Q:
Why is al hanisim mostly about the victory over the Yevanim and not about the miracle of the oil?
A:
You have to realize that the miracle of the oil was an especial manifestation of the Presence of Hashem among His beloved nation. But the people, at the time when they were rescued, when they expressed their l’hodos u’lehallel l’shimcha hagadol, what were they thanking for? Were they thanking for their spiritual salvation? No; they were thanking for their physical salvation.
And therefore we have two levels. The truth is what the Gemara says: Mai Chanukah? What is Chanukah? And Rashi explains the question: Al eizeh nes kavu’ha – For which nes did they establish Chanukah? And the Gemara says there it’s because of the miracle of the oil. That was the most important feature of the miracle. But we should never lose sight of the fact of the physical porkan; our battle victories and the physical redemption we achieved from our enemies If you’ll lose sight of that because of the greater chessed, because of the miracle of the oil, so we’re making a great error. They were very excited about the fact that they won the war – that’s what they thanked for. And therefore people should always remember the chesed of gashmiyus is a very important chesed.
However, there’s another factor even more important and that factor is as follows. What is actually the neiros of Hakodosh Boruch Hu? The menorah of Hakodosh Boruch Hu is the Jewish people. Ner Hashem nishmas adam. We are His lamp. We are the light for the nations. We are the miracle; we are the flame that will never go out. The Jewish people is eternal. Forever and ever the fire of Torah, of idealism, of loyalty to Hakodosh Boruch Hu will burn in our hearts. That’s the real menorah of Chanukah.
Therefore when Hakodosh Boruch Hu rescued our people after all those wars against the mighty armies, it was this menorah that didn’t go out. We, the menorah of Hashem, survived.
Only that to appreciate this menorah it was necessary for the nes to happen inside the Beis Hamikdash too. But they’re all one neis. We are the menorah that doesn’t go out. We’ll never go out. And so the menorah in the Beis Hamikdash – finally it did go out – but it burned for eight days to show us that Hakodosh Boruch Hu’s shechinah rests on us and it will rest forever. We will never go out!
So therefore when we speak about the miracles of the victories over our enemy, we should feel exactly like we’re talking about the candles, the lamps that never went out. They’re one and the same thing. Only that one explains the other.
TAPE #485
