Praise and Gratitude in Redemption

הלל והודאה.

Praise and thanksgiving.

The Sefat Emet opens by naming the two core modes of Chanuka: praising God and giving thanks.

דאיתא במדרש ע"פ אשרי תבחר ותקרב יש שביחרו ולא קירבו ויש שקירבו ולא ביחרו כו'.

As the Midrash teaches on the verse “Happy is the one You choose and draw near”: there are those whom He has chosen but not drawn near, and those whom He has drawn near but not chosen.

The Midrash distinguishes between two divine relationships: choice and closeness, which do not always appear together.

ובנ"י בכלל יש להם ג"כ ב' הבחי'.

And the Children of Israel possess these two aspects as well.

Israel’s spiritual identity includes both being chosen and being brought close.

והסדר שהי' מיוחד לבני ישראל להיות נבחרים להבורא ית' כמ"ש בחר לו יה כו' זה נק' הלל כמ"ש הללו עבדי ה' שהם מיוחדים להיות נקראי' עבדי ה'.

The order originally designated for Israel was to be chosen by the Creator, as it is written “Yah has chosen for Himself...”; this is called praise, as in “Praise, O servants of the Lord,” for they are designated to be called His servants.

The Sefat Emet explains that “choice” expresses itself through “praise,” for being chosen means being able to praise God as His servants.

אמנם כשגרם החטא וירדנו בגלות אחר גלות ובכל עת שנגאלין מתחת יד הגלות הוא התקרבות השי"ת ע"ז צריך הודאה.

However, when sin caused us to descend into exile after exile, every time we are redeemed from exile it is an act of God drawing us close; for this closeness we must give thanks.

Exile disrupts the natural state of being chosen, so redemption becomes an act of renewed closeness, which demands thanksgiving.

ואחר הגאולה חוזרין בנ"י לבחי' הבחירה ג"כ לכן על כל גאולה יש הלל.

And after redemption, Israel returns also to the aspect of being chosen; therefore, for every redemption there is praise.

Redemption restores both dimensions: thanksgiving for being drawn close, and praise for returning to the state of being chosen.

וכשראו חכמי הדור בשנה האחרת שחזרו לכלל עבדי ה'. קבעוהו בהלל והודאה.

And when the sages of the generation saw in the following year that Israel had returned to the status of servants of the Lord, they established Chanuka with praise and thanksgiving.

The sages recognized that both divine closeness and divine choice had been restored after the miracle, and instituted both liturgical modes.

והוא ב' הבחי' תבחר ותקרב.

These are the two aspects: “You shall choose” and “You shall draw near.”

Chanuka embodies both sides of the relationship described in the Midrash.

והוא עצמו בחי' ימי המעשה שצריכין קירבות.

And this corresponds to the weekdays, which require acts of drawing close.

The weekdays symbolize the effortful process of gaining closeness to God.

אח"כ השבת שהוא קבוע וקיימא לבני ישראל בחי' הבחירה כנ"ל.

And afterward comes Shabbat, which is fixed and eternal for Israel—an aspect of divine choice, as mentioned above.

Shabbat represents the stable, unearned status of being God’s chosen people.

Summary: The Sefat Emet teaches that Chanuka contains two dimensions—thanksgiving for God drawing Israel close in times of redemption, and praise reflecting Israel’s restored state of being chosen. These correspond to weekdays (closeness) and Shabbat (choice), and explain why Chanuka was established with both Hallel and Hoda’ah.