Eight and Not Seven
The very essence of Chanukah is praise and thanksgiving and not just joy. Lighting the menorah – as an expression of praise and thanksgiving – is what characterizes the holiday and not just something that we do during Chanukah. Underlying this approach is the notion that the greatest form of thanksgiving is when it involves the generation of extraordinary light.
Talmudic Source for Chanukah
The Talmud discusses the history of Chanukah and mentions the miracle with the lone cruse of oil they found. All the other oil was contaminated by the Greeks. However, the Talmud continues there was a problem because they would not be able to procure pure oil for another eight days and this lone cruse of oil was only enough for one day:
In the words of the Talmud:
And it did not have more than what was needed to kindle for one day. A miracle then occurred with it and they kindled with it for eight days.
One of the most famous questions asked is why do we not celebrate Chanukah for only seven days, inasmuch as there was oil for the first day?
Among the answers we find the following:
a) They divided it into eight parts and each part lasted for the entire night.
b) The first day commemorates the victory while the other seven days commemorate the miracle with the cruse of oil.
c) The first day commemorates the miracle of finding the cruse of oil. That cruse, sealed with the seal of the High Priest was obviously hidden very well for the Greeks would have contaminated it had they found it.
d) The Syrian Greeks banned the observance of circumcision which occurs on the eighth day. To commemorate the victory of circumcision they added another day. This was their way to express their gratitude for the reinstatement of circumcision.
e) The Holiday of Chanukah was modeled after the Biblical thanksgiving holiday of Sukkos which is 8 days. Inasmuch as they were engaged in fierce battle during Sukkos they felt a need to make up for it during Chanukah.
In Chassidic literature, based on the Maharal and others, the number seven is associated with nature since the creation of the world occurred within a seven day period.
Chanukah, however, is an eight day Holiday because it represents the transcendent revelation of G-dly light. Whereas other Holidays are connected to the number seven which is part of the natural order, albeit, a sublime aspect of G-dly light, Chanukah revealed the light of the future Messianic Age, which will transcend all levels of holiness.
The Talmud continues:
The next year they established these days and made them into holidays
Why did they wait for next year to establish as a holiday?
The answer is that a Jewish holiday is not just an arbitrary time to commemorate an event. It is also not simply an auspicious anniversary. Rather, the spiritual energies that were dominant when the miracle occurred recur on the anniversary in future years.
For the sages to know whether Chanukah was a holiday like the others, they had to wait for the next year to “feel” the spiritual “vibrations.” When they did sense the holiness of the days on the next year, they then declared it a holiday.
…for praise and thanksgiving.
“Praise” refers to the recitation of Hallel and “thanksgiving” refers to the “Al HaNissim” prayer recited in our daily prayers and grace after meals.
A question, however, arises. Why doesn’t the Talmud, in this discussion of the laws and history of Chanukah, mention that we are to kindle a Menorah, the most important mitzvah of Chanukah? While the Talmud discusses the laws of lighting the Menorah in an earlier discussion, when it presents the history of Chanukah it strangely omits mention of the key observance of lighting a Menorah!
Some suggest that this is included in the word “thanksgiving,” that includes both prayer as well as lighting the menorah.
Alternatively, it may be suggested that the Talmud did not have to tell us that we are supposed to light the menorah on Chanukah. That was well known and therefore, the Talmud does not even ask “What is Chanukah?” until after the discussion of all the basic laws of lighting the menorah. The Talmud, in this section, is not concerned with what we do on Chanukah, but rather with how do we characterize the obligation of Chanukah?
The obligation of lighting Chanukah candles could have been a separate function that we do during Chanukah, but it may not have been an integral part of the Holiday. For example: the mitzvah of Sukkah characterizes Sukkos. In addition, the Torah commanded us to take the “Four Kinds” during the Holiday of Sukkos.
Here too, the Talmud underscores, the very essence of Chanukah is praise and thanksgiving and not just joy. Thus, lighting the menorah – as an expression of praise and thanksgiving – is what characterizes the holiday and not just something that we do during Chanukah.
Underlying this approach is the notion that the greatest form of thanksgiving is when it involves the generation of light.
That is why the ultimate era of thanksgiving will be in the Messianic Age, when, as our Sages declare, all private sacrifices will no longer be needed. The only sacrifice that will still be in practice will be the thanksgiving offering/ The Messianic Age thanksgiving will be due to many factors. But chiefly among them is the fact that the Light of Chanukah that we have fir eight days will be fully revealed at all times to the entire world.
Light evokes gratitude. Transcendent light evokes extraordinary expressions of praise and gratitude.
From the book Light from the Future: Chanukah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
