Chanukah Through the

Prism of the Rav's

Teachings
Rabbi Kenneth Brander
The David Mitzner Dean, Center for the Jewish Future

The Rambam & Chanukah

When the Rambam wrote his magnum opus, the Mishneh Torah, he stated his intended purpose
at the outset.

I, Moses the son of Maimon the Sephardi...relying on the help ‫נערתי חצני אני משה בן מיימון הספרדי‬
of the Rock [G-d], blessed be He, intently studied all these ‫ונשענתי על הצור ברוך הוא ובינותי בכל‬
works with the view of putting together the results obtained ‫אלו הספרים וראיתי לחבר דברים‬
from them regarding what is forbidden or permitted, clean or ‫המתבררים מכל אלו החיבורים בענין‬
unclean, and the other rules of the Torah - all in plain and ‫האסור והמותר הטמא והטהור עם שאר‬
terse language, so that the entire Oral Law might become ‫ כולם בלשון ברורה ודרך‬.‫דיני התורה‬
‫קצרה עד שתהא תורה שבעל פה כולה‬
known to all without difficulty...consisting of statements that
.‫סדורה בפי הכל בלא קושיא ולא פירוק‬
are clear, understandable and correct, predicated upon the ‫… דברים ברורים קרובים נכונים על פי‬
laws which are elaborated upon from all of the works and ‫המשפט אשר יתבאר מכל אלו החיבורים‬
commentaries from the time of Judah the Prince until now... ‫והפירושים הנמצאים מימות רבינו‬
Therefore, I have called this work Mishneh Torah, for a ‫ לפיכך קראתי שם‬.…‫הקדוש ועד עכשיו‬
person will be able to first read the Written Torah and ‫ לפי שאדם קורא‬.‫חיבור זה משנה תורה‬
afterward read this [Mishneh Torah] ..and this work may ‫בתורה שבכתב תחלה ואחר כך קורא בזה‬
serve as a compendium of the entire Oral Law... ‫ויודע ממנו תורה שבעל פה כולה‬
Rambam, Introduction to the Mishneh Torah ‫הקדמה ליד החזקה לרמב"ם‬

Given his stated objective, there is much to be learned from the content and context of the
Rambam's Hilchot Chanukah. When codifying the chagim, the Rambam lists the holidays in
calendar order, beginning with the general laws of Yom Tov, followed by Pesach, Rosh
HaShanah, and the holiday of Sukkot.5 Rav Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch, follows

5
Since Yom Kippur is considered an extension of Shabbat, it is codified immediately after the treatise dealing with
Shabbat. Shavuot has no particular mitzvot; therefore, the practical behavior for the holiday is included in the

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YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • CHANUKAH TO-GO • KISLEV 5770
the Rambam's order. However, the Rambam and Rav Karo differ when codifying the rabbinic
holidays of Chanukah and Purim.
Rav Karo, consistent with calendar order, codifies Chanukah (Orach Chaim 570-584) and then
Purim (Orach Chayim 586-597). The Rambam deviates from the order of the calendar,
codifying the holidays in historical order, placing Purim before Chanukah. The Rambam does
not codify the rabbinic holidays in distinct treatises, like Rav Karo and every other codifier, but
in one treatise - Hilchot Megillah v'Chanukah - as if they are one holiday.
Additionally, while the Mishneh Torah typically limits its focus to the halakhic dimensions of a
holiday, Hilchot Chanukah begins with a full paragraph summarizing the holiday's story:

In [the era of] the Second Temple, the Greek kingdom issued decrees ‫בבית שני כשמלכו יון גזרו גזרות‬
against the Jewish people, [attempting] to nullify their faith and ‫על ישראל ובטלו דתם ולא הניחו‬
refusing to allow them to observe the Torah and its commandments. ... ‫אותם לעסוק בתורה ובמצות‬
They [the Chashmonaim] overcame their forces and killed them, ‫וגברו בני חשמונאי הכהנים‬
and saved the Jewish people from their hands. They then appointed ‫הגדולים והרגום והושיעו ישראל‬
a king from the priests, and sovereignty returned to Israel for more ‫מידם והעמידו מלך מן הכהנים‬
‫וחזרה מלכות לישראל יתר על‬
than 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.
.‫מאתים שנה עד החורבן השני‬
Hilchos Megillah v'Chanukah 3:1 ‫א‬:‫רמב"ם הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ג‬

Why insert the story of Chanukah in the Mishneh Torah, which is an otherwise legal work,
devoid of any other holiday story?
As stated, the purpose of the Mishneh Torah is to summarize the Oral Law systematically.
Therefore, when organizing the rabbinic holidays, the order chosen was consistent with the
halachic development of rabbinic holidays. Purim is the first rabbinic holiday, and was the
battleground regarding the permissibility to add holidays not prescribed in the Torah.

Rabbi Samuel ben Judah said: Esther sent to the wise men ‫ שלחה‬:‫אמר רב שמואל בר יהודה‬
saying: "Commemorate me for future generations” They replied: !‫ קבעוני לדורות‬:‫להם אסתר לחכמים‬
"You will incite the ill will of the nations against us." She sent ‫ קנאה את מעוררת עלינו‬:‫שלחו לה‬
back a reply: 'I am already recorded in the chronicles of the ‫ כבר‬:‫ שלחה להם‬.‫לבין האומות‬
kings of Media and Persia." ‫כתובה אני על דברי הימים למלכי מדי‬
.‫ופרס‬
Megillah 7a
.‫מסכת מגילה דף ז‬
Our rabbis taught: Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses ‫ ארבעים ושמונה נביאים‬:‫תנו רבנן‬
prophesized to Israel, and they neither took away from nor ,‫ושבע נביאות נתנבאו להם לישראל‬
added anything to what is written in the Torah, save only the ‫ולא פחתו ולא הותירו על מה שכתוב‬
reading of the Megillah [the holiday of Purim]. .‫ חוץ ממקרא מגילה‬,‫בתורה‬
Megillah 14a .‫מסכת מגילה דף יד‬

general laws of Yom Tov, while the laws dealing with the special sacrifice are found in Hilchot Tmidin uMussafin
(Chapters 7-8).

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Chanukah's validity as a holiday, as a halakhic institution, is predicated on Purim. The establishment
of Purim gives legitimacy and precedent to establish additional rabbinic holidays such as Chanukah.
This idea is daramitzed in the language the Rambam uses throughout the narrative regarding the
mitzvot of Chanukah. Notice, in the text below, the legal pointers back to Purim.

These days are known as Chanukah. Eulogies and fasting are ‫וימים אלו הן הנקראין חנוכה והן‬
forbidden just as they are on Purim, and the kindling of lights is a ‫אסורין בהספד ותענית כימי‬
mitzvah...just like the reading of the Megillah. All who are ‫ והדלקת הנרות בהן מצוה‬,‫הפורים‬
obligated to read the Megillah are also obligated in the kindling of ‫ כל שחייב‬... ‫ כקריאת המגילה‬...
the Chanukah lights. ‫בקריאת המגילה חייב בהדלקת נר‬
‫חנוכה‬
Hilchos Megillah v'Chanukah 3:3-4
‫ד‬-‫ג‬:‫הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ג‬

These halakhic nuances and the retelling of the Chanukah story are missing from Shulchan Aruch.
Rav Karo's agenda was not to replicate the earlier work of the Mishneh Torah, nor to summarize
the Oral tradition. His goal was to create an ordered table, complete with the practical laws
relevant to Diaspora Jewry. Therefore, in Rav Karo’s Shulchan Arukh all laws dealing with the
Temple service, Jewish self-government, and commandments limited to the Land of Israel are
missing from his code. Only halakhot relevant to a Jew and his/her community ensconced within a
Diaspora existence are inserted. The Rambam, in keeping with his raison d'etre, includes in the
Mishneh Torah all aspects of the Oral tradition. Therefore the laws of Jewish kings, Messiah,
commandments limited to the Land of Israel, as well as laws concerning the Temple are found in
the Mishneh Torah. Chanukah took place after the canonization of the Written Law. Unlike any
other holiday codified in the Mishneh Torah, its story is part of the Oral Tradition. Therefore,
consistent with the stated goals of the Mishneh Torah the treatise must not only include its laws
but also its story.

The Notion of Hallel

The organizational structure of the Mishneh Torah raises one additional question regarding a
textual component of Hilkhot Chanukah. The laws of the Hallel liturgy are codified in the
Shulchan Arukh as part of the laws of prayer. However, the Rambam does not place the laws of
Hallel within the treatise on prayer, nor as a component of any of the holidays in which Hallel is
recited. Rather, the laws of Hallel are codified as part of the final chapter of Chanukah. Given the
Rambam's organizational meticulousness, one wonders why he relegated the laws of Hallel to
the final chapter of the Book of Seasons, as part of the rabbinic holiday of Chanukah.
Rav Soloveitchik explained that, in prayer, Hallel is seen in a limited perspective. It expresses
praise only through words, through prayer. On Chanukah, Hallel is seen in its most pristine
form. It is seen through action as well as through prayer, through the lighting of the menorah.
For the theme of this holiday, the essence and mitzvah of these eight days is Hallel. The theme of
Pesach is the birth of the nation; Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the Torah; Sukkot
celebrates the intimate relationship between G-d and the Jewish people. Chanukah's theme is
praise to G-d. While we recite Hallel on many holidays, it is on Chanukah that praise is at the

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core of the festival's religious experience.

The following year, these [days of Chanukah] were ‫לשנה אחרת קבעום ועשאום ימים טובים‬
appointed a festival of Hallel and thanksgiving .‫בהלל והודאה‬
Shabbos 21b .‫מסכת שבת דף כא‬

On Chanukah, Hallel is not only seen in its liturgical form but is also displayed through the act of
kindling the menorah. Hallel's dual nature, as a prayer and as action, makes Chanukah the
holiday in which Hallel is observed in its complete form. Therefore, the Rambam specifically
waited for the chapters focusing on the holiday of Chanukah to codify the laws of Hallel.

Shabbat & Chanukah

Rav Soloveitchik notes that the Talmudic location in which the story of Chanukah is found is the
tractate of Shabbat.

What is [the reason for] Chanukah? For our rabbis taught: On ‫ בכ"ה בכסליו‬:‫מאי חנוכה? דתנו רבנן‬
the 25th day of Kislev [commence] the days of Chanukah, ‫יומי דחנוכה תמניא אינון‬
which are eight. .‫מסכת שבת דף כא‬
Shabbat 21b

Why did the rabbis choose the tractate of Shabbat to introduce the holiday of Chanukah? While
the theaters of experience for Chanukah and Shabbat are distinct, existentially they complement
each other. Chanuka’s holiday experience symbolizes taking the light found in the Jewish home
and allowing it to radiate in the public thoroughfare. All of the laws regarding the menorah's
location and time of lighting are predicated on the pedestrian's ability to see its illumination in
the public thoroughfare. Chanukah celebrates the Jews' responsibility to be involved in tikkun
olam.
This goal is only achievable when there is also the Shabbat experience. Shabbat is celebrated
through the retreat from the public arena of life. Carrying an object from the private to the
public domain is forbidden (and vice versa); so is carrying any object four amot in the public
domain. The experience of Shabbat is primarily found within the privacy of the home. It is the
Shabbat experience which strengthens our home, our personal spiritual epicenter. Introducing
the festival of Chanukah in the middle of Tractate Shabbat plays to the recognition that our
national aspiration, of perfecting the public thoroughfare, is only achievable when the private
arena is reinforced. Conversely, when the Shabbat experience creates a Robinson Crusoe
mindset - permanent withdrawal from the world community - it becomes an obstacle to
achieving the Divine agenda of tikkun olam, the purpose of the Chosen People.
As we usher in this Chanukah season, let us recommit ourselves to the balance between Shabbat
and Chanukah. May we celebrate a commitment to the calibration of our personal spiritual
compass; yet concurrently focus on the mission of Knesset Yisrael, "a light unto the nations," in
every aspect of our public persona.

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 The Temple Menorah:
Where Is It?
Dr. Steven Fine
Professor of Jewish History,
Director, Center for Israel Studies, Yeshiva University

This article is based upon a piece that appeared in Biblical Archaeology Review 31, no. 4 (2005). The longer academic
version appeared as: “’When I went to Rome, there I Saw the Menorah...’: The Jerusalem Temple Implements between 70
C.E. and the Fall of Rome,” in The Archaeology of Difference: Gender, Ethnicity, Class and the “Other” in Antiquity
Studies in Honor of Eric M. Meyers, eds. D. R. Edwards and C. T. McCollough (Boston: American Schools Of Oriental
Research, 2007), 1: 169-80.

What is history and what is myth? What is true and what is legendary? These are questions that
arise from time to time and specifically apply to the whereabouts of the Menorah. Reporting on
his 1996 meeting with Pope John Paul II, Israel’s Minister of Religious Affairs Shimon Shetreet
said, according to the Jerusalem Post, that “he had asked for Vatican cooperation in locating the
gold menorah from the Second Temple that was brought to Rome by Titus in 70 C.E.” Shetreet
claimed that recent research at the University of Florence indicated the Menorah might be
among the hidden treasures in the Vatican’s storerooms. “I don’t say it’s there for sure,” he said,
“but I asked the Pope to help in the search as a goodwill gesture in recognition of the improved
relations between Catholics and Jews.”
Witnesses to this conversation “tell that a tense silence hovered over the room after Shetreet’s
request was heard.” I tried to research Shetreet’s reference at the University of Florence, but no
one I contacted there had ever heard of it. This story has repeated itself a number of times since.
One of the two chief rabbis of Israel, on their historic visit to the Vatican in 2004, asked about
the Menorah, as did the President of Israel, Moshe Katzav, on another occasion. Asked for an
official response, this is what I received from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email:
The requests by Shetreet, the president, and the chief rabbis reflect the long-held belief that the
Catholic Church, as the inheritor of Rome, took possession of the empire’s booty—as
documented by the Arch of Titus. It is thus assumed that, among other treasures looted from the
Jewish people, the Temple menorah is stashed away someplace in the storerooms of the Vatican.

This is not to say those 2,000 years or so have been enough time for the Foreign Ministry
to formulate a policy on the matter. Unofficially at least, we look forward to the
restoration of the treasures of the Jewish people to their rightful homeland, but do not
anticipate this will occur before the coming of the Messiah.

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YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • CHANUKAH TO-GO • KISLEV 5770
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