Toronto Torah

Beit Midrash Zichron Dov

Parshat Vayeshev 24 Kislev 5773/December 8, 2012

Vol.4 Num. 12

SPECIAL CHANUKAH EDITION

The Miracle(s) of Chanukah

What is the miracle of Chanukah? Many would undoubtedly answer that the Chashmonaim, upon their entry to the Beit HaMikdash, only found one jug of oil, and the oil miraculously lasted for eight days. The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) explains: When the Greeks entered the Temple they contaminated all of the oil. When the Chashmonaim became strong and defeated the Greeks, they searched and only found one jug of oil that had the seal of the Kohen Gadol. It only held enough to light for one day, but a miracle happened and they lit from the oil for eight days. The next year, they established these days as days of praise and thanksgiving. Yet this is not the only miracle of Chanukah. In the Al HaNisim prayer that we include on Chanukah in the amidah and in Birkat HaMazon, we say to G-d, You gave the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few This prayer makes extensive mention of a military victory, but does not even mention the miracle of the oil. Counting the military victory as a miracle makes eminent sense - a small guerilla army defeating the world superpower surely sounds like a miracle of magnificent proportions - but then what is the miracle of Chanukah? Is it the oil lasting for eight days, or is it the military victory over the Greeks? In his Mishneh Torah, the Rambam writes that the Jewish people were oppressed by the Greeks, until G-d had mercy on the Jews, and the Chashmonaim killed [the Greeks], and saved the Jews from their hand. (Hilchot Megilah vChanukah 3:1) The Rambam records the military victory as part of the miracle of Chanukah. In the very next halachah, the Rambam refers to the oil that was found. It seems that the Rambam would answer that we celebrate both miracles on Chanukah. The same idea emerges from a wellknown question posed by Rabbi Yosef Karo in his Beit Yosef (Orach Chaim 670). He asks: If there was enough oil to last for one day, then the oil that burned on the first day was not miraculous. In that case, the oil lasted miraculously for only seven additional da ys. Con sequen tl y, we sh ould celebrate Chanukah for seven days, and not for eight. Why, then, do we celebrate Chanukah for eight days? The Pri Chadash (OC 670:1) answers that on the first night of Chanukah, we actually celebrate the military victory over the Greeks. Similar to the Rambam, the Pri Chadash effectively tells us that there are two separate miracles of Chanukah: the oil lasting for seven extra days, and the victory of the weak over the mighty. Thus we have two separate miracles of Chanukah.

Yair Manas
But do we really celebrate two separate miracles? The Maharal (Chiddushei Aggadot to Shabbat) suggests that the main reason for establishing the holiday of Chanukah is the military victory over the Greeks, but that it is hard to see the Divine nature of a military victory. Therefore, G-d performed a miracle with the menorah's flame, so that everyone would see the overt miracle and thereby be sensitized to the covert miracle of the military victory. Thus, according to the Maharal, the central miracle of Chanukah is not what most people think. The discovery of the oil is only tangential to the main miracle, the miracle of the victory. Rav Meir Simchah of Dvinsk (Meshech Chachmah Shemot 12:16) presents another view which similarly places the military victory as the main miracle. Citing Provers 24:17, he contends that we do not celebrate the military victory on Chanukah because we do not celebrate the downfall of our enemies. Therefore, we celebrate the miracle of the oil, and through this miracle we also see the hand of G-d that guides our lives in other contexts (such as the military victory). This view of the central miracle and ancillary miracle may explain why the gemara makes no mention of the military victory. Rashi (Shabbat 21b) explains that the gemara is outlining the miracle which caused the Jews to enact Chanukah. Perhaps, per Rav Meir Simchah, the Talmud does not reference the military victory because we do not celebrate the downfall of our enemies. Alternatively, per Maharal, the Talmud does not reference the military victory because perceiving the Divine Hand in that event is difficult, and is not what triggered the original celebration. As we celebrate Chanukah, may we be inspired to continue to see the guiding hand of G-d in our lives. ymanas@torontotorah.com We are grateful to Continental Press 905-660-0311

BREAKFAST AND LEARN

SUNDAY, 8:45 AM, AT BNAI TORAH (465 PATRICIA) WITH RABBI MILEVSKY AND MRS. MICHAL HOROVITZ OUR ROVING BEIT MIDRASH FOR DECEMBER

MODERN MASHIACH
WED. 8:00 PM, KEHILLAT SHAAREI TORAH (2640 BAYVIEW)

The Greek Strategem

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hhorovitz@torontotorah.com

Hillel Horovitz

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Hitoriri: Jewish Spirituality

Unified Diversity
R Mordechai Torczyner
We are taught that Moshe was the greatest prophet who ever lived, receiving messages so lucid as to resemble face-to-face communication. However, according to the Talmud (Menachot 29a), Moshe couldnt understand how to create the menorah until HaShem showed him a menorah, saying, This is what you should create. What was Moshe's difficulty? According to the Maharal, Moshe easily understood the variety implicit in the menorah's seven branches, for the community of humanity also casts light in many unique directions. However, G-d wanted Moshe to fashion the m e n or ah fr om a si n gl e b l ock , symbolizing a core unity. The idea of a unified source producing diverse results was the menorah's novelty, teaching that despite our diversity, we originate from the same source. The menorah's unifie d source producing diverse light is not a complete model, though, for differences lead to friction. What do you do when diversity leads different community members, even family members, in different directions? The Talmud (Menachot 98b) answers with one more element of the menorah: all seven branches angle back in the same direction. While diverse in our approaches, we must remain united in our purpose the service of G-d. Along the same lines, Rav Bentzion Uziel, former chief rabbi of Tel Aviv, was asked about a certain minyan which included people from a variety of countries. When it came time to shake the lulav and etrog, there was pandemonium in the synagogue, everyone turning in different directions. Rav Uziel was asked whether they should split into multiple minyanim. The great sage replied that there was no reason to split the minyan, explaining that there is millenia-old precedent for people in the same minyan shaking the lulav in diverse ways. The key is that all of us have the same goal, fulfilling the mitzvah of shaking the lulav. (Piskei Uziel b'She'elot haZman 2) May we learn the lessons of our menorah and that lulav to recognize our common roots, to branch out in our varied directions, but to ensure that our goal remains the national mission of radiating the light of G-d into the world. torczyner@torontotorah.com

613 Mitzvot: #231, 260

Cursing People and Parents

Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
Curses, wishing harm upon another person, are more than an expression of frustration, letting off steam in traffic or after an altercation. Expressing a curse is a violent act, turning our elevated souls and our Divinely granted power of speech toward the destruction of another human being. We have already seen (mitzvot 69-71) that one may not curse judges and political leaders, and that blasphemy toward G-d is also prohibited. Mitzvah 231 is a broader prohibition against cursing anyone else who is obligated in mitzvot, and mitzvah 260 prohibits cursing one's parent. Granted the strong emotions which may arise in these relationships, expressing violence toward others is beyond the pale. As explained by the Minchat Chinuch (231:1), this includes cursing a group of people. The full prohibition is only violated if a curse invokes a Name of G-d. However, the Sefer haChinuch notes that even without the Name, the curse is still prohibited. torczyner@torontotorah.com

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Biography: Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel Torah in Translation

Adam Frieberg

Timing the Prayer for Rain

Responsa of Rosh 4:10 Translated by Adam Frieberg
It happened in the year 5073 from Creation that the rain stopped falling; there were no showers the entire winter, except for the tiniest amount. They declared a fast to beseech G-d to bring rain upon the earth. It was, on the first night of Pesach, after maariv, my father, my master, the Rosh was sitting by the door to his home. We, some of his friends, were standing to his right and to his left. And he said, Now would be a good time to raise an issue that has forever astonished me: Why dont we mention and request rain until Shavuot?

Rabbeinu Asher ben Yechiel (c. 1250 1327) was a renowned rabbi and talmudist. In addition to writing more than one thousand responsa, Rabbeinu Asher also wrote a halachic commentary on the Babylonian Talmud. His glosses were considered so authoritative that Rabbi Yosef Karo, in compiling the Shulchan Aruch, named it as one of his three principle legal sources (alongside the work of Rif and Rambam).

This Week in Israeli History

Kislev 25, 164 BCE

Re-dedication
Rabbi Baruch Weintraub
Sunday is the 25th of Kislev After returning from Babylonia, the Jews did not establish an independent state, and instead remained under foreign sovereignty. The empire in control changed from time to time, and in the 2nd century BCE, Judea became a part of the Syria-based Seleucid Empire. When Antiochus IV Epiphanes became ruler of the Seleucid Empire in 175 BCE, he pillaged the Temple, attacked Jerusalem and "led captive the women and children". (Maccabees 1) Antiochus pursued a zealous Hellenizing policy: He made possession of the Torah a capital offense and burned the copies he could find; Sabbaths and feasts were banned; circumcision was outlawed, and mothers who circumcised their babies were killed along with their families; the idol of Olympic Zeus was placed on the altar of the Temple, and more. After Antiochus issued his decrees, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Matityahu the Hasmonean, sparked a revolt against the Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship the Greek gods. He killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol, and he fled with his five sons to the wilderness of Judah, beginning a campaign of guerrilla warfare. Many Jews joined them, and with G-d's mercy they gained victory after victory against the professional army of Antiochus. After regaining Jerusalem, the Hasmoneans set out to re-establish worship of G-d in the Beit HaMikdash. On the 25th of Kislev, 164 BCE, they celebrated the rededication of the Beit haMikdash and its central altar. The famous miracle of the jug of oil, which occurred in the next seven days, was the final sign of G-d's involvement in those events. The Jewish kingdom established by the Hasmoneans stood for about two hundred years, but the inspiration they provided endures forever. bweintraub@torontotorah.com

Rabbeinu Asher was born in Western Germany into a prominent family of Torah scholars, and he studied p rim ari ly unde r Rabb i Mei r of Rothenberg. In 1286, as Emperor Rudolf I began persecuting Jews, Rabbi Meir attempted to escape to Germany but was captured and imprisoned. The Rosh raised a ransom for his release, but Rabbi Meir refused it, for fear that this would encourage the imprisonment of others. The Rosh took over his teachers community of Worms until he was Some of his friends responded, It would be forced to flee. proper for you to inform the elders of this After leaving Germany, the Rosh first matter [that the prayer for rain should be settled in southern France and then in recited until Shavuot], for them to implement Toledo, Spain, where he became the it. It was appropriate in their opinion, and community's rabbinic leader on the they sent to the cantor of the shul to pray for recommendation of Rabbi Shlomo ben rain on the following day [during Pesach, Aderet (Rashba). Rabbeinu Asher passed even though normative law advocates away in Toledo on the 9th of Cheshvan refraining from praying for rain after the first 5088 (1327 CE), leaving behind eight day of Pesach] children. One of his sons, Rabbi Yaakov, would go on to organize a halachic code When the cantor added the prayer for rain, designed in four columns (turim, hence there was an uproar from a few of the sages the colloquial name Tur for his work). who had not proposed this change, and they Rabbi Yosef Karo modeled his Shulchan issued a declaration that this addition was Aruch on the Tur's format. not appropriate, for [rain at this time of year] would be a sign of a curse. The Rosh This biography includes elements from a exercised restraint and did not speak for the biography written by David Teller in a entire day, until that night, which was Chol previous issue of Toronto Torah. HaMoed. He then wrote a treatise to support afrieberg@torontotorah.com his position, and this was its text: As I have heard that there are those who were astonished by my position, I have come to explain what I said. It is not appropriate to stop mentioning and asking [for rain] now, on the first day of Pesach It is true that the first chapter of Tractate Taanit (10) says, It was taught in a baraita: Chananya says, 'In exile we only start asking for rain sixty days after the fall tekufah.' Rav Huna son of Chiya cited Shemuel's ruling that the law follows Chananya. And in all areas of law we follow the sages of Babylon and practice as they do when the sages of Babylon and sages of Israel disagree, for the Babylonian Talmud is our main text. However, that is all in regard to determining what is forbidden and what is permitted, who is liable and who is exempt, what is pure and what is impure. Regarding that which depends upon the needs of the moment, such that changing it would not violate a principle of the Torah, it is appropriate to determine practice based upon the particular year, place and time. When I saw that the hearts of the community tilted away from accepting from me the words of the living G-d, I also recanted from asking and mentioning [the rain] in the synagogue where I pray. I could have requested rain as an individual, since it is a communal need, but I didnt want to create different factions [within the same shul]. I would not have recorded this on chol hamoed, for that is not my practice, but there is a need at this time in order to prevent desecration of the Name of Heaven, and it is also involves the needs of the Yom Tov to a certain extent.

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Our Haftorah: Amos 2:6-3:8

Who is the prophet of our haftorah? Amos was active in one of the 'golden ages' of the kingdoms of Yehudah and Yisrael, when Uziah was the king of Yehudah, and Yeravam the son of Yoash was the king of Yisrael. The picture that arises from the book of Amos is one of a wealthy society, where palaces and beautiful gardens are not rare. Amos warns repeatedly against the social gap between wealthy and indigent, and the abuse of the poor by the rich; he inveighs against the "cows of Bashan which are on Mount Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy." (4:1) It is possible that Amos saw some of this oppression with his own eyes, being a sheep herder and a sycamore fig farmer. What is the message of our haftorah? In our haftorah, Amos speaks sharply against the kingdom of Yisrael, describing the main crimes they commit selling the poor for money, seeking to humiliate the miserable, and engaging in similar abuses. After this, Amos turns to a different sin: "And you gave the nazirites to drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, saying, 'Do not prophesy.'" (2: 12) Is there a connection between these two charges? My mentor, Rav Moshe Lichtenstein, explains that there are two types of crime between Man and his fellow. There are crimes in which one man recognizes another as a rival, and does his best to destroy him. Such was the murder of Hevel by Kayin. Entirely different are crimes in which man does not recognize his fellow as a rival with whom he competes, but as an object to exploit. Such are the crimes described by Amos; selling the pauper for a pair of shoes is not in order to gain some superiority in a competition, but rather it is because the pauper is not seen as a human being. That is also the main accusation of a father and son "going to a young woman" (2:7) the degrading of the most intimate relationship between people into a cheap and faceless enjoyment. The same sin of exploitation underlies the prophet's second charge. Amos is not saying that people refuse to bring their sacrifices or fulfill mitzvot. Rather, the problem is that the people have no interest in hearing G-d's words. They are interested in an economical version of religion give (mitzvot) and take (reward). But they do not wish to establish a relationship with Hashem.

Rabbi Baruch Weintraub

To this, G-d's answer is: Only you did I know of all the families on earth; therefore, I will visit upon you all of your iniquities (3:2). Amos stresses the special relationship created between Hashem and the Jewish nation by the redemption from Egypt and the conquest of Eretz Yisrael. To summarize our haftorah's main lesson: Relationships must be based upon an 'I and Thou' basis, not an 'I and It' basis, both between human beings and between human and G-d. Can we connect our haftorah to Chanukah? On Chanukah we celebrate two miracles: the military victory and the extended burning of the oil, and perhaps the second miracle was needed in order to shed light on the first one. The military victory might be seen as just another 'it' a fact disconnected from our relationship with G-d. The miracle of the oil served to show that the victory should be seen as a 'smile' from Hashem to us, and provided an opportunity to re-read our own history in light of our bond with the Divine. bweintraub@torontotorah.com

Some of our regular shiurim are on Chanukah hiatus, but opportunities remain!
Shabbat, December 8 7:45 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Reasons for mitzvot and the parshah, Or Chaim not this week 10:20 AM R Baruch Weintraub, Parshah, Clanton Park 3:25 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Daf Yomi, BAYT 3:45 PM Adam Frieberg, Why Eight Nights?, Shaarei Tefillah After minchah R Mordechai Torczyner, Gemara Avodah Zarah: Non-Jewish Doctors, BAYT 6:30 PM Parent-Child Learning, Shaarei Shomayim, not this week Monday, December 10 8-10 PM Monday night Beit Midrash at Bnai Torah 8 PM Hillel Horovitz, Special Siyum of Shemuel II, Bnai Torah - Chanukah Food will be served 8 PM R Ezra Goldschmiedt, Mesilat Yesharim, Bnai Torah, high school students 9 PM Hillel Horovitz, Writings of Rav Kook: Ein Ayah, Bnai Torah 8-10 PM Monday night Beit Midrash at Clanton Park Tuesday, December 11 1:30 PM R Mordechai Torczyner, Malachi 3: The End of Days, Mekorot 8 PM Yair Manas, Chaburah: Sanhedrin, 33 Meadowbrook 8:30 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Rambams Laws of Kings, Shomrai Shabbos, men

Highlights for December 8-14 / 24 Kislev - 1 Tevet

Sunday, December 9 1st day of Chanukah 9:15 AM Hillel Horovitz, The War in Shechem, Zichron Yisroel, Hebrew (Shacharit 8:30 AM) After Shacharit R Milevsky and Michal Horovitz, Wednesday, December 12 Breakfast & Learn, Bnai Torah 10 AM R Mordechai Torczyner, Supernatural/Superstition, After maariv R Baruch Weintraub, Contemporary BEBY, Melton on hiatus Halachah in Israel, Hebrew, Clanton Park, men not this 8 PM Roving Beit Midrash R Mordechai Torczyner, The Last week Prophet: Malachi and the Messiah, Kehilat Shaarei Torah 8:30 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Contemporary Halachah Thursday, December 13 in Israel, Hebrew, 4 Tillingham Keep, mixed not this 8:30 PM R Baruch Weintraub, Sotah, Clanton Park week

We would like to thank koshertube.com for filming our shiurim!

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