The starting point is the facts and understanding made by man and then this leads them to draw conclusions. Over time, this conclusions often change. The danger here is that the central and pivotal decider is the finite man. However, the wisdom of the Torah is the reality where the starting point is realising that Hashem is the Infinite Creator and we cannot fathom Him or His creations. This means that even though we might see facts that appear contrary to what we are told we are aware that there are depths that we do not understand and with them there is an answer to everything. The central player in everything is Hashem.
2. They decreed against Shabbos, Bris Mila and Rosh Chodesh. (Megillas Antiyochus) …
3. Torah is associated with Oir, light. Light is something spiritual that enables a person to look at things in a totally different manner. Darkness comes to remove and counteract the affect of light.
4. Yovon was involved in a spiritual fight and in this manner came against the Beis Hamikdosh, not simply to plunder and conquer land. As such, their fight was directed and creating spiritual defilement as opposed to simply destroying everything.
5. Perhaps the idea here is that Yovon cannot fight against the totally miraculous spiritual realm seen in the Kodesh Hakodoshim. Rather, they fight against the Heichel were there is holiness combined with the physical. It is only where there is something physical can they attempt to explain things in a natural way to try and remove the spiritual element from the picture.
6. Yovon prided itself in wisdom and therefore it picked a decree with an inner meaning to it. The cow alludes to the sin of the egel that the Greeks were trying to say that this made the Jews cut off from Hashem chas vesholom. …
7. Something interesting about the name יון. If you look at these letters you will notice that it is starts with a dot (Yud) then this grows longer (Vav) and then even longer (final Nun)… The name יו”ן אותיות נו”י meaning that Yovon is associated with aesthetics and beauty…

Chakira(s) on Chanuka:

• The miracle of the oil was that instead of lasting one day it lasted for eight. What happened? Did the oil they had in the container increase to the amount of eight days or did they first pour it into the menorah and then instead of burning for one day the oil lasted for eight days?