In the Chanukah story we find 3 miracles. The first miracle was the winning of the war between the small Jewish army and the mighty enemy. The second miracle was that they found one can of oil that had remained pure. The third miracle was that the oil lasted eight days instead of one.
The first miracle took place on 24 Kislev. The word Chanukah can be split into two. 'Chanu' - They rested, 'kah' - on the 25th. Resting on the 25th implies that the last battle was on the 24th.
The oil was found on the 25th day of Kislev. The miracle of the oil burning more than usual started on the 26th day of Kislev.
In the 'Al Hanissim' prayer there is only mention of the first miracle. The miracle of the oil is not mentioned at all. It is also interesting that the lighting of the menorah, Chanukah's trademark, was not included in this prayer.
To commemorate the second miracle, we light candles. Just like in those days, they started lighting again on the 25th; so do we.
The third miracle, which took place on the 26th, the miracle of the oil, is not commemorated at all in any way.
The lighting of the menorah is a rabbinic decree. In general all rabbinic decrees were instituted to be like regular mitzvot from the Torah. Chanukah seems to be different in that aspect. The Torah says to light seven candles in the Beit Hamikdash, and we are told to light eight.
The world is sustained by G-dly power in two different ways: The regular dose of G-dly energy that sustains the world, which we perceive as nature; and a higher form of Divine energy that breaks the laws of nature, which we call a miracle. The world was created in seven days by the first type of energy. An eighth day would refer to the miracle level.
The world was created by Hashem. The four-letter ineffable name, 'Havaya' itself, indicates that. It stands for haya-hoveh-yiyeh. He was?is?will be. Past, present and future are all expressions of time.
The 13 attributes of Hashem as described in the Torah start with "Hashem, Hashem". The shem 'havaya' is mentioned twice. It refers to two different levels of this name. The ?lower? one is the one mentioned earlier; the 'nature' one with its boundaries of time and space. The ?higher? one is the miracle one. Take the four letters of both names and you get eight (all that is higher than nature).
King David also mentions the two levels when he says in Psalms: "ki atah Hashem neri (you are my light, Hashem) veHashem yagia choshki (and you Hashem dispel darkness)". Hashem A) that is a light; and Hashem B) that dispels darkness. The Chanukah miracle comes from the second level that dispels darkness. Therefore, we have eight days.
In the Beit Hamikdash there was a harp (kinor) with seven strings. When Moshiach comes, there will be a harp with eight strings. Kinor can be read as kaf vav (= 26) ner (candle). The numerical value of Hashem?s name is 26. Even in the times of the Beit Hamikdash, the world was being sustained by the ?lower? shem havaya, although in a way of ?ner?. Only when Moshiach comes the world will be constantly sustained by the 'miracle' shem havaya.
In the time of the Chanukah story, the spiritual darkness was very dense. Therefore, the extra-strong spiritual light was generated in order to help the Jewish people survive.
Challenges and pressure can bring out powers and strength unbeknownst to the person under normal circumstances. Because the Jewish people wanted to remain loyal to Hashem even while being oppressed, a stronger spiritual power was given to them as a result of their mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice).
It says about Moshe Rabeinu that he was the most humble person on earth. It is also known that he was the greatest person on earth. What caused this great person to be so humble? Our sages tell us that Hashem showed Moshe all the hardships and spiritual darkness the Jewish people in our days would be going through. Moshe knew that with the powers he had at that time he would not make it in our generation. The struggle for Jewish survival after almost two thousand years of exile, which we presently go through, is what caused the great Moshe to be humble. The reason why Moshe wasn't given those powers, but all of us simple people were, is that in his situation they were not needed. Similarly, in the time of the Chanukah story, special powers to overcome to hardships were given to the people living then.
The first miracle was on the 24th. "Baruch shem kevod malchuto le'olam va'ed." (Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.) This verse refers to G-dly energy that sustains the world ("Your kingdom"). If we would count the Hebrew letters that form this sentence, we would find them to number 24.
The miracle of winning the war was ?dressed up? in nature. The enemy didn?t go up in smoke. The Maccabees had to fight a real war in order to defeat the mighty enemy army. The miracle aspect was that a tiny army defeated a huge army, but other than that, everything was done in natural ways.
The second miracle, the finding of the oil on the 25th, was a little more supernatural. Skeptics will still argue that there was no miracle. One can say that the last can was simply overlooked. In other words, it was a miracle, but not in a way that it "blows the mind". It was on the 25th.
Words of the prophets always start with the opening sentence "Koh amar Hashem." (Such are the words of Hashem.) 'Koh' implies that something is being referred to that can not be seen openly. When referring to something that is tangible and clearly visible we use the word 'zeh'. The revelation at the splitting of the sea was in a way of "zeh keili" - this is our G-d. The prophets never got such open revelations; they therefore used the term 'koh'. The second half of the word chanukah, 'kah', (numerical value 25) can be read as 'koh'. The miracle was only from the ?lower? shem havaya, in a way of 'koh', as opposed to 'zeh'.
The third miracle, which took place on the 26th, completely transcended the laws of nature. The numerical value of Hashem's name is twenty six, as we said before. Hashem could have arranged it that they would find another bottle of pure oil every day. Those would have been 25 separate miracles. Instead, He made the same bottle of oil provide enough fuel to last eight days. Eight, as we mentioned earlier, represents supernatural miracles.
However, after the new oil reached the Beit Hamikdash, the miracle stopped. That is the reason why nothing was instituted on the 26th to commemorate the miracle that took place on that day. Since this was a miracle connected with the higher, supernatural shem havaya, which does not have a revealed influence on a day-to-day basis, there is no way we can connect it with a physical act, or even with a prayer. The only way we remember it is by celebrating Chanukah for eight days.
May we soon merit to see this light shining forever, when "venigla kevod Hashem" and all the nations will recognize that there is only one G-d, with the coming of Moshiach, when we will once again light the menorah "be'chatsrot kodshecha", in the third Beit Hamikdash.
The first miracle took place on 24 Kislev. The word Chanukah can be split into two. 'Chanu' - They rested, 'kah' - on the 25th. Resting on the 25th implies that the last battle was on the 24th.
The oil was found on the 25th day of Kislev. The miracle of the oil burning more than usual started on the 26th day of Kislev.
In the 'Al Hanissim' prayer there is only mention of the first miracle. The miracle of the oil is not mentioned at all. It is also interesting that the lighting of the menorah, Chanukah's trademark, was not included in this prayer.
To commemorate the second miracle, we light candles. Just like in those days, they started lighting again on the 25th; so do we.
The third miracle, which took place on the 26th, the miracle of the oil, is not commemorated at all in any way.
The lighting of the menorah is a rabbinic decree. In general all rabbinic decrees were instituted to be like regular mitzvot from the Torah. Chanukah seems to be different in that aspect. The Torah says to light seven candles in the Beit Hamikdash, and we are told to light eight.
The world is sustained by G-dly power in two different ways: The regular dose of G-dly energy that sustains the world, which we perceive as nature; and a higher form of Divine energy that breaks the laws of nature, which we call a miracle. The world was created in seven days by the first type of energy. An eighth day would refer to the miracle level.
The world was created by Hashem. The four-letter ineffable name, 'Havaya' itself, indicates that. It stands for haya-hoveh-yiyeh. He was?is?will be. Past, present and future are all expressions of time.
The 13 attributes of Hashem as described in the Torah start with "Hashem, Hashem". The shem 'havaya' is mentioned twice. It refers to two different levels of this name. The ?lower? one is the one mentioned earlier; the 'nature' one with its boundaries of time and space. The ?higher? one is the miracle one. Take the four letters of both names and you get eight (all that is higher than nature).
King David also mentions the two levels when he says in Psalms: "ki atah Hashem neri (you are my light, Hashem) veHashem yagia choshki (and you Hashem dispel darkness)". Hashem A) that is a light; and Hashem B) that dispels darkness. The Chanukah miracle comes from the second level that dispels darkness. Therefore, we have eight days.
In the Beit Hamikdash there was a harp (kinor) with seven strings. When Moshiach comes, there will be a harp with eight strings. Kinor can be read as kaf vav (= 26) ner (candle). The numerical value of Hashem?s name is 26. Even in the times of the Beit Hamikdash, the world was being sustained by the ?lower? shem havaya, although in a way of ?ner?. Only when Moshiach comes the world will be constantly sustained by the 'miracle' shem havaya.
In the time of the Chanukah story, the spiritual darkness was very dense. Therefore, the extra-strong spiritual light was generated in order to help the Jewish people survive.
Challenges and pressure can bring out powers and strength unbeknownst to the person under normal circumstances. Because the Jewish people wanted to remain loyal to Hashem even while being oppressed, a stronger spiritual power was given to them as a result of their mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice).
It says about Moshe Rabeinu that he was the most humble person on earth. It is also known that he was the greatest person on earth. What caused this great person to be so humble? Our sages tell us that Hashem showed Moshe all the hardships and spiritual darkness the Jewish people in our days would be going through. Moshe knew that with the powers he had at that time he would not make it in our generation. The struggle for Jewish survival after almost two thousand years of exile, which we presently go through, is what caused the great Moshe to be humble. The reason why Moshe wasn't given those powers, but all of us simple people were, is that in his situation they were not needed. Similarly, in the time of the Chanukah story, special powers to overcome to hardships were given to the people living then.
The first miracle was on the 24th. "Baruch shem kevod malchuto le'olam va'ed." (Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.) This verse refers to G-dly energy that sustains the world ("Your kingdom"). If we would count the Hebrew letters that form this sentence, we would find them to number 24.
The miracle of winning the war was ?dressed up? in nature. The enemy didn?t go up in smoke. The Maccabees had to fight a real war in order to defeat the mighty enemy army. The miracle aspect was that a tiny army defeated a huge army, but other than that, everything was done in natural ways.
The second miracle, the finding of the oil on the 25th, was a little more supernatural. Skeptics will still argue that there was no miracle. One can say that the last can was simply overlooked. In other words, it was a miracle, but not in a way that it "blows the mind". It was on the 25th.
Words of the prophets always start with the opening sentence "Koh amar Hashem." (Such are the words of Hashem.) 'Koh' implies that something is being referred to that can not be seen openly. When referring to something that is tangible and clearly visible we use the word 'zeh'. The revelation at the splitting of the sea was in a way of "zeh keili" - this is our G-d. The prophets never got such open revelations; they therefore used the term 'koh'. The second half of the word chanukah, 'kah', (numerical value 25) can be read as 'koh'. The miracle was only from the ?lower? shem havaya, in a way of 'koh', as opposed to 'zeh'.
The third miracle, which took place on the 26th, completely transcended the laws of nature. The numerical value of Hashem's name is twenty six, as we said before. Hashem could have arranged it that they would find another bottle of pure oil every day. Those would have been 25 separate miracles. Instead, He made the same bottle of oil provide enough fuel to last eight days. Eight, as we mentioned earlier, represents supernatural miracles.
However, after the new oil reached the Beit Hamikdash, the miracle stopped. That is the reason why nothing was instituted on the 26th to commemorate the miracle that took place on that day. Since this was a miracle connected with the higher, supernatural shem havaya, which does not have a revealed influence on a day-to-day basis, there is no way we can connect it with a physical act, or even with a prayer. The only way we remember it is by celebrating Chanukah for eight days.
May we soon merit to see this light shining forever, when "venigla kevod Hashem" and all the nations will recognize that there is only one G-d, with the coming of Moshiach, when we will once again light the menorah "be'chatsrot kodshecha", in the third Beit Hamikdash.