The First Miracle of the Oil
Why was there a need for the miracle of the oil, if there’s no oil, they simply wouldn’t have lit the menorah!?! What exactly is the miracle of the oil and...
Kislev: A Time of Rebirth
What is the Jewish definition of time? In Judaism, events don’t determine time, time determines events. What is the nature of the month of Kislev and how does that relate to...
Chanukah: Home Sweet Home
How does “Af Hein Hayu B’Oto HaNes” apply to Chanukah? What does the term “ner ish u’beito” mean and why the emphasis on “bayit”? Recorded at OU Israel’s L’Ayla Rosh Chodesh...
My Chanukah Miracle Among Indonesian Muslim Fundamentalists
How my return to my Jewish roots began in Bali, Indonesia, a Hindu Island in the largest Muslim country in the world. Recorded at OU Israel’s L’Ayla Rosh Chodesh Women’s Event
Reading Megilat Antiochus on Chanukah
On Purim, we are obligated to read Megillat Esther which is a historical account of the Purim story. Why is there no parallel mitzvah on Chanukah to read Megilat Antiochus? Shiur...
Chanukah: The Yom Tov of Torah Sheba’al Peh
Why does the Rambam classify the mitzvah of Ner Chanukah very beloved? Why in the course of thanking Hashem for the miracle in Al Hanisim do we include establishing the holiday?...
The Biblical Roots of Chanukah
Is it simply by chance that Chanuka occurs on the 25th of Kislev? Most students would answer with a definitive ‘YES’. After all, doesn’t the word ‘Chanuka’ evolve from the popular...
When and What Prompted the Hasmonean Revolt?
When did the Hasmonean revolt start and what prompted it? Why is the basic mitzvah of chanukah one candle per home per day?
Purim vs. Chanukah – Netzach vs. Hod
Chanukah and Purim correspond to the attributes of hod and netzach, two halves of one whole. How do these two opposing attributes work together?
Chanukah: Light vs. Vessels
The miracle of the oil isn’t mentioned in any historical text & isn’t mentioned in Megilat Taanit as a reason for Chanukah. The Gemara, however mentions it. Why the discrepancy?
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- Asarah B'Tevet
- Birchat HaChama
- Chanukah
- Elul
- Fast of Esther
- Fast of Shiva Asar B'Tammuz
- Fast of Tisha B'Av
- Four Shabbatot
- Hoshanah Rabbah
- Lag BaOmer
- Months
- Passover
- Pesach Sheini
- Purim
- Rosh Hashanah
- Sefirat HaOmer
- Shabbat
- Shavuot
- Shmini Atzeret
- Shushan Purim
- Simchat Torah
- Sukkot
- The Three Weeks
- Tu B'Av
- Tu B'Shevat
- Tzom Gedaliah
- Yom HaAtzmaut
- Yom HaShoah
- Yom Hazikaron
- Yom Kippur
- Yom Yerushalayim
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