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Al Ha-Nissim
BY RABBI
AVROHOM GORDIMER
The Al Ha-Nissim prayer which is recited during
Shmoneh Esrei and Birkas Ha-Mazone on Chanukah is quite lengthy. Unlike
the Al Ha-Nissim of Purim, which very briefly relates the basics of the
Purim story, the Al Ha-Nissim of Chanukah is very elaborate. After
narrating the story of the Chanukah victory, the text seems to wax
poetic:
"...You gave the mighty (Syrian-Greeks) into the hands of the weak
(Jews), and the many into the hands of the few, and the defiled into the
hands of the pure, and the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and
the malicious into the hands of those who engage in Your Torah. And You
made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your universe; and to Your
nation, Israel, did You grant a great salvation and liberation, as on
this day. And subsequently Your children came to Your holy abode, and
they cleared out Your Palace, and they purified Your Temple, and they
kindled lights in the courtyards of Your holy place. And they
established these eight days of Chanukah in order to give thanks and
praise to Your great name."
Why does the text contain the above, flowery addendum to the Chanukah
narrative, detailing what the Jews did after the victory
("...Your children came into Your holy abode...and they established
these eight days of Chanukah...")? Why does it make no direct mention of
the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days?
Let's begin by contrasting Chanukah and Purim. Purim is a primarily a
tale of salvation from physical annihilation. Although the tribulations
prior to Haman's downfall and the victories of Purim precipitated
teshuvah and a renewed religious commitment on the part of the Jewish
community, the central theme of Purim is that of rescue from death at
the hands of Amalek (Haman and his cohorts). This event therefore
comprises the text of the Al Ha-Nissim prayer of Purim.
Chanukah is starkly different. There was no threat of death to the Jews.
Rather, Torah study and observance of mitzvos were at stake, for the
Syrian-Greeks forbade them, and the Beis Ha-Mikdash was defiled.
Chanukah celebrates the Jews' spiritual victory.
Therefore, the text of Al Ha-Nissim of Chanukah could not stop at the
point of detailing the Hasmonean military triumph. The real victory of
Chanukah was that of the spirit, and the narrative of Al Ha-Nissim thus
continues to the spiritual significance of the Chanukah story,
elaborating on the religious qualities of the victors, the Kiddush
Hashem of their success, the redemption of the Beis Ha-Mikdash and the
eternal religious significance of the events. The physical triumph was
merely a means for spiritual renewal and restoration, and it is this
point which is the true focus of Chanukah's Al Ha-Nissim.
Still, why is the miracle of the oil not specifically mentioned?
The answer lies in the thematic motif at the end of Al Ha-Nissim. The
conclusion of the text details the physical work involved in reclaiming
the Beis Ha-Mikdash and the enactment of Chanukah as a holiday.
("...Your children came to Your holy abode, and they cleared out Your
Palace, and they purified Your Temple, and they kindled lights...and
they established these eight days...") The narrative does not focus on
the spiritual respite attained on Chanukah; instead, the spiritual
work and effort of the victorious Jews are given attention.
Although the miracle of the oil affirmed that the military triumph of
Chanukah reflected a deeper spiritual victory (and was a symbol of the
presence of the Shechinah in Israel - see Sefer Noraos Ha-Rav), the true
religious conquests for which we give thanks by reciting Al Ha-Nissim in
the Hoda'ah ("Thanksgiving") b'rachah of Shmoneh Esrei and Birkas Ha-Mazon
are the freedom to engage in Torah and mitzvos and the redemption of the
Beis Ha-Mikdash. Please allow me to explain why this is so.
Passive Jewish religiosity was not the enemy of Hellenistic culture.
Recognition of Jewish identity and spirituality did not clash with
Syrian-Greek ideology, as spiritual virtues and self-image were within
the bounds of Hellenistic, man-centered thinking. To claim that humans
are endowed with Godliness and that each person has a unique national or
spiritual identity was not at odds with Syrian-Greek worship of man, as
these qualities accentuate additional aspects of man's greatness.
Chanukah - and Torah as a whole - center on the service and supremacy of
God and thereby declare the limitations of man. Hashem endowed man with
wondrous physical, mental and spiritual capabilities not for man's own
exploitation and self-aggrandizement; on the contrary, man's greatness
and creativity exist for his pursuit of God and the establishment of the
Divine Presence in man's midst. Thus, pro-active pursuit of holiness is
the Jew's mandate, and restricting oneself so as to focus on Hashem is at
the crux of the Torah's directives. By the same token, active service of
Hashem was the real enemy of Hellenism, as such service displays man's
subservience, directing all focus and praise on God. It is precisely the
theocentric, God-focused path of Torah life, as embodied in active
service of Hashem, which the Syrian-Greek culture could not tolerate.
Avodas Hashem as the Master of the Universe negates the Hellenistic
concept of man's autonomy and magnificence. The Syrian-Greeks did not
attempt to stifle our religious identity; rather, they sought to destroy
our theocentric approach as borne out through Torah study, mitzvah
performance and the sanctity of the Beis Ha-Mikdash, which is the purest
physical manifestation of service to Hashem and is itself a declaration
of man's limitations, for entry to its various parts is restricted to
certain classes of persons and specific levels of purity. The Beis Ha-Mikdash
is the most forceful display of God-centered religion and man's
limitations.
Therefore, the conclusion of Chanukah's Al Ha-Nissim exclusively
addresses the religious actions of the Jewish victors in
reclaiming the Beis Ha-Mikdash and establishing Chanukah for permanent
observance, and the passive spiritual message of the miracle of the oil
is omitted; for subservience to God, as reflected by active service to
Him, and the centrality of Hashem and limitations of man, as manifested
by the Beis Ha-Mikdash, clashed with Hellenism and were therefore at
stake. The miraculous victory of Chanukah
affirmed and restored these values.
It thus follows that "Mi laShem eilay" ("Whoever is committed to God
should fight alongside me") and "Mi chamocha ba-eilim, Hashem" ("Who is
like you among the spiritual beings, O God") were the rallying calls of
the Macabis. Their war was to protect the supremacy and ultimate
centrality of Hashem's role in Jewish life.
May we strive to embody the characteristics and drive of Mattisyahu and
his sons, and may our approach to Torah be guided by the vision which is
encapsulated in Al Ha-Nissim. May Hashem enable us to realize our
potential in Torah and understand that the highest form of His Avodah is
not defined passively by our culture or identity, but by becoming
pro-active Torah personalities, depicted as "those who engage in
Your Torah".
- Judaism 101
A Comprehensive Information Base of Basic Jewish Terms, Concepts and Practices
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