What is Chanukah? The Rabbanim learned… (Shabbos 21b)
Although there are many lessons learned from the miracles that occurred on Chanukah, the Sefer Torah Tavlin Al HaMoadim quotes the Nesivos Shalom, Rav Shalom Berezovsky zt”l, who writes that the essence of Chanukah is simchah (happiness). He notes that it is customary for Jews to wish each other “A freilichen (joyous) Chanukah” on these special eight days to illustrate the Jew’s unmitigated happiness. This was exactly what the Greeks tried to rob us Jews of, placing many terrible decrees upon us to facilitate their agenda. This is alluded to in the first letters of the three mitzvos that the Yevanim forbade the Jews from performing: Shabbos (שבת), Milah (מילה) and (Rosh) Chodesh (חדש). These letters spell out the word samei’ach (שמח – happiness) since the Greeks were trying to restrict the very essence of a Jews life – simchah, happiness.
The foundation of all spiritual success is simchah, happiness. It is truly the way that a Jew connects with Hashem and serves Him properly. Dovid Hamelech tells us in Psalms (100:2): Ivdu es Hashem b’simchah — “Serve Hashem with happiness.” Rabbi Ezriel Tauber zt”l says that this is not just a command it is an explanation of how to carry out the command, for true serving of Hashem brings a person to incredible joy.
Chanukah is called the festival of lights. The famous Gemara in Shabbos asks: Mai Chanukah? — “What is the essence of Chanukah?” The Gemara goes on to describe the miracle of the oil and how they found a single sealed jug, it doesn’t mention the military victory at all, even though we know that this was a huge part of the miracle. This is because Chazal are not asking, “Why do we celebrate Chanukah?” They are asking: “What is the essence of Chanukah?” What is this special holiday all about? What does it represent? And so, the Gemara discusses the oil, because the essence of the Chanukah miracle was the light, and light is an expression of joy. Happiness is represented through light, as is written, Layehudim haysah orah v’simchah – “The Jewish people had light and joy.” Orah means the inner happiness of being a Jew, the inner joy of having a relationship with Hashem.
Interestingly, the very word Chanukah can be divided into two words: Chinuch Hashem, an education of G-dliness. What is the education of G-dliness? It is about living a life filled with light, joy, clarity, and peace of mind, and knowledge that one has a relationship with Hashem. Life is not about one’s physical body or materialistic success, and it’s not either about one’s level of intelligence, though that is the mindset that the Yevanim tried to establish within the Jewish nation.
Thankfully they were unsuccessful in the end, and it is for that reason that we celebrate the victory of the Jews over the Greeks on Chanukah. It is a victory of spirituality over physicality and of simcha over misery. May the lights of Chanukah continue to light up our lives!
