Hanukkah, as we all know is one of our favorite Jewish holidays. In contrast to our Biblical holidays, Hanukkah has been rabbinically ordained. But make no mistake. This in no way diminishes its importance, relevance and timeliness. For over two thousand years, Jews the world over continue to celebrate this Festival of Lights with a host of different traditions that vary from one country to the next. This holiday is the only one of our Jewish holidays that is directly connected to our Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Midrash tells us that the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle in the desert, should have been dedicated on the 1st day of the month of Nissan. This was not to be. Instead, the rededication of the Holy Temple took place in Jerusalem during the time of Hanukkah - the 25th day of the month of Kislev. There is another connection to the Holy Temple. The primary role of the Maccabees during that period was to regain control of the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. This, in turn, was followed by the miracle of the Menorah.
The Temple in Jerusalem represents the Shechina, G-d’s Divine presence, on this earth. Our sages tell us that Hanukkah represents the Oral Law since it is the only Jewish holiday that was proclaimed after the completion of the Written Law. The message seems to be clear. In order for us to truly appreciate our beautiful way of life, we must be knowledgeable in and observant of BOTH the Written and Oral Law. A general acceptance and limited adherence to either or both will not suffice. If anything, the Talmud teaches us that we must become masters of detail. Just as a tailor is a master of detail in order to complete a garment so that in the end it radiates with beauty, so too, we Jews must be meticulous in our observance of this and all holidays in order to shine as G-d’s people.
Because our ancestors, the Hashmonaim, committed themselves to observing both the Written and Oral Laws of the Torah, this resulted in the miraculous event of the mighty and Greek-influenced Syrian Army falling into the hands of the weak and outnumbered Jewish guerrilla fighters of old. Remember - the word Hanukkah contains within it the key word for Jewish survival, and that is “Chinuch.” The word “Chinuch” means to study. Only by our continued study and observance of our Torah can we hope to perpetuate Judaism to all future generations. In doing so, may we merit the expeditious arrival of the Moshiach, the Messiah, and an era that will ultimately herald true and everlasting peace for our people and all of humankind. May it come speedily and in our day.
We wish you all a joyous and freylechen Hanukkah. Zi gezunt!