Holiday Windows, Cups and Scrolls-Chanukkah Lessons from the Miraculous "Big Three"
It’s that time of year again. The time of windows. People make the trek to Manhattan to look at windows--- Macy’s windows, Bloomingdale’s windows and even pizza shop windows give stores the opportunities to show all passersby that they are in the spirit of the season, whether it be commercially, spiritually, or both.
And for us, as Chanukkah approaches, windows become central as well. This is because the central mitzvah of Chanukkah, lighting the Chanukiah, must be done so all who pass by can see, (Shababt 21b) Each night we must either place the Chanukiah by the door or by the window fulfilling the principle of pirsumei nissa, publicizing the miracle. (Megilla 3b, 18a, Pesachim 108b and Brachot 14a)
The obligation to publicize the miracle appears in the Talmud most prominently 3 other times. It is found when discussing the reading of the Megillah on Purim,, the drinking of the 4 cups on Pesach and with respect to the recitation of Hallel.
Putting aside the reading of Hallel which is done between 35-40 times per year, are there common lessons or themes reflected in these three specific mitzvot? Why among all the myriads of holiday rituals throughout the year, do the Chanukah lights, Megilla reading and four cups of wine emerge as the only ones that fit into this category of pirsumei nissa? Some possible suggestions:
The diaspora/Israel dynamic-Each of these stories takes place in different places, The Purim story begins and ends in a foreign land and its heroes remain settled in diaspora . Chanukah’s setting is different. It begins and ends in our home as the rededication of the Beit Hamikdash is central. Pesach falls somewhere in between. While it mostly takes place in Egypt, the story’s culminating miracle, the splitting of the Reed Sea, sets the Jews on a journey through the desert, to Mt. Sinai and ultimately to the Land of Israel.
From within to without-These three miracles go from the most personal spaces to the most public. The Seder table is located in the home. The four cups are consumed in a space that is surrounded by family, in the intimate confines of the house around the family table. The mitzva of megilla takes it one more step outward--to the public sphere of minyan and synagogue. By prioritizing minyan as the preferred structure for reading the Meglliah, the pirsumei nissa necessitates publicizing the miracle to the entire Jewish community. Chanukkah takes the dynamic to the final step as it requires all passersby in the town, Jews and non Jews alike, to witness our celebration of the miracle. The three activities go from displaying our miracle in the most personal space to doing so in the most public way possible.
Typology of miracles-While each of these holidays commemorates miracles, they also reflect three different types. Purim is the ultimate hidden miracle, nes nistar. There is no mention of God in the Megilla and there are no prophecies in the story. With intense Divine intervention through words, plagues and force, Pesach is the ultimate revealed miracle, nes galui. Chanuka falls somewhere in the middle. While the miracle of the oil goes beyond the bounds of nature, the narrative does not ring as dramatic as the “strong hand of God” in the Pesach story.
A celebration of senses-Experiences are most impactful when they feed upon different senses and a variety of modes of communication. The reading of the Megillah is an act of verbal communication. The telling of a story, its articulation and the hearing of it annually has a power that is unique. The Four Cups is an experience of drinking which reaches our palates to internalize the miracle as the sense of taste communicates certain lessons and emotions. And of course, the Chanukah lights speak to our sense of sight as the lights become brighter as the nights progress shining into our souls in a unique way.
As we light our Chanukkiot this week, lets not only show our everlasting thanks to God for the powerful miracles, but let’s take a moment to appreciate this concept of pirsumei nisa -- a most powerful idea that teaches us about human nature, the role of the Divine and our shared history.
Yes, pirsumei nissa is truly an incredible principle--one that puts the chinuch into Chanukkah and into the rest of the year as well.
i
It’s that time of year again. The time of windows. People make the trek to Manhattan to look at windows--- Macy’s windows, Bloomingdale’s windows and even pizza shop windows give stores the opportunities to show all passersby that they are in the spirit of the season, whether it be commercially, spiritually, or both.
And for us, as Chanukkah approaches, windows become central as well. This is because the central mitzvah of Chanukkah, lighting the Chanukiah, must be done so all who pass by can see, (Shababt 21b) Each night we must either place the Chanukiah by the door or by the window fulfilling the principle of pirsumei nissa, publicizing the miracle. (Megilla 3b, 18a, Pesachim 108b and Brachot 14a)
The obligation to publicize the miracle appears in the Talmud most prominently 3 other times. It is found when discussing the reading of the Megillah on Purim,, the drinking of the 4 cups on Pesach and with respect to the recitation of Hallel.
Putting aside the reading of Hallel which is done between 35-40 times per year, are there common lessons or themes reflected in these three specific mitzvot? Why among all the myriads of holiday rituals throughout the year, do the Chanukah lights, Megilla reading and four cups of wine emerge as the only ones that fit into this category of pirsumei nissa? Some possible suggestions:
The diaspora/Israel dynamic-Each of these stories takes place in different places, The Purim story begins and ends in a foreign land and its heroes remain settled in diaspora . Chanukah’s setting is different. It begins and ends in our home as the rededication of the Beit Hamikdash is central. Pesach falls somewhere in between. While it mostly takes place in Egypt, the story’s culminating miracle, the splitting of the Reed Sea, sets the Jews on a journey through the desert, to Mt. Sinai and ultimately to the Land of Israel.
From within to without-These three miracles go from the most personal spaces to the most public. The Seder table is located in the home. The four cups are consumed in a space that is surrounded by family, in the intimate confines of the house around the family table. The mitzva of megilla takes it one more step outward--to the public sphere of minyan and synagogue. By prioritizing minyan as the preferred structure for reading the Meglliah, the pirsumei nissa necessitates publicizing the miracle to the entire Jewish community. Chanukkah takes the dynamic to the final step as it requires all passersby in the town, Jews and non Jews alike, to witness our celebration of the miracle. The three activities go from displaying our miracle in the most personal space to doing so in the most public way possible.
Typology of miracles-While each of these holidays commemorates miracles, they also reflect three different types. Purim is the ultimate hidden miracle, nes nistar. There is no mention of God in the Megilla and there are no prophecies in the story. With intense Divine intervention through words, plagues and force, Pesach is the ultimate revealed miracle, nes galui. Chanuka falls somewhere in the middle. While the miracle of the oil goes beyond the bounds of nature, the narrative does not ring as dramatic as the “strong hand of God” in the Pesach story.
A celebration of senses-Experiences are most impactful when they feed upon different senses and a variety of modes of communication. The reading of the Megillah is an act of verbal communication. The telling of a story, its articulation and the hearing of it annually has a power that is unique. The Four Cups is an experience of drinking which reaches our palates to internalize the miracle as the sense of taste communicates certain lessons and emotions. And of course, the Chanukah lights speak to our sense of sight as the lights become brighter as the nights progress shining into our souls in a unique way.
As we light our Chanukkiot this week, lets not only show our everlasting thanks to God for the powerful miracles, but let’s take a moment to appreciate this concept of pirsumei nisa -- a most powerful idea that teaches us about human nature, the role of the Divine and our shared history.
Yes, pirsumei nissa is truly an incredible principle--one that puts the chinuch into Chanukkah and into the rest of the year as well.
i
Comments
Post a Comment