A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of HaChodesh HaZeh Lachem... Chanuka is unique among the festivals of Israel in that it begins in one month and ends in the following one. As Chanuka begins, the moon has waned to a crescent in the pre- dawn hours of the night. Each night it will appear smaller and smaller until it will seem to disappear. By the end of Chanuka, the first phase of the waxing new moon will be visible in the evening sky right after sunset. This simple scenario of nature carries with it part of the Chanuka message, and part of the story of the Jewish People. The immediate pre-Chanuka part of Jewish history was a waning phase. The miracles and victories of Chanuka are symbolized by the growth of the new moon. The moon of our history continues to wax and wane, until the Complete Geula, may it come speedily in our time. [The Parshat Vayishlach Homepage]
|
