Hanukkah as Oral Torah Elevation For תרל”ו 4
(ליל ב) אמו”ז ז”ל הגיד בשם רבותינו ז”ל פי’ הגמרא פתילות ושמנים שאמרו חכמים אין מדליקין בהם בשבת מדליקין בהן בחנוכה.
“My grandfather, of blessed memory, related in the name of our Rabbis that the Gemara explains: The wicks and oils which the Sages said may not be used for lighting on Shabbat may nonetheless be used for lighting on Chanuka.”
The Sefat Emet begins with a teaching that certain ‘unfit’ materials for Shabbat lights are acceptable for Chanuka. This introduces a mystical idea: Chanuka has a capacity to elevate elements that Shabbat cannot.
דהיינו נפשות מבני ישראל אשר לא טהורים הם כי נפש ר”ת נר פתילה שמן ואלו שאין להם עלי’ בשבת היינו שאור מסכסך בהם ואין נמשכין כו’.
“This refers to souls among Israel that are not pure, for ‘nefesh’ is an acronym for ner, ptilah, shemen — candle, wick, oil — and those who cannot ascend on Shabbat are those in whom the leaven (the evil impulse) agitates, preventing them from being drawn upward.”
The wicks and oils symbolize Jewish souls. Some souls, due to inner agitation or spiritual blockage, cannot rise in the sanctity of Shabbat. The acronym underscores the metaphor: the human soul is the lamp.
מ”מ יש עלי’ להם בחנוכה עכ”ד ז”ל.
“Nevertheless, they have an ascent on Chanuka.”
Chanuka provides a unique spiritual opening for even those souls unable to attach themselves to Shabbat holiness.
כי יו”ט האלה חנוכה ופורים הם בחי’ תושבע”פ.
“For these festivals, Chanuka and Purim, are of the nature of the Oral Torah.”
Unlike biblical festivals, these holidays arise from human action and rabbinic authority, embodying the dynamism of the Oral Torah.
כי הג’ מועדות שנתן לנו הקב”ה הם תורה שבכתב שמפורשין בתורה והקב”ה נתן לנו זמני קודש אשר נתקדשו בעת הבריאה שהכל בתורה נברא.
“The three festivals that the Holy One gave us belong to the Written Torah, for they are explicitly stated in the Torah. God gave us holy times sanctified at Creation, for all was created through the Torah.”
The biblical festivals are woven into creation itself. Their holiness originates from above, fixed and eternal.
והם עדות שהקב”ה בחר בישראל ויש לו התקרבות אליהם שהרי מסר לנו מעדות שלו וזהו שם מועד מלשון עדות.
“They are testimony that God chose Israel and is close to them, for He entrusted us with His testimony; hence the term ‘moed’ (festival) from the root for testimony.”
These festivals testify to divine election. Their very existence is God’s declaration of closeness to Israel.
וחנוכה ופורים הם מועדות שזכו להם בנ”י במעשיהן נקרא תורה שבע”פ.
“But Chanuka and Purim are festivals that Israel merited through their actions; they are called the Oral Torah.”
Whereas biblical festivals express divine initiative, Chanuka and Purim express Israel’s spiritual initiative from below.
והם עדות שהם בוחרים בהקב”ה ומיוחדים אליו ושמעשיהן מעוררין אותו ית’ שהרי חידשו במעשיהם זמנים מקודשים.
“They testify that Israel chooses the Holy One and cleaves to Him, and that their deeds awaken Him, for through their actions they created newly sanctified times.”
These holidays show the reciprocal relationship: Israel’s acts can arouse divine response, generating new sanctity in time.
וע”י שאלה המועדות זכו בנ”י להם במעשיהם לכן יוכל למצוא בהם כל נפש ישראל תקונו כי יש לכל בני ישראל דביקות ושייכות להם כנ”ל.
“Because Israel earned these festivals through their own deeds, every Jewish soul can find its rectification in them, for all Israel has attachment and connection to them.”
Since these holidays arise from the collective efforts of Israel, they contain light accessible to every soul, even those unable to rise on other sacred days.
Summary: Chanuka’s sanctity arises from Israel’s own actions, giving it the power to elevate even spiritually blocked souls. As a festival rooted in the Oral Torah, it testifies to Israel’s choice of God and opens a path of rectification for every Jewish soul.
