Rabbi Leonard Cohen: The Meanings of Hanukkah

by Rabbi Leonard Cohen

(Calgary) – The following has been adapted from Rabbi Nosson Scherman of Torah.org

Why is the upcoming holiday called Hanukkah?  The word itself has a variety of meanings, each of which adds to our understanding of the holiday.  The word Hanukkah signifies all of the following:

Peace – the word Hanukkah, according to sages Abduraham, Tur, Ran and others, derives from two words: “Chanu”, which means [they] rested, and “Kaf-Heh”  which means 25.  In other words, the Jewish fighters, i.e. the Maccabees, rested from their battles on the 25^th day of Kislev.  This suggests that the Jewish ethic is not to commemorate the battle victory as much as the peace that resulted from it.

Divine Grace – Noam Elimelech connects Hanukkah with the Hebrew word “Chen” which means grace.  Hanukkah is the time when the Jewish warriors, as well as the nation as a whole, encountered Divine grace.

Rededication – The word Hanukkah is used in the Book of Maccabees to refer to the dedication (“chanukah”), or in fact rededication, of the desecrated altar in the Beit Hamikdash .  From this perspective, the holiday celebrates our turning away from the unholy and dedicating ourselves once again to that which is sacred.

Commemoration – The consecration of the 2^nd Temple occurred on the 24^th of Kislev (see Chaggai 2:18).  As well, according to Midrash, the dedication of the Mishkan – the holy tabernacle built by the Israelites in the desert – occurred on or around this date.  The latter event is commemorated in the Torah readings each day of Hanukkah, which recount the sacrificial offerings presented by the leaders of each tribe at the dedication of the Mishkan.

Revelation – According to Kabbalah, Chanukah is a preparation, or “chinuch”, for our eventual redemption.  The light of the Hanukkah candles forms part of the Ohr Haganuz – G-d’s perfect light which was shattered and then hidden since Creation.  Our mystical challenge as Jews is to unify the holy sparks in our world in order to recreate this great light.

 Increasing Holiness – Ateret Zekenim and Pri Megadim depict the word Hanukkah as an abbreviation of the phrase “chet nerot v’halacha k’veit Hillel” – “Eight lights, and the Halacha follows the School of Hillel.”  This refers to the Talmudic debate between Shammai and Hillel. Shammai said we should light eight candles on the first night of Hanukkah, then decrease the number of candles by one each subsequent night.  Hillel, on the other hand, said that we should light one candle the first night then add one additional candle for each night – and this is in fact our practice to this day.  Hillel’s reasoning?  Ma’alin b’kodesh v’ein moridin – We increase holiness, we don’t reduce it.

May we use the opportunity of this holiday of Hanukkah to achieve all the meanings of Hanukkah – and to continue discovering ways to always reach higher and higher in fulfilling G-d’s purpose for us.

Rabbi Leonard Cohen is Rabbi for Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Calgary.