On Chanukah and Purim, we add the following prayer to the Amidah and Birkat HaMazon, the grace after meals:
עַל הַנִּסִּים וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן וְעַל הַגְּבוּרוֹת וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת וְעַל הַמִּלְחָמוֹת שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה.
Al hanissim, v’al hapurkan, v’al hag’vurot v’al hat’tshuot v’al hamilchamot sh’asita lavoteinu bayamim hahem baz’man hazeh.
We thank You for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds and saving acts, wrought by You, as well as for the wars which You waged for our ancestors in days of old, and at this time.
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In the days of Mattathias son of Yohanan the high priest, the Hasmonean, and his sons, when the evil kingdom of Greece stood against your people Israel in order to make them forget your Torah and violate your laws, You, in your enormous mercy, stood up for them in their time of great need, upheld their cause, judged their case, and avenged their oppressors.
You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the degenerates into the hands of those who cling to your Torah, and you made for yourself a great and holy name in your world, and performed a great salvation and miracle for your people Israel, as you do today.
And afterward, your children came to the Holy of Holies in your House, and they cleansed your Palace and purified your Temple and they kindled lights in the courtyard of your Sanctuary and they established these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and to praise Your great name.
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In the days of Mattathias son of Yohanan the high priest, the Hasmonean, and his sons, when the evil kingdom of Greece stood against your people Israel in order to make them forget your Torah and violate your laws, You, in your enormous mercy, stood up for them in their time of great need, upheld their cause, judged their case, and avenged their oppressors.
You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the degenerates into the hands of those who cling to your Torah, and you made for yourself a great and holy name in your world, and performed a great salvation and miracle for your people Israel, as you do today.
And afterward, your children came to the Holy of Holies in your House, and they cleansed your Palace and purified your Temple and they kindled lights in the courtyard of your Sanctuary and they established these eight days of Chanukah to give thanks and to praise Your great name.
Al Hanissim by Dov Frimer (1975), Arr. Joshua Jacobson.
How does this music reflect the meaning and mood of the prayer?
RABBI RACHEL BARENBLAT:
Reciting these words, we remember miracles from days of old — But it’s also an invitation to remember our own human participation in those miracles. In the days of Ahashverosh, Esther bravely took her life in her hands to approach the king without being summoned. Her act of bravery was the first step toward saving her people. In the days of the Maccabees, those who rededicated the Temple made a leap of faith when they relit the ner tamid, and their act of faith and hope enabled the miracle of the oil to unfold.
Even as we thank God for creating miracles for our ancestors, we remember that we too played a role in bringing about those miracles. We are partners with God in making space for the miraculous. When we speak truth to power, may we, like Esther, be blessed with a turning of the political tide. When we cultivate faith that we will be enough to bring light to darkness, may we, like the Hasmoneans, be blessed with the miracle of our own sufficiency, and the miracle of the light of justice banishing the darkness of bigotry, destruction, and hate.
Reciting these words, we remember miracles from days of old — But it’s also an invitation to remember our own human participation in those miracles. In the days of Ahashverosh, Esther bravely took her life in her hands to approach the king without being summoned. Her act of bravery was the first step toward saving her people. In the days of the Maccabees, those who rededicated the Temple made a leap of faith when they relit the ner tamid, and their act of faith and hope enabled the miracle of the oil to unfold.
Even as we thank God for creating miracles for our ancestors, we remember that we too played a role in bringing about those miracles. We are partners with God in making space for the miraculous. When we speak truth to power, may we, like Esther, be blessed with a turning of the political tide. When we cultivate faith that we will be enough to bring light to darkness, may we, like the Hasmoneans, be blessed with the miracle of our own sufficiency, and the miracle of the light of justice banishing the darkness of bigotry, destruction, and hate.
Al Hanissim by Becky Mann (2020)
One light in the world so bright
Guiding us to keep our faith alive
One spark that transforms the dark
Helps us build our way back to you
Through the rubble we find miracles awaiting
Through the struggle we find strength to build a world we’ve never known
Through the work of Your hands in the days of old
And in this time, You bring us light
Al hanissim, ve'al hapurkan,
Ve'al hag'vurot ve'al hateshu'ot,
Ve'al hamilchamot she'asita la'avoteinu
Bayamim haheim, bazman hazeh.
Through the rubble we find miracles awaiting
Through the struggle we find strength to build a world we’ve never known
Through the work of Your hands in the days of old
And in this time, You bring us light
One light in the world so bright
Guiding us to keep our faith alive
One spark that transforms the dark
Helps us build our way back to you
Through the rubble we find miracles awaiting
Through the struggle we find strength to build a world we’ve never known
Through the work of Your hands in the days of old
And in this time, You bring us light
Al hanissim, ve'al hapurkan,
Ve'al hag'vurot ve'al hateshu'ot,
Ve'al hamilchamot she'asita la'avoteinu
Bayamim haheim, bazman hazeh.
Through the rubble we find miracles awaiting
Through the struggle we find strength to build a world we’ve never known
Through the work of Your hands in the days of old
And in this time, You bring us light
Maoz Tzur/Rock of Ages
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Maoz tzur y’shuati l’cha naeh l’shabeach Tikon beit t’filati v’sham todah n’zabeach. L’eit tachin matbeach mitzar hamnabeach Az egmor b’shir mizmor chanukat hamizbeach Az egmor b’shir mizmor chanukat hamizbeach |
Rock of Ages, let our song Praise Your saving power. You amidst the raging foes Were our sheltering tower. Furious, they assailed us, But Your arm availed us. And Your word broke their sword When our own strength failed us. And Your word broke their sword When our own strength failed us. |
Maoz Tzur
A Hebrew liturgical poem from the 13th century. It was written after violence from multiple waves of Crusades and blood libels that greatly impacted the old center of Jewish Ashkenazi life. The poem is written in five stanzas, each describing a different example of the Jewish community being saved from their enemies:
A Hebrew liturgical poem from the 13th century. It was written after violence from multiple waves of Crusades and blood libels that greatly impacted the old center of Jewish Ashkenazi life. The poem is written in five stanzas, each describing a different example of the Jewish community being saved from their enemies:
- The exodus from Egypt
- The end of Babylonian captivity
- The miracle of Purim
- The Hasmonean victory of Chanukah
(א) מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ.
(ב) תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּחַ.
(ג) לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּחַ.
(ד) אָז אֶגְמוֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.
(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.
Rabbi Laurie Tapper: "Why must the celebration of the survival of our Jewish identity, our liberation from religious oppression, and the miracle of light in moments of darkness- be tinged by a song that beseeches God to carry out violence on our behalf? Where is the line that separates celebrating our freedom and liberation from celebrating the slaughter of those who oppress us?"
When confronted with such texts in our liturgy–for those of us who find such texts uncomfortable or abhorrent–there are a variety of possible responses. We can rationalize their existence as an outgrowth of the time in which they were created, when physical anti-Semitism was rampant. We can counterbalance them with a textual tradition that is peace-loving and accepting of our enemies, such as, “Who is a hero? One who turns an enemy into a friend” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan)."
When confronted with such texts in our liturgy–for those of us who find such texts uncomfortable or abhorrent–there are a variety of possible responses. We can rationalize their existence as an outgrowth of the time in which they were created, when physical anti-Semitism was rampant. We can counterbalance them with a textual tradition that is peace-loving and accepting of our enemies, such as, “Who is a hero? One who turns an enemy into a friend” (Avot d’Rabbi Natan)."
Rock of Ages - Julie Silver (2019)
Rock of Ages, hear our song
Of peaceful revolution
Tired of battles fierce and long
We year for resolution
We are young and learning
But the tide is turning
And Your words light a fire
Within our souls it's burning
Rock of Ages, hear our song
Of peaceful revolution
Tired of battles fierce and long
We year for resolution
We are young and learning
But the tide is turning
And Your words light a fire
Within our souls it's burning
Light One Candle by Peter, Paul and Mary (1982)
Written by Peter Yarrow as a pacifist response to the 1982 Lebanon War, an intention was reflected in the lyrics "Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand, Light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker's time is at hand."
In 1983, when the trio performed the song at an outdoor concert in Jerusalem, they added lyrics to address the political complexities faced by an audience torn over the war:
"Light one candle for the strength that we need to never become our own foe.
Light one candle for those who are suffering, pain we learned so long ago.
Light one candle for all we believe in, let anger not tear us apart.
Light one candle to bind us together with peace as the song in our heart..."
Written by Peter Yarrow as a pacifist response to the 1982 Lebanon War, an intention was reflected in the lyrics "Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand, Light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker's time is at hand."
In 1983, when the trio performed the song at an outdoor concert in Jerusalem, they added lyrics to address the political complexities faced by an audience torn over the war:
"Light one candle for the strength that we need to never become our own foe.
Light one candle for those who are suffering, pain we learned so long ago.
Light one candle for all we believe in, let anger not tear us apart.
Light one candle to bind us together with peace as the song in our heart..."
Light One Candle (1982)
Light one candle for the Maccabee children
Give thanks that their light didn't die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
Light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker's time is at hand
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
The pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
Light one candle to bind us together
With peace as the song in our hearts
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who have died
What we cry out “They've not died in vain”
We have come this far always believing
That justice will somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
Light one candle for the Maccabee children
Give thanks that their light didn't die
Light one candle for the pain they endured
When their right to exist was denied
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice
Justice and freedom demand
Light one candle for the wisdom to know
When the peacemaker's time is at hand
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
Light one candle for the strength that we need
To never become our own foe
And light one candle for those who are suffering
The pain we learned so long ago
Light one candle for all we believe in
That anger not tear us apart
Light one candle to bind us together
With peace as the song in our hearts
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
What is the memory that's valued so highly
That we keep it alive in that flame?
What's the commitment to those who have died
What we cry out “They've not died in vain”
We have come this far always believing
That justice will somehow prevail
This is the burden, this is the promise
This is why we will not fail
Don't let the light go out
It's lasted for so many years
Don't let the light go out
Let it shine through our love and our tears.
How does this song speak to you today?
Rabbi Craig Scheff: “When the Maccabees lit the Temple’s menorah, they had no way of knowing how many days the oil would last, if it would even last a day. But they rekindled it anyway….All that mattered was that they displayed the courage to kindle the lamp for one more day. That act of defiance, resilience and hope—to push back against the darkness one more day with no guarantee that the light would be burning on the day after—is the true miracle of the holiday, epitomizing the Jewish spirit throughout time.”
Rabbi Craig Scheff: “When the Maccabees lit the Temple’s menorah, they had no way of knowing how many days the oil would last, if it would even last a day. But they rekindled it anyway….All that mattered was that they displayed the courage to kindle the lamp for one more day. That act of defiance, resilience and hope—to push back against the darkness one more day with no guarantee that the light would be burning on the day after—is the true miracle of the holiday, epitomizing the Jewish spirit throughout time.”