Parshat Emor is also known as parshashat haMoadot. The last pasuk, l’maan yeidu doroteichem…’ represents the end of parshat Hamoadot. The first verse of the next parsha discusses the ner tamid, also known as the parashat Hamenorah. R. Eliezer miMainz (Rokeach al HaTorah) notes that the juxtaposition teaches us that Sukkot and Chanukah are intrinsically connected. Just as we complete the entire hallel for eight days on Sukkot, so too, we complete the entire hallel during the eight days of Chanukah. It has been pointed out that the phrase v’yikchu eilecha shemen – in Gematria equals elu shmonah y’mei Chanukah; tamid and b’chol shmonah also have the same gematria. The Torah first commands ‘lahaalot ner’ (singular) and then states, ‘yaaroch et haneirot’ (plural); it has been argued that since the Torah refers to the lights first in the singular and then in the plural, it teaches us that we follow the opinion of Beit Hillel – mosifin v’holchin – that we add more candles every night.


I would like to ask three questions about Chanukah. Question number 1: What is the inside connection between Sukkot and Chanukah that the Rishonim would like to teach us? Question number 2: One fulfils the mitzvah of ner ish uveito by m’hadrinrin min ham’hadrin, each person in the household lights candles representing the night of the festival. Furthermore, the halacha debates if we light the candles in ascending or descending order - ‘mosif v’holeich or pochet v’holech?’ This debate is the first halachic dispute regarding Chanukah in the Torah Shebaal Peh. Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai lived 100 years after the Chanukah story. Why was nothing said about Chanukah for 100 years? Why does no one else say anything?


Third question: Chanukah has only one mitzvah, yet it is performed m’hadrin min ham’hadrin. In Israel, over 90% of all Israelis – religious and non religious – celebrate all 8 nights of Chanukah – m’hadrin min ham’hadrin. Why? We don’t find this on any other holiday.


The answers to these questions will provide new insights into Chanukah.


The Maharal from Prague (Gevurot HASHEM ch. 47) teaches that the term ‘vayaaminu’ can be found in three different contexts. When Moshe arrived back in Egypt to redeem the Jewish slaves, the Torah records, ‘ויאמן העם’ (Shemot 4: )’ At the banks of the Yam Suf, the Jewish people asserted their faith and the Torah states, ‘ויאמינו בה' ובמשה עבדו’ (Ibid 14: ;) finally, the Maharal points out that Moshe was promised at maamad har Sinai that the Jews would believe him – ‘וגם בך יאמינו לעולם’ (Ibid 20: ).


Maharal continues:


ודע כי ג' אמונות הם יסוד הדת וכאשר חס ושלום תפול אחת מהם, תפול הדת בכללה.


The three languages of אמונה correspond to the three fundamental tenets of Judaism: hashgacha pratit; Ein Od Milvado and Torah min hashamayim. Similarly, each of the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals manifest these three ideas. On Pesach we celebrate the omnipotence and Uniqueness of the Almighty – ein od milvado. Shavuot celebrates Torah min hashamayim and the sheltering presence of the shechinah commemorates hashgacha pratit. Maharal redefines the term r’galim, in light of the latter theory.


ונקראים רגלים על שם שהם רגלי הדת שעומד עליהם הדת.


You remember Bilam? He tried to kill am Yisrael! He took his donkey to go and curse Israel. The donkey does not follow the instructions he received from Bilam, and Bilam proceeds to strike the animal. What does the donkey say to Bilam? Lama ze hikitani shalosh regalim? Why not p’amim? Chazal teach us [paragraph #6] that the donkey says that you want to uproot the nation who celebrates the 3 regalim. No chance to win against klal Yisrael, b/c they believe deeply in ‘ein od milvado,’ ‘Torah min haShamayim’ and ‘Hashgacha Pratit.’


Pesach is very clear how it is ‘ein od milvado.’ The connection b/w Torah min Hashamayim and Shavuos is very clear. Sukkot represents faith in hashgacha pratit. We walk into the sukkah, we trust that HASHEM will watch over us, and is ‘tzeila dimneihamnuta.’


[paragraph 7.] Three entrances to gehinom – desert, sea and Jerusalem.’


Korach complained against Moshe Rabbeinu – ‘you say Torah min hashamayim?’ I’ll show you. This was in the midbar. Paraoh is represented by sea, he didn’t believe ‘ein od milvado.’ His life ended in the sea. Why Jerusalem? For Pesach, some people come to Jerusalem, others wait until Pesach Sheni. Shavuos? For one day, how many people made the trip. Sukkos? It’s the best time for people to come to Jerusalem. It’s a long festival, the weather is great, it’s the end of the year – people feel good. We can enjoy with the family. Millions of people stayed in Jerusalem over Sukkot.


Chazal taught us that people felt important in their home towns. But when they came to Jerusalem and experienced the myriad of people, they lost their faith. You come as the Rosh Yeshiva of your community; you then arrive in Jerusalem and you are one of thousands of Rashei Yeshivot. I’m only a drop. How much can my aveirot change the balance? Not too much. So people lost their faith in hashgacha pratit. At that point, you find yourself in another entrance to Gehinnom. If we loose one of the three emunot, all of Yiddishkeit is gone.


We have two festivals midivrei Sofrim.


Purim – v’nahafochu. The Feeling of Klal Yisrael on Purim is ‘ein od milvado.’ ‘Kimu v’kiblu.’ Is kabalas hatorah – Torah min Hashamayim… Pesach and Shavuot.


Chanukah – emunah in hashgacha. Masarta rabim b’yad m’atim. Chanukah is therefore parallel to Sukkot. Not just hallel hashalem and eight days. Chanukah represents emunah b’hashgacha pratit.


Y’mei hadin, acc. to the GRA, end at the end of Chanukah and some say 10 Kislev. Either after 7 months or 9 months. – 10 Tishrei is 7 months. 10 Kislev is 9 months after birth. Kislev is the month of the end of Y’mei HaDin. This is ovrin l’fanav kivnei maron. One by One. This is Yamim Noraim.


Josephus brings a story (also in Megillat Hashmonaim). We kept Sukkot more than any other. Herod wanted to become the kohen from the Hashmonaim. He was jealous after their miracles. He was married to Miriam the Hashmonite. He needed to kill all of Beit Hashmonai, except for his brother in law – Aristobus. He was 17 and he kept him alive – the brother of his wife. He made him Kohen Gadol and he started to work in the BM. YK comes and they see Aristobus – who looked exactly as his grandfather looked. You saw his charisma and personality in his face. People started to tell him how great he was. Herod saw that people really liked Aristobus; so he wanted to kill Aristobus. After Sukkos, Herod invited Aristobus to his palace in Jericho. Herod invited Aristobus to use his pool, as it was a hot day. Aristobus finally relented and Herod’s hoards drowned him. Herod then abolished the celebration of Chanukah in the BM, b/c he needed to blot out all remnants of the Hashmonaim.


To this edict, Hillel and Shamai came and said, if we can’t celebrate in the BM, we will celebrate in our small BM – our homes. ‘Ner Ish uveito.’ What is Chanukah? It is emunah b’hashgacha pratit. Your house represents this more than anything. The small candle celebrates this huge fundamental notion of ours. Publicly, we moved Chanukah to Sukkot.


[source 9]. Rabban Gamliel juggled eight torches of fire in the Temple, during the Simchas Beis Hashoevah (Sukkah 53a). Why eight? He was showing klal yisrael that Sukkot was really a celebration of Chanukah as well. Both celebrate hashgacha pratit. This explains the statemtn of Hillel (SUkkah 53a). Hillel was known to be a modest man? Why does he say this? He is trying to be m’chazek everyone. You are unique! You are special. You are unique. If we miss you, we miss part of the puzzle. Be proud of who you are and what you do. The end of the paragraph talks of the skull. He knows ‘we know what happened to Aristoblus – he was drowned.’ But we must continue to celebrate Chanukah.


Ner Chanukah is a mitzvah for m’hadrin min ham’hadrin. Chanukah is a celebration of hashgacha pratit, of the Jewish home. Chanukah is the celebration of ‘Ima.’ Shulchan Aruch (OC 670) – women have a custom not to work while the candles are burning. Why? B/c it’s Ima’s chag. This is in the introduction – this is fundamental to understanding Chanukah.


Rambam (Megillah v’Chanuakh 4:12) – sell your suit and buy nerot Chanukah, b’c Chanukah is hashgacha pratit. We buy shabbos candles, b’c that is shalom bayis – Chanukah…


If this is all true…


Gemara Shabbos (rav and Shmuel) – Can I light from one candle to another? Rav says no; Shmuel says yes. Usually halacha is like Rav; here the halacha is like Shmuel. Svara of Rav is akchushin – we make the lit candle lesser, weaker.


We have two ways to lead. Power and personality/wisdom, quality of the person. Moshe was king and navi. HASHEM said to Moshe… give over your ‘hod’ to Yehoshua. What is ‘hod’? Power – then v’samachta et yadcha – quality.


Rav and Shmuel argue. Was our victory b/c of power or personality. Rav says power: SHmuel says personality. We light from candle to candle. The first candle does not diminish. The victory in Chanukah is personality. The Greeks wanted to tell us – l’hashkicham toratecha. What does this mean? If you remember something, how can someone make you forget something? Where is their shikcha? When we are born, the angel touches us and we forget all of our Torah. When you move to a new environment, people forget what came before. The Greeks want us to move into a different environment – one with their values. For this reason we follow Shmuel. Our neighbors have lots of light at this time of year. But what is their light? Electric power. If you take the power, it’s all gone. What is Chanukah? It’s the mesirus nefesh of Ima, of Abba, of all the generations of the Jewish home. Chanukah is not more light; it’s a continnum of light.


When we light Chanukah candles, it’s family time; it’s a celebration of family. This shows what was and what will be; bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.


We should be zoche to see a big light from the small light that we kindle. Or Chadash al tzion ta’ir v’nizkeh kulanu bim’heira l’oro.