Chanukah 2007

Chanukah

By Rebbetzin Sperling

Both men and women are obligated to light candles on Chanukah. This obligation for women is puzzling, as it appears to contradict the rule that women are exempt from positive time-bound mitzvot. Lighting candles is certainly an action dependent on a specific time! How then can we understand why women are commanded to light on every night of Chanukah?

The Gemara answers this question in Masechet Shabbat (23a); explaining that women are included in this requirement because they were also involved in the Chanukah miracle. When or where were they involved in the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from the Greeks?

The Greeks decreed that every Jewish woman who was about to be married should first spend a night with a Greek ruler of the Land of Israel. According to the midrash, Yehudit, the daughter of Yochanan, the Kohen Gadol, conceived a plan whereby she managed to obtain an audience with the ruler. She then fed him salty cheese, served him refreshing wine and proceeded to intoxicate him, after which she cut off his head. Her bold action brought about the redemption of the Jews.

There is another tradition explaining the place of women in the Chanukah miracle. The story states that the sister of Yehudah the Maccabee took matters into her own hands by wearing rags at the time of her wedding, so as to be unattractive to the Greek ruler, thus avoiding his attention and the terrible decree. Her unusual garb was perhaps to arouse her brother Yehudah’s ire, and provoke him to action. He was indeed so enraged by her disgrace, that he zealously went to war against the enemy and ultimately vanquished the Greeks, in order to uphold her honor and that of all their Jewish sisters.

Hence, a woman, or women, caused the Jewish victory over our enemies at the time of Chanukah. Our crucial role in this miraculous delivery is how we became obligated in the mitzvah of candle lighting (together with our husbands – ask your local rabbi for further details).

A similar situation is recorded in the book of Shoftim, where Yael invited Sisera, the Canaanite general, into her tent as he was fleeing the battle with the Jewish People. She offered him milk to drink to quench his battle weariness, which caused him to fall into a deep sleep, out of which he never awoke. Yael took a tent peg and hammered it into his head, thereby single-handedly killing a valiant enemy.

These stories illustrate the manner in which women take action when they feel that the circumstances demand it of them. When the whole nation is in danger of spiritual or physical annihilation, they forge ahead in their modest, quiet ways, without announcing their plans for public approval, and bring about incredible salvation through their quick-thinking and outstanding bravery.

Can we really say that cutting off the enemy’s head or bashing it in with a tent peg is modest and quiet? Is this not rather loud and unfeminine? Isn’t it a little militant?! But, planning to do away with an evil man without bragging about it to anyone, keeping it totally to yourself, and using whatever household implements are available to carry out your plan, seems, extremely quiet, to me. Yael and Yehudit didn’t kill their foes publicly, or even involve anyone else in their actions. They simply wanted to do whatever they could for the sake of their people.

We, in our days, are often faced with challenges affecting either the whole of Am Yisra’el, or we as individuals, and the examples of Yehudit, Yehudah’s sister, and Yael should encourage us to gird ourselves with might, and perform courageous acts with great faith that this is where the solution lies. The power to effect change is certainly within our grasp, It can have far-reaching results for the good of our nation. Of course, I am not suggesting that you cut off any heads or purchase tent pegs! Our devotion to our nation can be through kiruv, or visiting the sick, or helping a poor person. Any small deed has the potential to bring ge’ulah in its merit.

May we all be blessed with the courage, foresight, intelligence and hope to be Hashem’s messengers for redemptive action in our times.

Chanukah Same’ach!