The Chanukah Message

Question

Dear Rabbi,
On a spiritual level, what is the most important message to learn from the holiday of Chanukah?
Thank you and Happy Chanukah!

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    I would say that the most important spiritual lesson of Chanukah is the following: Chanukah is the only time in Jewish history when we went to war to be able to learn Torah and practice the ways of Judaism.

    All other times when we had to go to war, it was because our physical lives were in danger, both as individuals and as a nation. But, at the time of the Chanukah miracle, our ancient Greek enemies did not threaten us with physical annihilation. Rather, the threat they posed was one of spiritual annihilation.

    They tried their best to destroy Jewish life by forcing their pagan culture onto the Jewish people. They failed, as a relatively few Jews, the Maccabees, defeated the mighty enemy with the help of God. And since the miracle served a spiritual victory, the celebration of Chanukah does not emphasize the physical world. For example, there is no obligation to eat festive meals during Chanukah since Chanukah’s message is spiritual. And when we fulfill the mitzvah to light our own menorahs each night at home, we perform an act that is completely spiritual. In Judaism, something based on light is spiritual in essence. Our non-physical commemoration also explains why we are not supposed to use the lights of the menorah for our benefit – the light is solely for looking at while singing special Chanukah songs of praise and thanks with our families and communities.

    Happy Chanukah!

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team