The Tanachic Roots of Chanukah By Rabbi Neil Winkler

titles for the topic either many of them are fitting um I have here there the Kaneka lessons for today yeah that's okay I would prefer actually for [Music] um I would prefer if we're going to put this on write it down as a topic probably I'd find the the tanak roots of kanuka or the roots of kanuka in the tanak okay I had set up this [Music] um this discussion here as the the most the simplest way of putting it and there many different ways of putting it because it it's going to cover a number of things was starting it with a simple question some of you may be aware of the problem or of the uniqueness some may not but it is pretty clear that kazal are not thrilled with the um military victory of the Kash seem because because as we will be saying uh in the gar where that discusses Kana it's not even mentioned at all um so that's the question that's going to open this discussion and that is why why where Kaza why are our Rabbi Scholars so reluctant to um recognize and to memorialize the um remark military victory of the um over the Y of the Syrian Greeks um and at first glance I would say to you why are you surprised when you look at the the list of even the list events the mil military events throughout tanak rarely I do if I just say rarely because I just want to make sure that perhaps there is one I don't can't think of one where it speaks about a great War and the her the heroism of one that doesn't at least include and usually just includes God has done the God has has the stories of shim of Samson for example each time he does a victory sometimes Miracle Victory you know always says and God's spirit rested upon Shimon and he did ABCDE uh when the Israelites are found to be uh um victorious in anything but Israel it says there that also that as God has given them the strength to do so so the fact that we don't uh overly emphasize military victories is somewhat understandable because because throughout tanak it seem all it seems as it should be as being simply what God has done and so perhaps that's why it's not mentioned in the gar for example as we'll see but nonetheless it makes us Wonder because it was the essential part of lighting the candles into the benam M Dash was only because they were able to clear out the area from the Syrian Greeks they were able to cleanse The Bash they were able to go in there in order to uh light the the candles so therefore uh I'm going to start uh in a a rather strange place because part of this is and I told him that I want this as the topic at least this work this week I'm assuming this is going to next week too but um since it's two weeks from today that's the first week of first day of Kan two weeks from it's two weeks from today get your no okay make sure you got the oil and the and the candles ready all right um and be what I hope um I will not be there I will not be I'm here for next week and then the next three weeks after that I will not be I'll be coming home actually week right that's correct correct um and I want to show you perhaps one of the reasons that Kaz felt this way and were somewhat timid about focusing on the remarkable victory of the and it's going to start with how EXC me how they viewed how did they view the um this or this even even the cleansing of the uh the what after all isuka is a Hebrew word we find it in in the Torah it is a um it is a inauguration of uh the a certain thing when they when they built the mishan the Tabernacle they had to have auk they they sort of inaugurated it they had it there's a better word for it but unfortunately part anointed this part of it yes a consecrated it yeah much better words unfortunately it was I forget when it was that I laid down one night and all my English fell out of my ear so I'm sorry uh at any rate I want to show you in the first the first source that I have here for you got I tell you I put a lot of work in this one good and it's a quotation from Haag Haag is one of the three Nim prophets during the second temple clearly most of you know this I'll just give you an overview um is it better than overlooking right it's an overview of the history uh according to most historians um mcdash was destroyed in BCE and um it is rebuilt again because I like to say it was 70 years later it's because yosis so that's not true because historically because uh that is true Starly when they really started it got built but the re the return from the Exile of Babylonia began with Kus with Cyrus probably about 50 years might be less than 50 years and something like five 37 5 39 probably BCE so that's it was about 50 years not quite um that they were uh gone now that's important to know because the we are told in Ezra and and in that the people who returned from Babylonia some of them remembered what the first temple looked like now if it was a 100 years later you had very few people who could remember that um but it was about maybe 40 closer to you to 45 to 50 years after Corban B that they had returned okay good so here is KAG he is now prophesying during this time and um sorry he's Pro prophesying during this time and he says the following and again you see it in the uh source and I have it in English and the beauty of this uh that is that almost all of his prophesy prophecies have a date to it so that's going to help us a lot as you will see and it says here in the second year of King King darash darus daras darus first day of the sixth month by the way this sixth month is Elo right the seventh month is beginning El right word of God came to Prophet kagay to ziru the son of Shel the governor of Judah and to yua who is the high priest thus says hasem God tells KAG to let the people know this ah these people say the time has not yet come for rebuilding the beam mikdash they had come back from Babylonia to Y area as a small small minority of those who were exiled into Babel please understand that historically when Cyrus and Kish had announced time to return I I hereby that was his his great his Great ACT actually that the great Osirus the great uh korish had openly proclaimed that Jews shall now and can now return to their holy city of Jerusalem and they should rebuild their Temple that's what he said it's a go I mean this is remarkable he was a a a a righteous man and he called Israel to return wow now we're talking about not even 50 years that's not too long a time yeah you figure that out um there were very few of they return not during Ezra Ezra comes later on and he had even less that return but during red Le by zuel so they had I don't have the I have the numbers someplace I'm not speaking about that now but it was small minority primarily the uh the poorer not as successful the guys who made it in B and were primarily on agriculture uh they did very well they did very well they had home swimming pools in the backyard they did very well the guy didn't make it that well the Jews who weren't that successful so nothing wrong with it so primarily those who returned were not the wealthier ones not the higher from B right to this is happening in these are to those who have returned huh okay and um okay of the history class is not going to do that temp tempting Lord may be so they they return and they are beset with problems first of all it wasn't a wealthy wasn't oh they had people supporting them they that Israel bonds and stuff people sending them but they said they're good Zionist they stayed there and they sent money there um but they had they had uh enemies who were in The Judea in they did not return to all of Israel please understand that because they were a small group they really just returned and settled primarily around Y and few Villages and towns and subur suburbs of but they didn't come all over the place took a while for them to grow and do that so they now are there and they're challenged by the by the the M by the people themselves they want to rebuild the Holy Temple the second they want to build a second temple now another side point this is why I'm telling you this is probably going to end up going on next week too because there's so many things I want to tell you the other side point part of the uh first temple was still standing don't take the idea that it was all wiped down really just because the tanak says it was still there we don't never we know the books are so much nicer than listening with the tanak Tanakh tells us when they came back the was still standing there the is still standing there they they offered corot as soon as they got there on the m so part it was still standing but they wanted to rebuild it now but what are they going to rebuild it if you haven't got much money you know so and the enemies were were surrounding them in the earlier Parts before Haag they were the show they wanted to be part we're going to build it too you know and uh they weren't Jewish and know they didn't want them involved and telling them that they not to be involved didn't make them very you know had to in friends and influence people that wasn't a good idea and that made them even greater and they went to the uh after dar's time um I said before this is after and they went to the then new um P Persian emperor if you should say that H and they claim that oh the Jews are trying to uh rebel against you proof of it is they're trying to build their Temple of course they had eventually said we got on the paper here Cyrus said we can but it was a lot of problems so anyway they now have to build the B well they begin to grow a little bit and they begin to settle down and then managed to build a few homes got a little more comfortable things were going okay and God says I see what's happening he says I hear that you're saying you know this is not a good time to start building the bet mikdash that's what he says over here exactly that he said the time has not yet come for rebuilding the B mikdash you know we got a couple of things to do we got to put together some Yas and maybe we have to also build nicer homes and whatever ever right so God continues and he says really says but is it the time for you to dwell in your panel houses while this house is lying W it seems they they started building houses very nice you got money for that don't you but you haven't got it for mik consider your ways this the few between think about this he said and let me tell you Al just go up to the hills get some Timber Wood and just starting start to build and rebuild the house the temple and you think that it won't be anything what is it going to be like a little bunk in a bungalow no said I will look on it with favor I will be glorified I don't care how glorified it is because the B we shown was literally one of the Seven Wonders of the World it was magnificent didn't have the money for magnificence remember what we read what schl had built was unbelievable talk about one manura he had seven Manas he had so much gold he did it's true he writes that he had seven Manas not one um in other words just start start the job I'll help you out is what God is really saying and the idea of taking this community that's struggling really for Independence and that's struggling uh for economic sustenance and uh to tell them to reawaken their their uh um past Glory it's not an easy thing um they were too few they were weak certainly militarily they were I told you they were poor but the Nai tells them I know that just start go up chop down those wood and just start building I know I'm getting emotional too I'm an emotional guy do you remember what happened 120 years ago the early came what did they have here swamps they had nothing what did they do let's just start we'll start start we'll start let's see what happens came from here just begin and that basis to rebuild the bet mikdash is how I begin this conversation now I started by telling you that the rabbi's words overly thrilled with the military Victory and it's hardly mentioned and I'll show you that in the one place basically in the gar where it mentions you know we do have a we have the a 60 Fe um we have for you have shabat you have you have Y which is about yur and you have Su for right you even have Shabu nothing do with shab but I said I throw it in for you so basically has it name and has M which is all about the pur there ain't no kanaka the whole story of khaka is found in a small little part of the second per of shabat which talks about the candles of kanuka and the laws about that and there it says the story why there's kanuka that's a second do where it says my kanuka not what is what is the reason why the rabbis establish kanuka and it goes it says the eight days of kanuka commence on the 25th day of KL during which neither eulogizing nor fasting are permitted why for when the Syrian Greeks entered the sanctuary the bet mikdash they contaminated all the flasks of oil oil in the sanctuary and when theim family gained the upper hand They Se they searched the temple found only one flask of oil with the Seal of the Kena do and that only contained enough oil to Kindle for one day but a miracle was performed so it cont kindled for eight days and so the following year or years the rabis rendered these eight days as a festival dedicated to praise and and Thanksgiving wow isn't a great story about the miracle of the of the of the war not even mentioned they mention the as those who they got the upper hand in order to wake into go into the mikash and to cleanse it and to fine but it doesn't say anything about the war and that's why I said they seem to have very little uh mind for or perhaps even um appreciation of remarkable military Victory by this small band of people of Heroes um this Darius the first second or third which Darius we're talking one you're talking about Daves uh Daves was yes yes yes yes there is a um argument in historians and in the rabbis as to which because which one and then for example you know say happened before the building of the second temple but most historians say no there was there was more than one there yeah yeah yeah the first second xer xeres and was after after the building um is it a possibility was the son of yeah I know that's what it says of again um say that yes um could be we don't know there there are a few dares I know there's three yeah so there you go um so Kaz see it as such K as we would say in pure King's English could be could be yes um so what happens now see um the rebuilding of better the re the uh how can I call the the re [Music] um Rec rededicate that's the I was looking for thank you the the rededication of in the time of theuk they see that as a direct connection to build the for building of the I'm going to prove that to you very soon not me tanak is GNA prove that to you um but what did the people did they re reacts to What Ki said in God's name get up there and start chopping down the wood and start building indeed they do as the third Source tells us dreel the high priest yosua and the rest of the people gave heed to the summons of their God and the words of and the words of Hai as hasem had said for the people feared God meaning they they respected him Haag God's messenger then spoke to the people saying I Am with You declares God so God then then God roused the spirit of zel and that of yosua as well as the spirit of all the rest of the people and they came and set to work in the Bas so they decided to do just that the small weak poor Community went up to the mountain and they brought down the wood they started building they met the challenge basically why when all was said and done they got together they United they put aside their personal needs you know I was looking to buy a brand new uh W toall Carpeting and I can I got I got give money to the sh you know I don't know but they put aside their personal needs for the community for the chib and seeing that the rabbis saw that's what Kaneka is yes there was a war a Prelude to the religious freedom that they needed to have um that's true but that's not the whole story of kanuka um and I told you I was going to prove this to you and I will if I were to ask you generally speaking when did the when did get into the when did they light and everything when did they conquer and when did they have the Victory and I think most of you would agree that it's the 25th day of kave slave beginning of That's how we I saw the coloring book that's what it said there that's when I was in third grade they told me that that's it um unfortunately that's not true Josephus and the sa from makab both agree that the great Victory happened more than a month earlier on the 23rd day of Maran you don't celebrate that day no I don't either but it's the 23rd of Maran you don't even know about it but that's when the victory took place another proof that the rabbis so what victory took place that wasn't a big deal right and um if that's the case though why would they have waited this long to rededicate The Bash why not go in there you why is he waiting this long so that's where you get back to KAG let's let's now look and see what do we read in by it we show when they first built the Bas mikash itself what do we see and that's a very important fourth source that we have and there it tells us she on the 24th day of the ninth month by the way you know what ninth month is klave on the 24th month of klave in the second years of Darius again God spoke to kagi again he take thought from this day starting from today which is the day before even one stone had been laid in B mikdash they had not yet quite even laid down the base of the mikash that was going to happen tomorrow today God spoke to them right before they put the they started building the bet mikdash so if they start building the babash the day after 24th of K when did they start building by sh I'll give you a calculator by the way 24 plus one the 25th of kle we call that what they did is they said we're not going to rededicate this B mcash on the 23rd of by mares let's wait till the anniversary of when they started building the B the B before we rededicated so they waited till the 25th because that's the day when they started to build the second bam mikdash and here they were three 300 years later they were going to now rebuild it that was the reason um 530 200 years later yeah huh rededicate yes rededicate that's right um and that's why they waited okay so this is the reason why kazal um supported the war itself because future Generations should know that all God wants us to do is a just start doing it you you know not think you'll succeed but just start the project try start the process that's what it is you have to subdue the the individual subdue the great leader subdue the hero and focus on the community because it's the community that brought this to fruition that's how kazal saw what it is and that's what they wanted what happened if you know the history of what happened wasn't a very good time didn't happen why because the heroes stood up who are the heroes the great makian family they were Heroes and that was great but they wouldn't be great they now could go into the beamic D and service kohanim but they did not just do that what did they do they made themselves Kings they made themselves the head the Nasi as it was called at the time that's what they made themselves they wanted more than just being the high priests after well whether he or not but he could have been that family could have been but rather than being satisfied with the K they wanted Mal as well they wanted kingship as well and when were writing this WR this part by that time already hundreds of years later they saw what happened what happened very simple of the five brothers of the makab one survived one survived others were some killed in war others were assassinated one was assassinated by his um son-in-law which you understand that yeah yeah kill the son-in-law my son-in-law um because they were fighting for power When the Children the grandchildren come and there is now between uh the alexand Yana really great guy um without him this Alexander Gana the gamar Tells a Story he was pelted with rrin on on because he made fun of the tradition of of in the and he came as the Kain and the king and he he threw it on the floor the and people got so angry because the bulk of the people were following the rabbis they started pelting him with their their etrogim proving that obviously it wasn't as expensive as it is now uh but but also the king react the king reacted by he had brought in foreign soldiers who were not allowed in the badash had them come in and they slaughter the Jews nice kindy he was this is the head of the Jews this is a this is a jonian from the family when he dies he is thank God taken over by his wife SAS um by the name of shalomi Alexandra salom if you will yeah she has a street name for her here in sh okay right very good right so she became a Mal well given the fact that she was a wife of the M by definition she was she rules for nine years and she was very good rabis loved her very much she was excellent and very careful with what she did very very respectful to the rabbis and when she died she had two tatas Yus and she said look Yan was mostly a from guy you know he had his we black hat and beard and everything said you should be the Coen uh sais on the other hand you know hung around with the with his gun and his rifle and he said you should be like the king so he she divided it not to have it in one place said right and she unfortunately which was one thing the rabbers weren't happy with her that died so she died and when she dies the two brothers okay they split up right and um each of them had their own fan club uh and supporters and enjoyed going in there and e in truma very nice good but your brothers have all has all the power there he's the king you're the older one why do he become the king you should be the king meanwhile this PO of our is saying to him the king letting him run the whole religious thing you're a Coen you should be the Coen G and a civil war breaks out one of the great anomalies of the English language if you having a war how could it be civil it's a Civil War and they were killing each other how who was going to win what who's going to win they try to again so they looked for help each side and each side first Yan says I'm going to help who he said there was a new power coming up they were called Romans and he invited the Roman into him to defeat our well when he started losing arist did they said I'm going to give them more money to help me so they join him and there was a civil war until Rome says how the hell was this we'll take over the whole thing that's how Rome took over and eventually destroys AIC D because of all the heroes of kanuka of all them who wanted but they are going to do what they want they they need more and whereas the building of the B sheni was a a a project of the tour everyone got together and they United and they worked and they sacrificed their own needs for the needs of the community these are stories 100 Years of people who are individuals who didn't care about the kahal and cared only about themselves and the power and that is what is suggested why the Kaz was so unhappy with um so it was crucial it was crucial therefore for the rabbis and years later to emphasize that there was one power that made this go well that made it good and that was God that was God and that was I I read in the ha Tor of of for mik that is for Kana that's those message of the manura that's that seems to be lighting from a a power they can't see yes that's right you didn't see the power that help you win that Kana um and if I were even to I'll probably have enough time yeah well to finish up and we need to go to the next point and that is that very few people um understand this the concept of the unit the unity over the leadership is essential now you know onuka we read in the Torah fromat longest Pasha in the Torah and we read there uh of the gifts given by the leadership the heads of each tribe and what they gave for the for the dedication of the Tabernacle at the very end it was put up it had to be dedicated they had to have auk and the last thing after everybody gave the money that was needed for the the the heads of each tribe now gave their gift and we a little unhappy that that naso was not long enough and the Torah decides to take one accepted that's [Music] 89 80 I'll say it again 89 it's the longest per longest chapter in all of the Torah 89 why they took every single see head of a tribe and they said this is what they gave which is understandable if they gave different things they gave the exact same thing every s every one of them and instead of saying this is what was given by the first one and all others gave the same I would have finished my laning a lot earlier on shabas let me tell you something to Long L the exact same thing why well if we would really bre through that paracle and I have it as Source number five I didn't give you a whole 89 verses don't worry it opens up with the opening thing on that day Moses Moshe finished finished setting up the Tabernacle anointed and consecrated it and all its Furnishings as well as the Altar and its utensils okay then a couple of verses later 12 it has uh and the one who offered the first gift you know was from the tribe of yud and I got he gave no I'm not going to go through that although I wrote I again and finally when it ends after going through all 12 heads of tribe I read that it says and when Moshe went to the tent of meeting let me just one thing it says at the very end the 88th verse it says this was the dedication offering for the altar from The Chieftains of Israel upon being anointed now that makes a m i mean it's a long time but it was a a good ending starts with this is what happened then it says and this is what happened that's the ending of it and then comes the 89th verse as if God didn't have enough to say what did it say in the 89th verse Moshe and when Moshe would come into the Oma to speak with God he would hear God's voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the Ark between the two car Kim the cherubs and and thus God spoke to him wow you're giving me 88 verses to tell me what they gave the gifts for the mishan what what are you telling me here oh by the way that God spoke to if that's what you want to tell me so what I don't need it because the Torah told me that before if you look I see it in schot again number six it says there that um it is there that I will meet you he tells Moshe from above the cover between the two car cherubs that are on top of the Ark so I we knew that God's going to speak to Moshe from the cherubs from between the two KINE the cherubs on the York so over here it's telling me the same thing and how do I know that and how do I know the right again the beginning of a it says that Hashem called to Moshe and spoke to him from the tent of meeting also so we know all of this why in the middle by the end of all of this of all things he says oh yeah God spoke to him also over here when we know that why why why and that's the very message here this add-on is crucial and explains it in the following way what's the purpose of a mishkan what's the purpose of a Temple or Tabernacle it says very simply I think I have that yeah in schot it says a cloud cover the tent of meeting the presence of Hashem filled with the Tabernacle and Moshe could not enter the oo because the cloud had settled upon it and the presence of God filled the Tabernacle that's the last verses of uh schot they finish the Tabernacle God comes and his skina is there and it's time now to go and start working the ritual things after the and stuff mosha can't go in God's spirit is there by the way that's why the first verse in the next book by says God had to call Moshe come on in it's okay so the whole point of mishan and mikash is right there the spirit of God should dwell in it that's the point that's the point to have over here later on also in in the bottom of the page today God will appear to you it's God you know the presence of God that's what that's the whole purpose of the Mish you'll know that God God's going to dwell within them that's the whole point so that's why they were so excited they're going to have a mishan well that's why they were so happy when they had it but as he points out when you read the T and although there's a dis a disagreement between when this happen in between all of the directives of how to build mishkan we have one not little important story oh nice story terrible story we call the the sin of the golden calf the sin of the golden calf in the yeah do you know what happened after God is punish B Israel and some died so on and so forth listen to what happened now Moshe would take the tent and Pitch it outside the camp is number eight by the way at some distance from the camp because ofel Moshe and God moved outside of the people the whole purpose of the mishkan is that God will dwell with you and because of your sin God had to move away and Moshe moved away oh was no longer in the mishkan it's now all there outside of the camp and then they read of the of the completion of the Mishka and now you understand why they were so happy because now once again God has returned to the people and he is there that is the whole point first he said God says I'm not going to stay with you and then he ended up by saying you built the mishan okay how did you build the mishan who is the hero they were Artisans everyone proof of that who was the biggest head of the tribe who led everything nobody they all gave the exact thing because God comes and God dwells with Israel only when Israel is United and only when they do things together that's the story of kanaka too and that's why they say it's great to have a war and we know it's a miracle but that's not what ended up having great because if you're going to look at the whole story of Kaneka it's really a lousy story happy Kaneka we're gonna have a destroyed Temple again but that's what happens so that's why kazal according to this opinion were very reluctant to make a big deal out of the out of the military Victory because there were Heroes there no question but the heroes decided to make themselves the heroes instead of looking at the many who join them and to see this as a victory of all of Israel instead of of of themselves that's what brings God's that's the b m was about first and second that everyone came God said to this poor Community I know it's hard just go up there there wasn't a billionaires that came to give the money it was everybody who came and joined and that's how they spil the built the first bet mikdash and when it was really dedicated that's how it had to be as well but it didn't work out that way and that's the message that I guess I have complet completed this week I have to do some othera story next time that's all