כי נר מצוה ותורה אור

Introduction

רמבם: משנה תורה: הלכות מגילה וחנוכה: פרק ג

The Rambam, in the first Halacha, tells us that in the time of the 2nd Temple, the Greeks created an anti-Semitic movement against us that culminated in the desecration of the Temple

עַד שֶׁרִחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם אֱלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִיָּדָם וְהִצִּילָם וְגָבְרוּ בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַגְּדוֹלִים וַהֲרָגוּם וְהוֹשִׁיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּדָם

,Until the G-d of our ancestors" had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them. The sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, overcame [them], slew them, and delivered the Jews from their hand

"וְהֶעֱמִידוּ מֶלֶךְ מִן הַכֹּהֲנִים וְחָזְרָה מַלְכוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶתֶר עַל מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה עַד הַחֻרְבָּן הַשֵּׁנִי"

They appointed a king from the priests, and sovereignty returned to Israel for more than 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.

In Halacha 2, the Rambam describes the how they only found one cruse of oil

וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נֵרוֹת הַמַּעֲרָכָה שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים עַד שֶׁכָּתְשׁוּ זֵיתִים וְהוֹצִיאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר:

And they lit from it the arrangement of the candles for eight days unti they crushed olives and extracted pure oil.

As you go through these sources, please keep in mind this question: Why, when the holiday of Chanukah celebrates deliverance and the re-dedication of the Temple, does the Rambam feel the need to mention

?the Churban Habayit that will eventually take place

We will address this at the end of the shiur and try to gain some further

insight into why Chanukah is so "chaviv", dear to us

.Let us begin with the first three utensils of the Beit Hamikdash that the Torah presents, the third being the Menorah

1. What is placed inside the ארון? Write it in Hebrew and English.

2. What seems to be the primary function of the ארון?

1. Why is the Torah called "העדות"?

2. How is the placement of the עדות in the ארון related to the ארון's function?

What are the Hebrew names of the two borders on the shulchan?

1. Rashi explains that the Shulchan is related to the ____________כתר, the crown of ___________. Which part of the structure symbolizes this?

`1. Rashi explains מקשה - a single block of gold that is hammered and trimmed into the proper structure.

Rashi explains that the כפתור was an apple shaped ornament and the פרח was a figure in the shape of a flower...

Upload picture of two versions

1. והאיר על עבר פניה - How were the wicks of the two sides of the Menorah set up?

1. מקשה אחת ואור נרותיה אחד - What theme do you think the Seforno is emphasizing?

1. What does the light of the Menorah represent, according to the Seforno?

2. What does each "side" of the Menorah with its 3 branches represent? Give a specific example for אור עיוני and one for אור המעשה.

3. Why is it important for both "sides" to be inclined towards the center? What does this teach us about the role of the indiviual? The Jewish nation?

**** If the position of the Menorah is "מחוץ לפרכת אשר על העדות" , how do you think the Seforno would understand the relationship between the כתר התורה, which is represented by the ארון, and the unified light of the Menorah?

1. Does anything strike you as familiar when you read these pesukim in Vayikra?

2. How is the word העדת used differenty here, as compared with the previous text in Shemot? How is its meaning different?

1. What does the word עדות, as it is used in this context, teach us?

2. Why is this "testimony" important to us?

Note: There is a מחלוקת whether the נר מערבי was the center lamp (of the seven nerot) or the second lamp from the east direction

Insert a picture here.

1. How does the נר מערבי demonstrate the presence of the שכינה?

2. Based on this, what is a secondary function of the Menorah?

Let us now look at the העמק דבר (Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Berlin/Netziv) on the Menorah. based on the pesukim in Shemot (Tetzave) and Vayikra (Tzav ) that we have already examined.

1. What new dimension is the Netziv adding to the concept of נרות?

2. How is this consistent with the Seforno's explanation of the Menorah?

3. If the Aron is the כתר של תורה, what do you think the Menorah represents?

4. How might the emphasis of the position of the Menorah - מחוץ לפרכת אשר על העדות and באהל מועד מחוץ לפרכת...לפני ה' תמיד - help us to answer the question above?

In דברי הימים, King David asked for permission to build the בית המקדש. He said to Natan the Navi, הנה אנכי יושב בבית הארזים וארון ברית ה' תחת יריעות . Behold I am dwelling in a house of cedar and the ark of the covenant of Hashem is dwelling in the curtains. Based on this passuk, what was the primary purpose of the בית המקדש?

The first בית המקדש that Shlomo built was splendid in appearance. Many miracles occurred there on a constant basis.

1. Based on what we have just learned about the נר המערבי, what did these miracles demonstrate?

Shlomo placed in the Mikdash 10 כיורות (sinks), 10 שלחנות, in addition to the שלחן of Moshe, and ten מנורות, in addition to the מנורה of Moshe.

ילקוט שמעוני: מלכים א: סימן קפה

ויעש את מנורת הזהב עשר כנגד עשרת הדברות

He made the golden menorah ten, corresponding to the 10 Commandments.

2. What does this teach us about the function of the Menorah? How does it relate to the Seforno's explanation of the light of the Nerot?

After the destruction of the Temple, the Jews lived in Bavel . Cyrus, the king, allowed them to begin building a new one. There was less wealth and the Mikdash was much more modest than the first. There was no ארון העדות because the king, יאשיהו, hid it away underground to save it from capture. The people were not enthusiastic and Hashem sent the prophets, חגי וזכריה to encourage them. When the Mikdash was finally built, most of the miracles of the first Mikdash did not take place in the second.

1. What question should we ask about a Mikdash that has no ארון העדות?

2. What does the lack of miracles demonstrate?

1. Why did Hashem continue some of the miracles in the Second Mikdash only until Shimon Hatzadik died? What does this indicate about the merit of the people?

2. If there are no more miracles and, specifically, no נר מערבי דולק, , what question might the people ask about the temple?

The Netziv continues to describe the Menorah and what it represents and he relates it to the time of the 2nd Bait Hamikdash.

1. Name the two utensils of the Mishkan that represent the "light of Torah".

2. What aspect of אור התורה does each one represent?

3. Can you now explain the way the Torah describes the position of the Torah?

4. How can we more precisely define the complementary functions of these two כלים?

העמק דבר - continued

וכ״ז נכלל בכפתורים ופרחים.

(And all this is included in the "buttons and flowers" (that were part of the design of the Menorah

עד דאי׳ בב״ר פצ״א ר׳ טרפון בשעה שהיה שומע דבר מתוקן היה אומר כפתור ופרח.

As was stated in Bereishit Rabbah (91): Rabbi Tarfon, when he heard ." כפתור ופרח!" something exceptional, he would say

ושיח רבן של ישראל ללמדנו בא שמה, שתלמיד ותיק מחדש דבר טוב הוא ע״י כח שנרמז בכו״פ של המנורה.

And this expression of the Rabbi of Israel comes to teach us that when a student offers a wonderful new insight, it is through the ability that is hinted by the "button and flower" of the Menorah

וע״כ בבית שני שרבו ישיבות והעמידו תלמידים הרבה להויות דאביי ורבא שהוא התלמוד מש״ה נתחזק כח המנורה ע״י נס דחנוכה.

Therefore, in the second Temple, when the Yeshivot flourished and produced many students of the disputes of Abaye and Rava, which is the Talmud, the power of the Menorah was strengthened through, the miracle of Chanukah

1. Why did Rabbi Tarfon say, "כפתור ופרח" when his students came up with creative Torah insights?

2. What is the Torah source for the term, "כפתור ופרח"?

3. What does the Menorah represent, according to the Netziv?

4. How does the Netziv help us answer the question: What is the point of a Mikdash that doesn't have an ארון העדות or any miracles?

5. If we think back to the purpose of the miracle of the נר מערבי, why is the נס of חנוכה with the פך שמן so important? What message did it give to the Jews?

6. The miracle of Chanukah highlighted the importance of the Menorah. How does the Netziv understand that?

7. How can we now understand why the Rambam tell us that "the kingship returned to Israel for more thatn 200 years until the second destruction."

Now let's return to the prophecy of Zecharia, who was trying to encourage the Jews to build the second Mikdash. He is asking the angel to explain some of the images that he sees in the prophecy. He sees a Menorah with two olive branches on either side. He sees olives blossom at the top of each and the gold oil from each flows into a basin on top of the Menorah. From the basin, it flows through 7 channels into each of the seven נרות המנורה.

1. Based on our interretation of the function of the Menorah, what was the source of Moshe's difficulty?

What unique and difficult area of knowledge, regarding the Mishkan, was Hashem teaching him?

How does this discussion support the Netziv's interpretation of the Menorah and its unique function during the time of the Second Temple, especially after the miracle of Chanukah?

רמבם: משנה תורה: הלכות מגילה וחנוכה: פרק ג

The Rambam, in the first Halacha, tells us that in the time of the 2nd Temple, the Greeks created an anti-Semitic movement against us that culminated in the desecration of the Temple

עַד שֶׁרִחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם אֱלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִיָּדָם וְהִצִּילָם וְגָבְרוּ בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַגְּדוֹלִים וַהֲרָגוּם וְהוֹשִׁיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּדָם

,Until the G-d of our ancestors" had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them. The sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, overcame [them], slew them, and delivered the Jews from their hand

"וְהֶעֱמִידוּ מֶלֶךְ מִן הַכֹּהֲנִים וְחָזְרָה מַלְכוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶתֶר עַל מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה עַד הַחֻרְבָּן הַשֵּׁנִי"

They appointed a king from the priests, and sovereignty returned to Israel for more than 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.

In Halacha 2, the Rambam describes the how they only found one cruse of oil

וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נֵרוֹת הַמַּעֲרָכָה שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים עַד שֶׁכָּתְשׁוּ זֵיתִים וְהוֹצִיאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר:

And they lit from it the arrangement of the candles for eight days unti they crushed olives and extracted pure oil.

Halacha 3

(ג) וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה הִתְקִינוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁמוֹנַת הַיָּמִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁתְּחִלָּתָן כ''ה

בְּכִסְלֵו יְמֵי שִׂמְחָה וְהַלֵּל וּמַדְלִיקִין בָּהֶן הַנֵּרוֹת בָּעֶרֶב עַל פִּתְחֵי הַבָּתִּים בְּכָל לַיְלָה וְלַיְלָה מִשְּׁמוֹנַת הַלֵּילוֹת לְהַרְאוֹת וּלְגַלּוֹת הַנֵּס. וְיָמִים אֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּקְרָאִין חֲנֻכָּה וְהֵן אֲסוּרִין בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית כִּימֵי הַפּוּרִים. וְהַדְלָקַת הַנֵּרוֹת בָּהֶן מִצְוָה מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים כִּקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה:(3)

And because of this, the Sages of that generation ordained that these eight days, which begin from the twenty-fifth of Kislev, as days of happiness and praise [of God]. And we light on them the candles in the evening at the entrance to the houses on each and every one of these eight nights to publicize and reveal the miracle. These days are called Chanukah. It is forbidden to eulogize and fast on them, as on the days of Purim. Lighting the candles on these days is a Rabbinic mitzvah, like the reading of the Megillah.

And "because of this", the Rabbis ordained the 8 days of

Let us consider 2 questions on these statements a. Why doesn't the Rambam use the more common description of "אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו/our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors"? What does this imply about the merit in which this savation occurred? What does it say about the state of the nation at this time

b. Why, when the holiday of Chanukah celebrates deliverance and the re-dedication of the Temple, does the Rambam feel the need to mention

the Churban Habayit that will eventually take pace?

As you make your way through the following sources, please keep these questions in the back of your mind We will address them at the end of the shiur and try to gain some further insight into why Chanukah

.is so "chaviv", dear to us

Let us begin with the first three utensils of the Beit Hamikdash that the Torah presents, the third being the Menorah

רמבם: משנה תורה: הלכות מגילה וחנוכה: פרק ג

The Rambam, in the first Halacha, tells us that in the time of the 2nd Temple, the Greeks created an anti-Semitic movement against us that culminated in the desecration of the Temple

עַד שֶׁרִחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם אֱלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְהוֹשִׁיעָם מִיָּדָם וְהִצִּילָם וְגָבְרוּ בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַגְּדוֹלִים וַהֲרָגוּם וְהוֹשִׁיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיָּדָם

,Until the G-d of our ancestors" had mercy upon them, delivered them from their hand, and saved them. The sons of the Hasmoneans, the High Priests, overcame [them], slew them, and delivered the Jews from their hand

"וְהֶעֱמִידוּ מֶלֶךְ מִן הַכֹּהֲנִים וְחָזְרָה מַלְכוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יֶתֶר עַל מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה עַד הַחֻרְבָּן הַשֵּׁנִי"

They appointed a king from the priests, and sovereignty returned to Israel for more than 200 years, until the destruction of the Second Temple.

In Halacha 2, the Rambam describes the how they only found one cruse of oil

וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נֵרוֹת הַמַּעֲרָכָה שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים עַד שֶׁכָּתְשׁוּ זֵיתִים וְהוֹצִיאוּ שֶׁמֶן טָהוֹר:

And they lit from it the arrangement of the candles for eight days unti they crushed olives and extracted pure oil.

Halacha 3

(ג) וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה הִתְקִינוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ שְׁמוֹנַת הַיָּמִים הָאֵלּוּ שֶׁתְּחִלָּתָן כ''ה

בְּכִסְלֵו יְמֵי שִׂמְחָה וְהַלֵּל וּמַדְלִיקִין בָּהֶן הַנֵּרוֹת בָּעֶרֶב עַל פִּתְחֵי הַבָּתִּים בְּכָל לַיְלָה וְלַיְלָה מִשְּׁמוֹנַת הַלֵּילוֹת לְהַרְאוֹת וּלְגַלּוֹת הַנֵּס. וְיָמִים אֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּקְרָאִין חֲנֻכָּה וְהֵן אֲסוּרִין בְּהֶסְפֵּד וְתַעֲנִית כִּימֵי הַפּוּרִים. וְהַדְלָקַת הַנֵּרוֹת בָּהֶן מִצְוָה מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים כִּקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה:(3)

And because of this, the Sages of that generation ordained that these eight days, which begin from the twenty-fifth of Kislev, as days of happiness and praise [of God]. And we light on them the candles in the evening at the entrance to the houses on each and every one of these eight nights to publicize and reveal the miracle. These days are called Chanukah. It is forbidden to eulogize and fast on them, as on the days of Purim. Lighting the candles on these days is a Rabbinic mitzvah, like the reading of the Megillah.

And "because of this", the Rabbis ordained the 8 days of

Let us consider 2 questions on these statements a. Why doesn't the Rambam use the more common description of "אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו/our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors"? What does this imply about the merit in which this savation occurred? What does it say about the state of the nation at this time

b. Why, when the holiday of Chanukah celebrates deliverance and the re-dedication of the Temple, does the Rambam feel the need to mention

the Churban Habayit that will eventually take pace?

As you make your way through the following sources, please keep these questions in the back of your mind We will address them at the end of the shiur and try to gain some further insight into why Chanukah

.is so "chaviv", dear to us

Let us begin with the first three utensils of the Beit Hamikdash that the Torah presents, the third being the Menorah