English translation — חנוכה א

Sicha 1<pg>204</pg>

A.

Regarding the time of the victory of the war in the miracle of Chanukah, we find two opinions among the early authorities: 1)

The opinion of the Rambam that it was on the 25th of Kislev,

and in his language<sup>1</sup>

"And when Israel prevailed over their enemies and destroyed them on the twenty-fifth of the month Kislev it was<sup>2</sup>

and they entered the Sanctuary etc."

2)

The opinion of the Meiri<sup>3</sup>

that "this victory was in Kislev on the 24th of it"<sup>4</sup>.

And behold it is known that there are two opinions⁵

regarding the definition of the days of Chanukah,

whether they established them only for praise and thanksgiving and not for feast and joy⁶,

or that they established them even for feast and joy⁷,

and in the language of the Rambam⁸

"these eight days that their beginning

(night⁹)

the twenty-fifth of Kislev are days of joy¹⁰

and praise"¹¹.

And seemingly it can be said that this is connected with the aforementioned dispute

(on which day was the victory of the war),

and with the introduction of what was said elsewhere¹²,

that the dispute whether the days of Chanukah are days of joy,

depends on the reason for the establishment of the days of Chanukah: according to the opinions that the days of Chanukah are only days of praise and thanksgiving, the festival was established

(primarily)

on the miracle of the lights,

for since this is

(primarily)

a spiritual matter,

therefore also the celebration of the festival is through praise and thanksgiving to God

(a spiritual matter)

; but according to the opinion of the Rambam

(primarily)

the establishment of the days of Chanukah is because of the victory of the war,

and therefore the Sages instituted that they should also be days of joy,

physical and bodily joy,

just as the victory of the war was a physical salvation,

and this<pg>205</pg>

that were established

(also)

for praise and thanksgiving which is a spiritual matter,

it can be said that this is an additional matter for the miracle of the lights

(a spiritual matter).

And based on this it can be said,

that the two matters that the Rambam wrote —

(a)

that the days of Chanukah are days of joy,

(b)

(also)

the victory of the war was on the 25th — are related to each other,

because in his opinion the establishment of the holiday of Chanukah is in memory of the two matters that occurred on that same day; unlike the opinion that the main establishment of the holiday of Chanukah

(which begins on the night of the 25th)

is because of the miracle of the lights and not for the victory of the war — it can be said that it is in accordance with the opinion that the victory of the war was on the day before it

(the 24th of the month),

and on the 25th of Kislev occurred

(only)

the miracle of the lights.

And based on this, the language of the Meiri³ is precise,

when he explains the content of the celebration of the first night

(in which there was seemingly no miracle with the oil),

that he wrote "we bless on the redemption and on the thanksgiving for the finding of the flask" — and that is,

that he was not satisfied with this that we bless "on the redemption"

(the victory of the war)

but he adds also "on the thanksgiving for the finding of the flask" — because from the perspective of the redemption itself they would establish the holiday on the 24th day

(the day of the victory of the war),

therefore he adds that the reason for the first day of Chanukah is also because of the finding of the flask

(which is connected with the lighting of the menorah of the night of the 25th).

2.

However, when you examine it, the matters are not forced,

for regarding Purim we find explicitly that the holiday is because of the victory of the war,

"that the Jews ruled over those who hated them,

they"¹³,

and nevertheless the festival was established

(not on the day of victory but)

on the day of rest,

"and they rested on the fourteenth..

on the fifteenth thereof and made it a day of feasting and joy"¹⁴.

And thus also regarding Chanukah one may say likewise,

that even though the victory of the war was on the twenty-fourth of the month,

nevertheless the festival was established

(for this victory)

on the day after it,

the twenty-fifth of Kislev,

which is the day of rest

(and known is also the hint in the name Chanukah¹⁵

— "they encamped on the twenty-fifth"¹⁶,

meaning that the twenty-fifth is the day of rest¹⁷).

And thus the Alter Rebbe stated¹⁸

that "the festival of Pesach is on the day the miracle occurred,

but not so regarding Chanukah and Purim, which are on the day of rest"

(and as below section 4)^*17.

And based on this, it follows,

that according to the Rambam,

who holds that the victory in the war was on the 25th day,

and he holds that the establishment of the festival is for the name of the victory of the war as above

(and according to the Pri Chadash&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;,

according to the approach of the Rambam, the first day of Chanukah is only for the name of the victory of the war)

— thus the festival of Chanukah is

(not on the day of rest afterwards,

like Purim,

but rather)

on the day of victory,

like on Pesach; unlike according to the Meiri, that the victory of the war was on the 24th,

thus the establishment of the festival

(which is also for the redemption)

is on the day of rest

(like Purim).

And it can be said that the dispute whether Chanukah is on the day of rest or on the day of victory,

depends on the explanation of the connection of the victory of the war to the festival of Chanukah.

&lt;pg&gt;206&lt;/pg&gt;

That is: according to everyone, the festival of Chanukah pertains both to the victory of the war and to the miracle of the lights,

except that they disagree whether the miracle of the victory of the war is only a preface and preparation for the miracle of the lights,

which is the conclusion and perfection,

and this is the reason for the establishment of the holiday,

or that the victory of the war is not considered merely a preface,

but is similar in its strength to the miracle of the lights in relevance to the establishment of the days of Chanukah.

[And therefore, according to the opinion that the victory of the war is only a preface and preparation,

and the festival of Chanukah is about this: that they purified the Temple and lit the lights — the miracle of the lights,

then the days of Chanukah are not days of joy,

but according to the opinion of the Rambam that the victory of the war is equal in its strength as a cause for the establishment of the days of Chanukah,

there are in Chanukah two matters,

also "days of joy"].

3.

And the explanation of this:

Festivals that were established as a remembrance for a miracle that occurred to Bnei Yisrael at a specific time,

there are in them two manners and details:

(a)

the festival was established for the salvation and redemption of Israel,

and not on the manner of the salvation and redemption,

(b)

the establishment of the festival is not only for the essence of the salvation and redemption of Israel,

but also on the manner of the redemption,

that it was in a particular manner.

And one can say,

that according to the Rambam,

this is one of the differences between Purim and Chanukah,

that although in both of them there was the rescue and redemption of Israel from the hand of their enemies and their haters

[And on the contrary,

the main rescue and redemption of Israel in a revealed way was in the days of Purim,

that then they were saved from the decree of Haman who "sought to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish all the Jews, from young to old, infants and women, in one day"²⁰],

behold on Purim the main establishment of the holiday is on the result,

the rescue and redemption of Israel²¹,

and the reason for the matter is,

because the rescue and victory of the war itself were not through an open miracle,

but rather through a miracle clothed in the ways of nature; but not so on Chanukah,

that the establishment of the holiday is not only on the result,

the salvation and rescue of Israel,

but also on the manner of the miracle,

"And on the miracles etc. 'You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, and the many into the hands of the few'"²⁰.

And therefore on Purim the victory of the war is considered only as a kind of preparation and introduction to the main thing — the salvation of Israel,

and therefore the holiday was established not on the day on which the victory of the war was, but on the day of rest on which the rescue of Israel is emphasized; but not so on Chanukah that also the victory is from the essence of the miracle and belongs to the holiday,

behold the establishment of the holiday is on that same day on which the victory was.

4.

And behold, it was brought above that our master the Alter Rebbe adopted the approach of the Meiri²²,

and explains that Chanukah is not like Pesach,

that Chanukah was established on the day of rest

(and the victory was on the day before it),

unlike Pesach, where the holiday was established on the day the miracle occurred

[and as he explains there the reason according to the inner dimension of the matters²³,

that when the victory and the holiday are on two days, this indicates that the victory over the enemy is a separate matter from the holiday itself

(and only a preparation for it),

unlike Pesach, where the miracle was through the revelation upon them of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and His essence,

above distinctions of levels,

therefore the two things were together,

without division between smiting the Egyptians and healing Israel].

But it can be said,

that the content of the explanation of our master the Alter Rebbe also corresponds to the approach of the Rambam

(that the victory of the <pg>207</pg>

War was on the 25th),

for Chanukah is not comparable to Passover,

that on Passover there were two things — smiting the Egyptians

(Plague of the Firstborn)

and healing

(redemption)

for Israel — in one subject,

as the Alter Rebbe said&lt;sup&gt;23&lt;/sup&gt;

(and adds "and what is written in books that this was before midnight and that after midnight is nothing but all at one time")

; but not so by Chanukah,

even though also the victory of the war is included in the miracle for which the festival was established,

nevertheless,

the main miracle of Chanukah was the miracle of the oil and the lights,

for in this there was an openly revealed miracle,

that "there was not&lt;sup&gt;3&lt;/sup&gt;

in it except to light one day, a miracle was done with it and they lit from it eight days",

and furthermore,

that the miracle of the lights indicates the salvation of the religion of Israel

(the opposite of nullifying their religion etc.&lt;sup&gt;24&lt;/sup&gt;)

— and thus there were here two different miracles that occurred at two different times,

the victory of the war and the miracle of the flask of oil

(which is the completeness of the salvation and redemption of Israel).

[And the content of the dispute of the Rambam and the Meiri whether the victory of the war on Chanukah was on the 24th or the 25th, one can say: according to the Meiri,

even though in relation to Purim the victory of the war of Chanukah is considered part of the miracle,

nevertheless,

the main victory of Chanukah is the victory of the religion

(and particularly that the victory of the war was not an openly revealed miracle like the miracle of the flask of oil,

for this victory had a hold in nature),

and the miracle of the victory of the war is considered only as a preparation for the main thing&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;,

and therefore he holds that also by Chanukah the festival is

(not on the day of the victory of the war,

but rather)

on the day of rest,

like on Purim

[and based on this it is understood what the Meiri emphasizes that on the first night "one blesses on the redemption&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

and on the thanksgiving for the finding of the flask" as above]

; but not so the Rambam holds,

that also the victory of the war

(and the physical salvation)

is a primary matter in Chanukah

(even though also the Rambam holds that one of the primary things in the victory of Chanukah is the salvation of the religion)].

And according to this it follows,

that according to the Rambam — three divisions in the matter: on Purim the establishment of the holiday is not on the day of victory but on the day of rest; on Chanukah the establishment of the holiday is on the day that had both things — victory of the war and also the miracle of the cruse of oil,

which are two different things that were at two times; and on Pesach the two things were

(smiting the Egyptians and healing Israel)

in one subject.

And according to what is explained in many places

(in the inner dimension of the Torah)

that the definition of a holiday is,

that it is a special day on which there was

(and there is)

a revelation and drawing down of holiness

(additional)

into the world,

it can be said,

that these three modes indicate three modes in the revelation of the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the world:

On Purim, the revelation of holiness was primarily in the salvation and deliverance of Israel,

and the destruction of Haman and the victory of the war are like an introduction to this revelation; on Chanukah, even in the victory of the war there was a revelation of holiness,

but the level of holiness is not equal to the revelation of holiness that was in the miracle of the flask of oil; and on Pesach there was a revelation of G‑dly holiness so lofty that its revelation was in both matters equally,

that even in "smiting Egypt",

the plague of the firstborn,

there was a revelation of holiness equal to the holiness that is revealed through the redemption of Israel.

5.

And behold, all these things exist also in the service of man,

that the order of his service is "turn away from evil and do good"²⁷,

and in this service of turning away from evil

(the victory of the war)

that in each and every Jew there are three modes:<pg>208</pg>

a)

"Turn from evil" whose meaning is the removal of evil from within him, that the vessel be clean and fit for the indwelling of the Shechinah,

that in this manner the turning from evil is only a preparation and readiness for his main service which is the fulfillment of the commandments of Hashem — do good,

"by way of a parable of a king who wants to have a dwelling in a new house, then first he must clean it from all filth and dirt"²⁸,

so in the service of man, that first he must "burn out the evil and you shall burn out the evil from your midst²⁹

that there should not be any dirt and filth, G-d forbid"³⁰

which is the matter of T.M.E.,

and afterwards it is possible to have the fulfillment of positive commandments which is "by way of example, the fixing and arranging of beautiful vessels, through which the dwelling will be in the lower realms" by means of drawing down His holiness, blessed be He, into the world³⁰.

b)

Above this is when the person does not need cleansing from filth and dirt,

being careful in the fulfillment of negative commandments,

and consequently he is a clean vessel — nevertheless there must be with him the service of turning from evil,

which is the matter of subjugation and acceptance of the yoke,

that he subjugates himself and nullifies himself to fulfill the will of the Creator.

Because through this that the person is a self and an existence in his own right,

behold in this itself he contradicts, as it were, the indwelling of the Shechinah,

that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not dwell except on something that is nullified to Him, blessed be He³¹

and specifically when the person subjugates and nullifies himself,

i.e., a movement of T.M.E.,

it is possible for there to be in him the indwelling of holiness³²,

and through this manner the service of "turning from evil" is not only a preparation and introduction,

but this is a part of the indwelling of His holiness, blessed be He.

3)

Above this is the manner where both are equal:

Even when the person is clean from all filth,

and the matter of "turn away from evil" by him is in a manner of coercion and nullification,

that through this he is not in the category of a yesh and existence in himself,

nevertheless there is still a difference by him between the service of turn away from evil and the service of do good,

that in do good he feels that he fulfills the supernal will, that through this he draws upon himself His holiness,

and in turn away from evil he feels the negation of the hindrance,

that he coerces and nullifies himself, because if not, this is a contradiction to the indwelling of the Shechinah;

But there is a higher level in service,

that his self-nullification to the supernal will is so absolute that he does not feel the difference between the ways through which the indwelling of the Shechinah is brought,

whether it is through the prevention of negation or through the drawing down of holiness,

because he is nullified to the supernal will and fulfills it without any calculations

(and in the manner of the statement of Rabbi Akiva³³

that Israel said at the time of the Giving of the Torah on "yes" yes and on "no" yes,

that whether in positive commandments or in negative commandments, the command was felt by them

(the general)

of the Holy One, blessed be He),

and specifically through this absolute self-nullification that is above calculation,

the drawing down of holiness through this is in the ultimate perfection³⁴.

From talks of Shabbat Parshat Vayeishev,

Erev Chanukah,

5726,

5746)