A Chanukah Sicha

The Rebbe says:

1. The Rebbe begins by stating that the lights of the Chanukah Menorah (Chanukiah/Hanukiah) are different then any other lights:

The lights of the Chanukah Menorah (Chanukiah) are different than any other lights which are part of a Mitzvah (commandment) because they are not a means to an end; all we want is the light itself.

2. The Rebbe now explains this in detail:

There are two categories of lights:

1) Candles which are lit to glorify and honor a place; for example candles which are lit in a Synagogue out of respect for the Synagogue and not for the actual light that they bring.

2) Candles which are lit because we want the light that they bring; for example the candles which are lit on Friday evening before Shabbos begins; another example is the candles which were lit in the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) “to cast light”; and finally, another example would be the candles of the Chanukah Menorah.

However within the second category itself there are two distinct types of light, one category is the lights which are there as a means to an end and another category is the lights which are there for themselves, not as a means to an end:

The Shabbos candles are lit so that the light brings “Shalom Bayis – Peace in the household”; the lights are a means to an end. The candles which were lit in the Beis Hamikdash were there to show the world that the Shechinah (Hashem’s Presence) rests with the Jewish people; again, the lights are a means to an end.

On the other hand, the lights of the Chanukah Menorah are there for themselves only; we do not want any gain or outcome from these lights.
3. The Rebbe now forewarns us of a question we could have:

Don’t we know that part of the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah is to publicize the miracles that Hashem (G-d) did for our fathers (Pirsumei Nisah)? How can we say that the lights of the Menorah are not a means to an end?

4. The Rebbe answers this question:

The fact that the candles on the Menorah publicize the miracles which Hashem did for our fathers does not mean that this is the whole point of the candles; this is only an extra additional part of the Mitzvah. We see this point clearly from the Torah’s law which allows us to light the candles and fulfill our obligation and make a Blessing with Hashem’s name even in a case when the lighting will not publicize the miracles.

5. The Rebbe now starts explaining the inner dimension of the lights of the Chanukah Menorah which are only there for themselves and not a means to an end:

Everything that had to do with the festival of Chanukah showed the connection of Jews with Hashem which is higher then reason and logic. Starting with 1) the decrees of the Greeks and 2) the fight that the Jewish people put up which brought about the miracle of Chanukah, to 3) the actual Miracle of Chanukah and 4) the Mitzvah that our Sages set up for us to light a Menorah in memory of the miracle of Chanukah, are all things which express the connection between Hashem and the Jewish people which is higher then logic.

6. The Rebbe now explains how each one these components of Chanukah are higher then logic:

The decrees of the Greeks: The point of the Greek’s decrees was to wipe out the Jewish people’s belief that the Torah is Hashem’s Torah and it is a holy thing that is higher then understanding. The Greeks didn’t mind (so much) that the Jews learnt Torah as long as they learnt it only because it had great wisdom and logic, not because it was a holy thing. Even the commandments in the Torah which have no understandable reason (called “Chukim”) did not bother the greeks (so much) as long as the Jews would agree that they only do those commandments because whoever wrote the Torah must have been a brilliant man and he for sure had a reason which we cannot understand. However as long as the Jews believed that the Torah is Hashem’s Torah which is essentially higher then understanding, and the Jews only did the commandments because Hashem told them to do it, the Greeks would persecute them.

This is why the Greeks came into the Beis Hamikdash and made all the oil ritually impure: The fact that certain things make objects ritually impure (for example touching a dead person), and certain things make them pure again (for example a Mikvah, a ritual cleansing bath), does not make any sense at all. Jews only followed the rules of impurity and purity because Hashem told them so. Therefore, the Greeks went and made all the oil in the Temple ritually impure so that the Jews could not use their Menorah, because this was exactly what they were fighting against- the non logical traditions of the Jews.

The bottom line is that the decrees of the Greeks had to do with the connection the Jews have with Hashem which is higher then logic.

The Mesiras Nefesh (totally nullifying one’s self to Hashem) of the Jews then: To say that the Jewish army, the “Maccabees”, paled in comparison to the Greek army would be an understatement. The Greek army grossly outnumbered the Jewish army. Never the less the Jews went and fought with the massive Greek army against all odds because this was for Hashem and his Torah and Mitzvos.

Again, the bottom line is that the actions of the Jews at that time showed that their connection with Hashem is higher then logic.

The miracle of Chanukah: When the Maccabees came into the Beis Hamikdash after miraculously winning the wars against the Greeks, they found their Holy Temple desecrated and all their oil unfit for use to light the Menorah (because, as we said, the oil was ritually impure). They miraculously found a jug of oil with the seal of the High Priest which was hidden in the ground and therefore was not ritually impure and could be used to light the Menorah. However this one jug of oil only contained enough to light the Menorah for one night. To answer this call, Hashem made another miracle and the oil lasted for eight days!

Now, the law is that when no pure oil can be found one may use impure oil. Never the less out of Hashem’s great love for the His children the Jewish people, He made this miracle that the pure oil lasted for eight days and clearly showed the world that His connection with the Jews is not a logical connection.

Again, the bottom line is that the miracles of Chanukah show how the connection between Hashem and the Jewish people is higher then understanding.

The Mitzvah from our Sages to light a Menorah in memory of the miracle of Chanukah: We light the Menorah today in memory of the great miracle that happened with the Menorah in the Beis Hamikdash. Since the miracle that happened then showed that the connection of Hashem and the Jews is higher then logic, obviously the lighting of the Menorah today (which is a remembrance to the Menorah then) shows that the Jewish people’s connection with Hashem is higher then reason and understanding.

7. Now we can understand the inner reason why specifically the lights of the Chanukah Menorah are only there for themselves and nothing else:

The lights of the Chanukah Menorah confirm the connection between the Jews and Hashem Himself (Atzmus) Who obviously cannot be a means to an end, He is the end to all means. Therefore, there cannot be any other point of the Chanukah Menorah’s lights!

8. The Rebbe now explains that these abovementioned levels of lights must also exist within the Torah:

Within the category of lights which are there for their light (and for honor) we mentioned three types of lights; 1) The lights for of Shabbos for “Shalom Bayis – Peace into the household”, 2) The lights in the Beis Hamikdash to testify that Hashem rests with the Jewish people, and 3) The lights of the Chanukah Menorah which are there for no other reason other then to be lit.

The Talmud tells us that “there is no light other then Torah, like it says ‘For behold the candle is the Mitzvah and the light is the Torah’”. Therefore, we must say that the aforementioned levels of light must also exist within the Torah.

9. The Rebbe now explains each level as it is within the Torah:

The lights of Shabbos, which are there to bring “Shalom Bayis – Peace into the household”, signify the level of Torah where one learns the Torah to know how to live his life and fulfill Hashem’s Commandments, which brings peace into the world. As our Sages tell us, “The Torah was only given to bring peace to the world”.

The lights of the Beis Hamikdash, which were testimony to the connection between Hashem and the Jewish people, signifies the level of Torah when one learns Torah in order to connect to Hashem.

The lights of the Chanukah Menorah, which are only there for themselves and nothing else, resembles the level of Torah where one learns Torah “Lishma – for it’s own sake”, because this level of Torah (Torah for it’s own sake) is where it is connected with Hashem Himself (Atzmus) and obviously one cannot say that there is another goal other then Hashem Himself.

Translated and adapted by Rabbi Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos volume three, second Sicha.