Regarding the question of why the Chanukah menorah has eight branches when the Temple Candelabra had just seven, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook expounds that we have to distinguish between the more holy and the less. While the Temple Candelabra was holy and situated within the Kodesh, the holy part of the Temple with all the restrictions pertaining to it, the Chanukah menorah is outside of the Temple and lacks the Temple's holiness.
Our sages taught:
"One cannot make a building modeled after the Temple, a portico modeled after the Temple Hallway [ulam], a chamber modeled after the Courtyard [azara], a table modeled after the Temple Shulchan or a menorah modeled after the Temple Menorah. Yet one can make a menorah of five, six or eight branches. One should not make one of seven" (Rosh Hashanah 24a)
One is forbidden, outside of the Temple, to fashion vessels that were in the Temple, because "the Temple's holiness is governed by restrictions to prevent the flow of non-holiness from diminishing its worth. Precisely through this protection does the holy provide life, and a place for the non-holy." (Ma'amarei HaRe'iyah, 479)
Our holy Torah separates between the holy and the non-holy. On Saturday nights, we praise G-d who "makes the distinction between the sacred and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the other nations, and between the seventh day and the six working days." (Havdalah prayer) Distinguishing between the holy and the profane provides each with its boundaries and enables us to join them together in life. For "the eternity of Israel is built upon distinguishing between the holy and the profane, and joining them together in life." (ibid.)
The Torah sets out to distinguish between the holy and the profane, on the one hand, but on the other hand, to join them together. It is just the same as the way that the Sabbath is set apart from the six working days, while at the same time they constitute preparation for the Sabbath and derive holiness from the Sabbath.
Today, unfortunately, the influence of Greek wisdom intent on eradicating the holy from the world and from our lives is especially noticeable amongst those who have distanced themselves from Jewish roots. The holiness of time, space and man has been blunted. Some argue that they do not distinguish between the holiness of the Sabbath and the other days of the week. In their view, it suffices that the same sun shines on both. They therefore behave even on the Sabbath as during the week.
Some argue that the earth is round, hence everywhere on earth is equal, and there is no difference between Eretz Yisrael and other lands. They say that there is no holiness to the land or to any particular place. They therefore permit themselves to move to the Diaspora and to live there. They view Israel as real estate, not as a holy land. They therefore dare to sell it and to hand it over to foreign nations.
There are some who claim that all people are equal, and that we needn't distinguish between Israel and the nations. They therefore permit themselves to marry non-Jews. The worldview according to which there is no difference between Jew and non-Jew brought us the Holocaust of assimilation in our generation.
The way to defeat the materialistic Greek approach, which seeks to uproot the holy in our lives, is to attach ourselves to the holy - to attach ourselves to our holy Torah, our holy land, our great and holy people. We are certain in our faith that in the ancient-new war between the culture of Greece and that of the Jewish People, the Jewish People will achieve spectacular victory, for love and faith are victorious in life.
With blessings for a joyous Chanukah.
Our sages taught:
"One cannot make a building modeled after the Temple, a portico modeled after the Temple Hallway [ulam], a chamber modeled after the Courtyard [azara], a table modeled after the Temple Shulchan or a menorah modeled after the Temple Menorah. Yet one can make a menorah of five, six or eight branches. One should not make one of seven" (Rosh Hashanah 24a)
One is forbidden, outside of the Temple, to fashion vessels that were in the Temple, because "the Temple's holiness is governed by restrictions to prevent the flow of non-holiness from diminishing its worth. Precisely through this protection does the holy provide life, and a place for the non-holy." (Ma'amarei HaRe'iyah, 479)
Our holy Torah separates between the holy and the non-holy. On Saturday nights, we praise G-d who "makes the distinction between the sacred and the profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and the other nations, and between the seventh day and the six working days." (Havdalah prayer) Distinguishing between the holy and the profane provides each with its boundaries and enables us to join them together in life. For "the eternity of Israel is built upon distinguishing between the holy and the profane, and joining them together in life." (ibid.)
The Torah sets out to distinguish between the holy and the profane, on the one hand, but on the other hand, to join them together. It is just the same as the way that the Sabbath is set apart from the six working days, while at the same time they constitute preparation for the Sabbath and derive holiness from the Sabbath.
Today, unfortunately, the influence of Greek wisdom intent on eradicating the holy from the world and from our lives is especially noticeable amongst those who have distanced themselves from Jewish roots. The holiness of time, space and man has been blunted. Some argue that they do not distinguish between the holiness of the Sabbath and the other days of the week. In their view, it suffices that the same sun shines on both. They therefore behave even on the Sabbath as during the week.
Some argue that the earth is round, hence everywhere on earth is equal, and there is no difference between Eretz Yisrael and other lands. They say that there is no holiness to the land or to any particular place. They therefore permit themselves to move to the Diaspora and to live there. They view Israel as real estate, not as a holy land. They therefore dare to sell it and to hand it over to foreign nations.
There are some who claim that all people are equal, and that we needn't distinguish between Israel and the nations. They therefore permit themselves to marry non-Jews. The worldview according to which there is no difference between Jew and non-Jew brought us the Holocaust of assimilation in our generation.
The way to defeat the materialistic Greek approach, which seeks to uproot the holy in our lives, is to attach ourselves to the holy - to attach ourselves to our holy Torah, our holy land, our great and holy people. We are certain in our faith that in the ancient-new war between the culture of Greece and that of the Jewish People, the Jewish People will achieve spectacular victory, for love and faith are victorious in life.
With blessings for a joyous Chanukah.