מאי חנוכה דתנו רבנן בכה בכסליו יומי דחנוכה תמניא אינון דלא למספד בהון ודלא להתענות בהון שכשנכנסו יוונים להיכל טמאו כל השמנים שבהיכל וכשגברה מלכות בית חשמונאי ונצחום בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן שהיה מונח בחותמו
(כג) וּמִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים..
(1) O Fortress, Rock of my salvation, unto thee it is becoming to give praise:
(2) let my house of prayer be restored, and I will there offer thee thanksgivings
(3) when thou shalt have prepared a slaughter of the blaspheming foe,
(4) I will complete with song and psalm the dedication of the altar.
(6) Full sated was my soul with ills, my strength was spent with sorrow;
(7) they embittered my life by hardship during my subjection to the dominion of Egypt,*The kingdom of the heifer," see Jeremiah 46:20.
(8) but God with his great power brought forth the chosen race,
(9) while the host of Pharaoh and all his seed sank like a stone into the deep.
(11) To his holy oracle he brought me, yet there also I found no peace,
(12) for the oppressor came and led me captive, because I had served strange gods:
(13) I had to quaff the wine of bewilderment; well nigh had I perished,
(14) when Babylon's end drew near; through Zerubbabel I was saved after seventy years.
(16) The Agagite (Haman), the son of Hammedatha, sought to cut down the lofty fir tree (Mordecai)*See Talmud Babli, Tr. Megillah, 10b.;
(17) but his design became a snare to himself, and his pride was brought to an end.
(18) The head of the Benjamite thou didst exalt, but the enemy's name thou Midst blot out:
(19) the many sons he had gotten thou didst hang upon the gallows.
(21) The Grecians were gathered against me in the days of the Hasmoneans;
(22) they broke down the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils;
(23) but from one of the last remaining flasks a miracle was wrought for thy beloved*Likened to a lily in Song of Solomon 2:2.,
(24) and their men of understanding appointed these eight days for song and praises.
(כ) אַל תִּסְתַּכֵּל בַּקַּנְקַן, אֶלָּא בְמַה שֶּׁיֶּשׁ בּוֹ. יֵשׁ קַנְקַן חָדָשׁ מָלֵא יָשָׁן, וְיָשָׁן שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ חָדָשׁ אֵין בּוֹ:
(20) Elisha ben Abuyah said: He who learns when a child, to what is he compared? To ink written upon a new writing sheet. And he who learns when an old man, to what is he compared? To ink written on a rubbed writing sheet. Rabbi Yose ben Judah a man of Kfar Ha-babli said: He who learns from the young, to what is he compared? To one who eats unripe grapes, and drinks wine from his vat; And he who learns from the old, to what is he compared? To one who eats ripe grapes, and drinks old wine. Rabbi said: don’t look at the container but at that which is in it: there is a new container full of old wine, and an old [container] in which there is not even new [wine].
(ה) מִסְפַּר כָּל הַגַּלְגַּלִּים הַמַּקִּיפִין אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם שְׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר. וּמִסְפַּר הַגַּלְגַּלִּים הַקְּטַנִּים שֶׁאֵינָן מַקִּיפִין שְׁמוֹנָה. וּמִמַּהֲלַךְ הַכּוֹכָבִים וִידִיעַת שִׁעוּר סְבִיבָתָן בְּכָל יוֹם וּבְכָל שָׁעָה וּמִנְּטִיָּתָן מֵרוּחַ דָּרוֹם לְרוּחַ צָפוֹן וּמֵרוּחַ צָפוֹן לְרוּחַ דָּרוֹם וּמִגָּבְהָן מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ וּקְרִיבָתָן יִוָדַּע מִסְפַּר כָּל אֵלּוּ הַגַּלְגַּלִּים וְצוּרַת הֲלִיכָתָן וְדֶרֶךְ הַקָּפָתָן. וְזוֹ הִיא חָכְמַת חֶשְׁבּוֹן תְּקוּפוֹת וּמַזָּלוֹת. וּסְפָרִים רַבִּים חִבְּרוּ בָּהֶן חַכְמֵי יָוָן:
(5) The number of all the spheres which encircle the universe is eighteen; and the number of the lesser spheres which do not encircle the universe is eight; and from the travel of the stars and the knowledge of the distance covered by their cycle each day and each hour, and from their deviation from south to north and from north to south, and from their distance from and nearness to the earth, the number of these spheres, the form of their travels and the way they circle is known. This is the science of cycles and constellations concerning which the Greek scholars wrote many books.
(ד) לחנוכה: בִּימֵי מַתִּתְיָהוּ בֶּן יוחָנָן כּהֵן גָּדול חַשְׁמונַאִי וּבָנָיו. כְּשֶׁעָמְדָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן הָרְשָׁעָה עַל עַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּורָתֶךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצונֶךָ: וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים עָמַדְתָּ
(4) In the days of Mattisyahu, the son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean, and his sons, when the wicked kingdom of Greece rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to stray from the laws of Your will, You, with great mercy stood by them in the time of their distress.
חד בי שמשי חזייה לברתיה דהוות עציבא אמר לה בתי למאי עציבת אמרה ליה כלי של חומץ נתחלף לי בכלי של שמן והדלקתי ממנו אור לשבת אמר לה בתי מאי איכפת לך מי שאמר לשמן וידלוק הוא יאמר לחומץ וידלוק
שעה שפותח בדברי תורה הכל נעשין כחרשין ונבון זה המבין דבר מתוך דבר
(א) (כח) וַיִּפְתַּ֥ח יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־פִּ֣י הָאָת֑וֹן וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לְבִלְעָם֙ מֶה־עָשִׂ֣יתִֽי לְךָ֔ כִּ֣י הִכִּיתַ֔נִי זֶ֖ה שָׁלֹ֥שׁ רְגָלִֽים׃ (כט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר בִּלְעָם֙ לָֽאָת֔וֹן כִּ֥י הִתְעַלַּ֖לְתְּ בִּ֑י ל֤וּ יֶשׁ־חֶ֙רֶב֙ בְּיָדִ֔י כִּ֥י עַתָּ֖ה הֲרַגְתִּֽיךְ׃ (ל) וַתֹּ֨אמֶר הָאָת֜וֹן אֶל־בִּלְעָ֗ם הֲלוֹא֩ אָנֹכִ֨י אֲתֹֽנְךָ֜ אֲשֶׁר־רָכַ֣בְתָּ עָלַ֗י מֵעֽוֹדְךָ֙ עַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה הַֽהַסְכֵּ֣ן הִסְכַּ֔נְתִּי לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְךָ֖ כֹּ֑ה וַיֹּ֖אמֶר לֹֽא׃ (לא)
(א) ולטוטפות בין עיניך
ומן הנסים הגדולים המפורסמים אדם מודה בנסים הנסתרים שהם יסוד התורה כלה,
(כד) בְּנֵי בִינָה יְמֵי שְׁמוֹנָה קָבְעוּ שִׁיר וּרְנָנִים.
(1) O Fortress, Rock of my salvation, unto thee it is becoming to give praise:
(2) let my house of prayer be restored, and I will there offer thee thanksgivings
(3) when thou shalt have prepared a slaughter of the blaspheming foe,
(4) I will complete with song and psalm the dedication of the altar.
(6) Full sated was my soul with ills, my strength was spent with sorrow;
(7) they embittered my life by hardship during my subjection to the dominion of Egypt,*The kingdom of the heifer," see Jeremiah 46:20.
(8) but God with his great power brought forth the chosen race,
(9) while the host of Pharaoh and all his seed sank like a stone into the deep.
(11) To his holy oracle he brought me, yet there also I found no peace,
(12) for the oppressor came and led me captive, because I had served strange gods:
(13) I had to quaff the wine of bewilderment; well nigh had I perished,
(14) when Babylon's end drew near; through Zerubbabel I was saved after seventy years.
(16) The Agagite (Haman), the son of Hammedatha, sought to cut down the lofty fir tree (Mordecai)*See Talmud Babli, Tr. Megillah, 10b.;
(17) but his design became a snare to himself, and his pride was brought to an end.
(18) The head of the Benjamite thou didst exalt, but the enemy's name thou Midst blot out:
(19) the many sons he had gotten thou didst hang upon the gallows.
(21) The Grecians were gathered against me in the days of the Hasmoneans;
(22) they broke down the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils;
(23) but from one of the last remaining flasks a miracle was wrought for thy beloved*Likened to a lily in Song of Solomon 2:2.,
(24) and their men of understanding appointed these eight days for song and praises.
(ב) ה' צַדִּיק יִבְחָן וְרָשָׁע וְאֹהֵב חָמָס שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ (תהלים יא, ה), אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן הַיּוֹצֵר הַזֶּה אֵינוֹ בּוֹדֵק קַנְקַנִּים מְרוֹעָעִים, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַקִּישׁ עֲלֵיהֶם אַחַת עַד שֶׁהִיא פּוֹקַעַת, וּמַה הוּא בּוֹדֵק קַנְקַנִים יָפִים, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הוּא מַקִּישׁ עָלָיו כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים אֵינוֹ נִשְׁבָּר, כָּךְ אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְנַסֶּה אֶלָּא אֶת הַצַּדִּיקִים. .
(2) Ad-nai tests the righteous, etc. (Ps. 11:5). R. Yonatan said: A potter does not test defective vessels, because he cannot give them a single blow without breaking them. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not test the wicked but only the righteous, so too Ad-nai tests [only] the righteous. R. Yose said: When a flax worker knows that his flax is of good quality, the more he beats it the more it improves and the more it glistens; but if it is of inferior quality, he cannot give it one knock but it splits. Similarly, the Holy One does not test the wicked but only the righteous, as it says: ‘Ad-nai tests the righteous.’