Zos Chanukah: Zedim, Oskei Torasecha, and the Beloved Light of Torah

Topics

• Zos Chanukah: The Light of Torah, Amal HaTorah, and the Love of Hashem
• Why Is the Last Day Called Zos Chanukah?
• Yaakov's Pachim Ketanim and the Nes of Chanukah
• The Oil by Which Yaakov Learned at Night
• What Makes Someone a Zed? Rambam Hilchos Parah Adumah
• The Reward of Amal HaTorah
• Yosef Says Biladai: Chochmah Is a Gift
• The Hidden Keys of Torah and the Light That Comes from Heaven
• "Mitzvah Chavivah Hi Ad Me'od": The Beloved Light of Chanukah
• Zos Chanukah: Beyond Nature Through the Light of Torah

Transcript

# Zos Chanukah: The Light of Torah, Amal HaTorah, and the Love of Hashem

## Why Is the Last Day Called Zos Chanukah?

Rabosai, we are approaching the last day of Chanukah. The *sefarim* call it **Zos Chanukah**, and the **Sfas Emes** discusses the special significance of this final day.

The simplest reason for the name is the Torah reading: **"זאת חנכת המזבח ביום המשח אתו"** (Bamidbar 7:84). That phrase, **Zos Chanukas HaMizbeach**, is read on the final day.

But the *sefarim* go much deeper. The last day gathers up the message of all the days of Chanukah. What are we supposed to think as we light and approach this final day?

I want to begin with **two questions from Al HaNissim**.

We say Hashem delivered **"זדים ביד עוסקי תורתך"**—the insolent into the hands of those who engage in Your Torah.

Who are the **zedim**? Why specifically oppose them to **oskei Torasecha**? Why not say the reshaim were defeated by the tzaddikim, or the Greeks by the Jews?

My second question concerns the words:

**"ואחר כך באו בניך לדביר ביתך"**—afterward **Your children** came to the inner chamber of **Your house**.

Why does Al HaNissim emphasize **"בניך"**, Your children, specifically in the story of Chanukah?

Last week I developed one approach. We spoke of **Yosef HaTzaddik** and **bitachon**. In the words of *Al HaNissim*, Hashem delivered the mighty to the weak, the many to the few, the impure to the pure. The Chashmonaim faced an impossible battle, and their strength was reliance on Hashem.

The **Chovos HaLevavos**, in *Shaar HaBitachon*, uses the image of a child trusting a parent. A child places himself in the hands of his mother without constant worry for all his needs. Perhaps that is why we are called **banim** in Chanukah—we rely on the Ribbono Shel Olam as children rely on a father.

Today I want to develop **a different *mahalach*** to those same two questions.

What makes someone a **zud**, a *zed*? And why is the opposite specifically a person who **is osek in Torah**?

The answer will connect **Yaakov Avinu**, the small containers he went back to retrieve, and **the pure light of Torah**.

## Yaakov's Pachim Ketanim and the Nes of Chanukah

There is a beautiful teaching attributed in the *shiur* to a **Midrash**: Yaakov Avinu risked himself to return for his **pachim ketanim**, the small vessels he had left behind, and Hashem rewarded that *mesiras nefesh* with the future miracle of **Chanukah**.

The precise Midrash text and its source need verification, but the association between Yaakov's small vessels and Chanukah oil is prominent in later *sefarim*.

The Torah tells us **"ויותר יעקב לבדו"** (Bereishis 32:25). Chazal explain that Yaakov remained behind over small vessels: **"שנשתייר על פכים קטנים"** (Chullin 91a). Even a *tzaddik* values what Hashem gave him and does not treat possessions casually.

Now the *Midrashic* account describes the *pach* as something connected with Yaakov's devotion **"בשבילי"**, for Hashem's sake.

Why would retrieving a small bottle become an act of **mesiras nefesh for Hashem**? Perhaps it was not merely an ordinary bottle.

One explanation, linked in the *shiur* to **Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer** and later commentaries, concerns **the oil that Yaakov poured upon the stones at Beis-El** after his dream, as the Torah says:

**"ויקח את האבן אשר שם מראשתיו וישם אתה מצבה ויצק שמן על ראשה"** (Bereishis 28:18).

Where did he obtain that oil? A tradition describes an extraordinary supply associated with Heaven. Another later explanation suggests he carried oil with him **to illuminate his Torah study**, even during long nights of learning.

The exact relationship of the two explanations and their source references need review. But listen to the *mussar*.

Suppose that oil was the oil **with which Yaakov illuminated his learning**. Then his little vessel was not simply a physical possession. It represented **the Torah of his whole life**.

Yaakov learned Torah through nights of labor and danger. The oil with which he lit his lamp was an expression of that devotion.

Now I begin to understand why he could take such care over the *pach*, and why the *sefarim* connect it with **the oil of Chanukah**.

The Greeks attacked the spiritual identity of Klal Yisrael. The salvation came through those prepared to be **moser nefesh for Hashem's Torah**, just as Yaakov's lifetime of Torah required effort and sacrifice.

Let's see how this ties into the verse **"כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה"**.

## The Oil by Which Yaakov Learned at Night

Yaakov Avinu said to Hashem:

**"כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה"** (Bereishis 32:11)—with my staff I crossed this Jordan.

A later commentary, cited here under the name **Shach al HaTorah**, is understood in the *shiur* as associating Yaakov's staff with the **oil** he used to learn by night. The exact original comment requires checking, and I am presenting the idea as a *derush* rather than the only plain meaning of the pasuk.

But what a beautiful thought! Yaakov says, I crossed the Jordan **with my staff**. On that staff he carried the means to illuminate his learning. Through all the trials of his life, **Torah was what carried him**.

Think of the years with Lavan. The work, the uncertainty, the long nights. Yaakov was involved in everyday responsibilities, but never lost his relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam through Torah.

And the oil he used was later poured upon the stones at Beis-El, according to the teaching as transmitted. That is a *korban*, an expression of giving back to Hashem what Hashem had given him.

Perhaps the two traditions about the origin of that oil are **not simply opposites**. One says the oil was sent **from Heaven**. The other tells of **Yaakov's human effort to preserve and use it for learning**.

Could they represent two sides of Torah? A person works and labors, but ultimately the light and understanding are **a gift from Hashem**.

Now you understand the language of the Midrash as quoted: **"מסרת נפשך בשבילי"**—you gave yourself for **Me**.

Yaakov was not merely attached to the **intellectual satisfaction of learning**. He was attached to **the Ribbono Shel Olam**, the Giver of Torah.

That's the crucial difference between **Torah** and **ordinary human wisdom**.

We call Yaakov **the pillar of Torah** among the Avos. Avraham is associated with *chesed*, Yitzchak with *avodah*, and Yaakov with *Torah*.

And the galus of **Yavan** is also associated with Yaakov in a teaching attributed here to the **Gra**. The exact printed text needs checking, but the conceptual connection is clear in our *mahalach*: the challenge of Yavan concerned **the definition of Torah**.

Is Torah merely profound wisdom, something I master through my cleverness? Or is Torah **Torasecha**, Hashem's Torah, something I receive through *ameslus*, humility and *mesiras nefesh*?

That brings us back to our original question: **who are the *zedim*?**

## What Makes Someone a Zed? Rambam Hilchos Parah Adumah

Now I want to show you a beautiful **Rambam** that will explain the words of **Al HaNissim**.

In **Hilchos Parah Adumah 1:14**, the Rambam discusses a dispute with the **Tzedukim**. They maintained that the service of the Parah Adumah could be performed only by a Kohen who had waited until sunset after immersion.

The halachah according to the received Torah was different: a **tevul yom** could take part in the preparation of the Parah Adumah under the relevant laws.

So during Bayis Sheini, the *Beis Din* deliberately arranged for the Kohen preparing the Parah Adumah to become *tamei* and then immerse, showing that the Tzedukim's interpretation was wrong.

Look at the Rambam's words:

**"כדי לבטל דברי אלו הזדים שמורים מהעולה על רוחם לא מן הקבלה."**

To refute the words of these **zedim**, who issue rulings according to what occurs to their own minds, **not according to the received tradition**.

*Rabosai*, do you hear? That is what the Rambam means by **zedim** in this context!

They were not necessarily people who lacked intelligence. Their failure was that they treated their own reasoning as the final authority over **Torah Shebaal Peh** and **the mesorah**.

And the Parah Adumah is the classic example of a **chok**, a mitzvah whose complete rationale is beyond ordinary human reasoning. If a person says, "I will obey only what makes sense to me," he has misunderstood the very nature of a divine command.

Now look at **Al HaNissim**:

**"זדים ביד עוסקי תורתך."**

The *zedim* are contrasted with those who are **osek in Your Torah**.

The struggle was not whether one side respected **intellectual study** and the other did not. Greece had great intellectual traditions! The issue was whether Torah is treated as **ordinary human chochmah** or as **the word of Hashem**.

The Greeks wanted **"להשכיחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחוקי רצונך"**—to make us forget **Your Torah** and transgress the decrees of **Your will**.

Notice the emphasis: **Torasecha**, Your Torah. **Chukei retzonecha**, the statutes of Your will.

The Jewish response was **oskei Torasecha**: people who accepted Torah **because it belongs to the Ribbono Shel Olam**.

Now I want to ask why the prayer does not call them **lomdei Torasecha**, those who learn. It says **oskei**, those who labor and engage in it.

That's another important part of the *yesod*. We need to understand **ameilus baTorah**.

## The Reward of Amal HaTorah

When we make a **siyum**, we say:

**"אנו עמלים ומקבלים שכר והם עמלים ואינם מקבלים שכר."**

We labor and receive reward, while others labor without receiving the same reward.

What does that mean? Someone else who works very hard may receive a salary too. What's the special thing about Torah?

The **Chofetz Chaim** gives a famous *mashal*. Imagine a shoemaker working on a shoe. He spends hours, but in the end the shoe is still broken. The customer says, "Thank you for trying, but the work isn't finished." He doesn't pay in the same way as if a properly repaired shoe had been delivered.

But in **Torah learning**, even when a person doesn't reach perfect understanding, **his effort has value**. Hashem rewards **the ameilus itself**.

I want to add another dimension from the Gemara:

**"יגעת ומצאת תאמן"** (Megillah 6b). If a person tells you he labored in Torah and found understanding, believe him.

Why does the Gemara call it **"מצאת"**, found? He worked for it! Shouldn't it say, "I labored and acquired it"?

Maybe because **the actual understanding is a matanah from Hashem**. A person must be *meyagea*, but after all his effort he is given the *geshmak* and insight as a gift.

That is what I want to distinguish from the attitude described by the Rambam as **"מהעולה על רוחם"**—someone who considers his own thinking the final source of authority.

The *zed* says, "If I am sufficiently clever, I will reach the truth by myself. It all depends on my abilities."

The **osek Torah** says, "I am obligated to use all the intelligence Hashem gave me. I must work hard. But the Torah is **His**, and the understanding ultimately comes from **Him**."

This isn't a rejection of *sevara* or analysis, *chas veshalom*. Our *beis medrash* lives by questions, answers, *lomdus*, and careful reasoning! But all of it is done **within the mesorah**, before the Ribbono Shel Olam.

That was the Torah of **Yaakov Avinu**. He labored through the night, but knew the light was **min HaShamayim**.

And this was the **mesiras nefesh of the Chashmonaim**. They did not go to battle because the numbers made sense. **"גבורים ביד חלשים ורבים ביד מעטים"**—the strong were given over to the weak, the many to the few.

Their victory came through **bitachon**, *kedushah*, and dedication to **Torasecha**.

Now I want to show the contrast through **Yosef HaTzaddik**, who faced Pharaoh and refused to take credit for his wisdom.

## Yosef Says Biladai: Chochmah Is a Gift

Look at **Yosef** when Pharaoh asks him to interpret his dreams.

What a chance! Yosef was imprisoned and forgotten. Suddenly the ruler of Egypt asks for his wisdom. A man looking for honor could have said, "Yes, I am the greatest expert in interpreting dreams!"

Instead Yosef answers:

**"בלעדי, אלקים יענה את שלום פרעה"** (Bereishis 41:16).

**Biladai**—it is not from me. Hashem will provide the answer for Pharaoh.

That is the answer to the *zedim*.

Pharaoh, who regarded himself as all-powerful, was astonished. Yosef refused to claim greatness on his own account. He attributed his understanding to **the Ribbono Shel Olam**.

And because Yosef possessed this humility, his wisdom could become a vessel for **Hashem's salvation**.

Now we're coming back to Chanukah. The **oskei Torasecha** did not imagine their intelligence and strength would defeat the mighty army of Yavan. They devoted themselves to **Torasecha**, to the Torah that belongs to Hashem.

Then **"גבורים ביד חלשים ורבים ביד מעטים"** became possible.

And I want to use this to answer our second question: why **"באו בניך"**, Your children?

Look at **Hashiveinu** in Shemoneh Esrei:

**"השיבנו אבינו לתורתך וקרבנו מלכנו לעבודתך והחזירנו בתשובה שלמה לפניך."**

Bring us back, **our Father**, to Your Torah; draw us near, **our King**, to Your service.

Why do we specifically call Hashem **Avinu** in connection with Torah?

Because Torah is not only a body of wisdom. It is a **gift from our Father in Heaven to His children**.

A thought cited in the *shiur* from the **Gra** speaks of the inner treasures of Torah. A father may have keys to precious rooms and hidden possessions. He doesn't necessarily give the innermost keys to a stranger; he entrusts them to **his son**, the child with whom he shares a relationship of love and closeness.

The precise written *mareh makom* needs checking, but the *mashal* is beautiful. The deeper secrets and sweetness of Torah are not won through cleverness alone. They come through **a relationship with Hashem as a child with his father**.

That's why we say **"השיבנו אבינו לתורתך"**.

And that's why Al HaNissim says **"ואחר כך באו בניך לדביר ביתך"**—Your children came into the innermost chamber of Your house.

They were **banim**, because they went with *mesiras nefesh* for Hashem's Torah. And Hashem gave them access to **the light of Torah**, symbolized by the menorah.

Now, *rabosai*, let's understand what that means when we sit and learn a difficult **Tosafos**.

## The Hidden Keys of Torah and the Light That Comes from Heaven

There is a *mashal* attributed in the *shiur* to the **Gra** about the keys to the inner treasures of Torah. A son has a closeness to his father that someone from outside the family does not have.

If the father has precious things locked away, whom does he invite into the innermost room? **His beloved child.**

Now we understand the *nusach*: **"השיבנו אבינו לתורתך"**. We ask **Avinu**, our Father, to bring us to **Torasecha**, Your Torah.

And on Chanukah, **"באו בניך לדביר ביתך"**. The **banim** were allowed into the **dvir**, the innermost chamber of the Beis HaMikdash, and kindled the lights.

Now, what is the light? Chazal associate the menorah with **Torah** and with **the Shechinah**.

The Greeks are called **choshech**, darkness, in a famous interpretation of **"וחשך על פני תהום"** (Bereishis Rabbah 2:4). It was not necessarily a darkness of people who lacked intellectual ability. It was the darkness of **Torah severed from the Giver of Torah**.

What happens to a person learning? He can sit over the same **Tosafos** for years, yet it remains dark to him. And sometimes, through *ameilus* and Hashem's help, it suddenly becomes **lichtik**, illuminated.

I remember a phrase I heard from **Rav Shmuel Berenbaum** about the tremendous *geshmak* when a difficult Tosafos becomes clear through a great teacher's explanation. There was an oral account involving **Rav Elya Chazan**. The names and exact story need checking, but I never forgot the image: **a dark Tosafos becomes light**.

That is the experience of **"יגעת ומצאת"**. A person must work, but the *matzasa*, the final illumination, is a **gift**.

Now you can understand the two explanations of **Yaakov's oil**, as presented earlier. One source says he **carried it and used it during his night learning**; another says the oil was **given from Heaven**. The two explanations reflect our *yesod*: **human effort and divine light**.

Yaakov's *ameilus* prepared the vessel. Hashem provided the illumination.

That was the light of the **Chanukah menorah**. The Chashmonaim worked and sacrificed for Torah, and Hashem revealed the *nes*, the spiritual light, and the salvation.

And that is why the order of **Hashiveinu** is so beautiful:

**"השיבנו אבינו לתורתך, וקרבנו מלכנו לעבודתך, והחזירנו בתשובה שלמה לפניך."**

Bring us to Your Torah, to Your avodah, and to complete *teshuvah* before You.

Torah must lead to **avodas Hashem** and *teshuvah*, not remain a merely intellectual exercise.

Now let's read the Rambam's extraordinary words about the **mitzvah of Ner Chanukah**. They will tell us how to approach the lighting tonight.

## "Mitzvah Chavivah Hi Ad Me'od": The Beloved Light of Chanukah

The **Rambam, Hilchos Megillah VeChanukah 4:12**, writes:

**"מצות נר חנוכה מצוה חביבה היא עד מאד."**

The mitzvah of Chanukah lighting is **exceedingly precious**.

What an unusual expression in a sefer of *halachah*! Of course every mitzvah is precious. Why does the Rambam stop here and emphasize **"חביבה היא עד מאד"**?

The Rambam continues that a person must be especially careful to light so that he can **publicize the miracle** and increase in **praise and thanksgiving** to Hashem. Even a person who must rely on charity is obligated to make every effort to obtain oil and lights.

So the practical duty is clear. But I want to bring a *mussar* insight from the word **chavivah**.

The **Pnei Yehoshua** asks why Hashem needed to perform the miracle specifically with pure oil when certain communal Temple obligations have allowances in conditions of *tumah*.

There are detailed halachic distinctions about the Menorah and *tumah* that must be studied. But in our *shmuess*, the question leads to a beautiful thought: Hashem was showing the Jewish people **His love**. He provided them with a way to perform the mitzvah in its purest manner.

I heard a *mashal* from **Rav Shustal**. A person gives a gift to a king who owns everything. How can the king show that the gift is precious to him? Perhaps by **taking special care of it, polishing it and displaying it beautifully**. That shows the giver the king's affection.

So too, perhaps, the *nes* of the pure oil demonstrated **Hashem's chavivus for Klal Yisrael**.

And we should respond with **chavivus for the mitzvah**.

Now I want to add another *mahalach*. We know Torah is the source of **ohr**, the light that brings a Yid close to Hashem. Dovid HaMelech says:

**"שבתי בבית ה' כל ימי חיי לחזות בנעם ה' ולבקר בהיכלו."** (Tehillim 27:4)

I want to dwell in the house of Hashem and behold **Noam Hashem**, the pleasantness and sweetness of His presence.

That is what Torah can be: **a beloved connection with our Father in Heaven**.

So when you light the menorah, don't think merely of completing an obligation mechanically. Think of the **gift of Torah**, the spiritual light we have even in galus, and the beloved relationship between Hashem and Klal Yisrael.

I want to return now to our opening question: **why is Zos Chanukah, the eighth day, considered the culmination of the festival?**

There is an important teaching about **the number eight**.

## Zos Chanukah: Beyond Nature Through the Light of Torah

Why does Chanukah last **eight days**, when many other festivals have a cycle of seven?

The *Rokeach* and other *Rishonim* discuss connections between Chanukah and **Sukkos** or its complete festive cycle. Other *sefarim* connect the number eight to **bris milah**, which the Greeks had tried to abolish.

The **Maharal** and later *mefarshim* develop a well-known *yesod*: **seven** represents the regular pattern of *teva*, and **eight** hints at a dimension **lema'alah min hateva**, beyond the natural order.

These are different explanations and layers of *remez*. They should not be mistaken for replacing the practical source of the festival's duration in Chazal.

Now listen. What is the purpose of the menorah? The Gemara, **Shabbos 22b**, asks whether Hashem really needs light and explains that the lamp testified:

**"עדות היא לבאי עולם שהשכינה שורה בישראל."**

It is a testimony to all the world **that the Shechinah rests among Israel**.

What a beautiful connection to **Zos Chanukah**.

When we reach the eighth day, the full array of lights reminds us that the light of Torah is not only a natural intellectual achievement. We do not possess it solely because we are clever enough to decipher complicated arguments.

A person sits over a Gemara and struggles to understand a *Tosafos*. He is *meyagea*, he refuses to give up, and through that *ameilus* he becomes close to the **Ribbono Shel Olam**.

Then Hashem gives him the light. **"יגעת ומצאת תאמן."**

The *shiur* closes with a personal recollection. In a yeshivah setting where people debated the best way to bring Yidden closer to Torah, some emphasized inspirational lectures and discussions of *hashkafah*. I and my father believed very strongly that a person should also be invited to **sit down and actually learn Gemara**.

Why? Because **Torah itself connects a Yid with Hashem**. The experience of learning with another Yid and discovering the words of Chazal can draw a person into the world of *avodas Hashem* in a way that cannot always be replaced by speeches.

This is not a claim that *mussar*, *hashkafah*, or sensitive personal guidance have no role. They are important. But the direct **limud haTorah** is a tremendous source of connection.

And that's what I want you to think when you light the Chanukah lights tonight.

**"מצות נר חנוכה מצוה חביבה היא עד מאד."**

Ribbono Shel Olam, thank You for **Your Torah**. Thank You that even in the darkness of galus we can sit and learn, become close to You, and experience the **ohr haTorah**.

May the light of Chanukah bring us from **choshech** to **ohr**, from the darkness of the nations' decrees to the bright light of **Torasecha**, and may we be *zocheh* to the **geulah sheleimah**, *bimheirah beyameinu*.