ZOS CHANUKAH

ZOS CHANUKAH

Several years ago I observed that the 3 letters that make up the word for oil shemen also correspond to the root of the word shmone, the number 8. My husband then added that oil floats on top of water, just as the eighth level is lema'ala min hateva [transcends the natural order]. That's what Chanukah is all about, which is why we call tonight and the last day, Zos Chanukah -- this is Chanukah.

  This is the only single holiday that is celebrated for eight days.  While both Pesach and Sukkoth are celebrated for 8 days outside of Israel, they are, in essence, 7 day holidays with one day added on for those in exile.  Chanukah is eight days all over the world with no additional day added. 

Eight is a highly significant number in Jewish thought.  It represents a level of spirituality that rises above nature.  That is why a brith [circumcision] is performed on the eight day.  Tthe number eight is what this holiday is all about -- reaching beyond the natural order in our spiritual aspirations.

2020 Addition

Even before Chanukah, I was thinking of the holiday's significance for the events of this year. Before the pandemic struck, I attended some of Henry Abramson's live lectures. He spoke about the history of Chanukah and the fact that most of us have grown up with the mistaken view that the enemy was only the empire itself. In fact, the enemy was within, and it was a real civil war in which the rabbim were the Mityavinm, and the me'atim were those who took the unpopular position of opposing the government powers that laid claim to science, as well as the arts. 

In contradistinction to the Purim story, at this time, there was no Final Solution to exterminate the Jews physically. There was only an expectation that they would comply with all the regulations set by the government that the Mityavinm really believed would be beneficial to the Jews' advancement. 

The voice of the majority had reason and caution on their side. Not only that, it is certain that they could have invoked the Jewish value of preserving life in pushing for siding with the powers that be. They did have a compelling case, but the Maccabees saw through it. 

You see, the essence of Judaism is not playing safe to preserve life at all costs. It is taking a risk when warranted b/c there are things worth dying for. It was a woman who demonstrated this: Yehudith is the heroine of the Chanukah story who put herself on the line and decapitated a general to signal to her brothers that they should be strong and stop putting up with the standard imposed on them by a system that was not centered on Torah.

While we celebrate the victories of the battles as being no less miraculous than that of the extended oil burning -- for those with the right perspective -- that does not mean that there were no Jewish casualties. Many people died in that battle, including those on the side we align ourselves with by celebrating Chanukah. 

You see, it has never been a Jewish value to disparage those who have put their lives at risk for their faith. And it has never been a Jewish value to simply accept an existence in which Jewish life is replaced with just life as the new normal to be accepted in modern society. We work within nature but are not bound by it, and we aspire to the greatness symbolized by the number 8. 

Enough said, hamevin yavin, and if you lack understanding, there's no point in explaining, though you may want to read  Over 100 doctors sign a letter protesting gov't coronavirus policies

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