Rabbi Leonard Cohen: Hadlakah, Hanakha & Chinuch: a lexicon of lessons for Hanukkah

By Rabbi Leonard Cohen

(Calgary) – One Talmudic debate regarding Hanukkah is whether “Hadlakah osah mitzvah, o hanakhah osah mitzvah?” (Shabbat 22b). What constitutes the mitzvah of Hanukkah: the actual lighting (hadlakah) of the Hanukkah candles, or the placement (hanakhah) of the Hanukkiah in a place of prominence? The nature of this debate seems surprising today: can the simple act of putting a lit Hanukkiah in place supersede the actual lighting of the candles? Recall that the conspicuous display of the Hanukkiah serves to fulfill the principle of “Pirsum hanes” – publicizing the miracle; hence the importance of the candles’ placement. While the Talmud concludes that the fundamental mitzvah is the hadlakah/lighting of the candles, hanakha/placement is itself significant.

These two acts – hadlakah and hanakhah – signify different manners in which we achieve the mitzvah of Hanukkah candle-lighting, and indeed all mitzvot.  The Jewish ideal is to perform mitzvot with intention and enthusiasm.  We are meant to illuminate our hearts and those of others with our deeds, to use our light to inspire a deeper connection with Hashem and one another. In other words, we strive towards hadlakah – the lighting of our spirits. Indeed, the notion of the Hanukkiah as a light amidst the darkness captures this notion of illumination as inspiration.

However, the stark reality is that not all of us live our lives and achieve mitzvot with unabated enthusiasm. Those among us who mourn, who suffer great pain, or who live with depression, anxiety, and despair, may struggle to perform basic tasks let alone do them enthusiastically. The metaphoric hadlakah of sparking oneself with inspiration may not always be attainable. In such instances, simply being present to perform the mitzvah must suffice. This is the spiritual act of hanakhah – we place ourselves in position to carry out our necessary deeds.  Such mitzvot are fully valid, and the seemingly small act of situating ourselves in place has significant merit.

The word Hanukkah comes from the same root as Chinuch, or education.  Both come from the Hebrew word root signifying meticulous preparation. The holiday of Hanukkah signifies the re-inauguration of the Beit Hamikdash following the extensive preparation to render it fully holy and operational. What we celebrate during Hanukkah is not the military victory of the Maccabees – crucial as it was – but the labour to restore our Holy Temple.  Similarly, the chinuch/education of our children serves as preparation for their lives. But what are we preparing them for?

We learn an important answer from our Maccabean ancestors. When the time came to rededicate the Temple, the Maccabees took every pain to find the purest of oils to light the Menorah. Why was this so crucial? For one, the Maccabees as Kohanim knew that the mitzvah of lighting could only properly be done with this oil. The use of this pure oil also signified that in preparing the Temple anew, they strove for the highest principles of tahara and kedusha – the purity and holiness which connects one with Hashem.  When their small cruse of purest oil lasted a full eight days, the Maccabees recognized that Hashem was working alongside them performing miracles, valudating and bringing such kedusha.

And so it is with our children.  We prepare them through their education to become the vessels which receive kedusha/holiness from Above.  Our children are meant to learn the knowledge and mitzvot needed to imbue their lives with purpose and joy.  We entrust Hashem to sustain them with strength and vigor all their days.

As we celebrate Hanukkah with our communities and families, many of us will have the privilege of seeing young children enjoy the holiday’s many delights – candles, menorahs, dreydels, latkes, sufganiyot, coins, and all other manner of food, games and gifts.  Underlying all this, let us be sure to educate them, that they know that these wonderful things come not just from us, but from Hashem and from our ancestors.  And may these children in time pass along these true gifts to the coming generations as well.

Chag sameach!

Rabbi Leonard Cohen is the Rabbi and spiritual leader at Kehilat Shalom in Calgary