B"H

Wednesday, Kislev 25, 5778 / December 13, 2017

HAPPY CHANUKAH

Q.  The Macabees were the heroes of Chanukah.  What does the word "Macabee" mean?

A.  Macabee is an acronym for the following words of the Torah: "Mi Kamocha Ba'elim Hashem" - "Who is like you among the powerful O' G-d."

It was with this banner and slogan that Matisyahu, the High Priest, and his sons, fought against their enemies who defied the Holy Temple. Although they were only a handful fighting against a huge army, it was due to their tremendous faith in Hashem and the justice of their cause, that they were victorious. 

Macabeealso stands for: Matisyahu Kohen Ben Yochanan - Matisyahu the Priest, son of Yochanan.  Matisyahu (the High Priest) and his five sons were the leaders of the revolt against the occupying forces.

Q.  The candles are placed in the Menorah from right to left, but are lit from left to right – lighting the new candle first. Why?

A. In most cases Mitzvot are connected with the right.  For example, the Shofar is blown from the right side of the mouth.  We hold a Kiddush cup and kiss the Torah with the right hand. For this reason, the Chanukah candles are placed on the right side of the Menorah.  But since the new candle on the left represents the new day of Chanukah, we honor the new day of Chanukah by lighting it first. 

Another reason for placing the Chanukah candles on the right side of the menorah and lighting from left to right: One of the decrees during the story of Chanukah was the ban against studying Torah.

The Torah is read from right to left. Yet, when each individual letter is written by the scribe the letter is started on the left and continued to the right!  Similarly, when we place the candles on the right side of the menorah and then light them beginning from the left side, we are also expressing our thanks to Hashem that through the miracle of Chanukah, we are still able to study Torah.

Q.  Chanukah and Purim are two rabbinic holidays in which a great miracle is celebrated. The entire Hallel prayer is recited on Chanukah yet not on Purim. Why?

A. Hallel is recited to commemorate a miracle which took place in Israel. The miracle of Chanukah took place in Israel whereas the miracle of Purim happened in Persia.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY & HAPPY CHANUKAH