Rabbiner Samson Raphael HIRSCH Kommentar zu HALLEL

 

Samson Raphael HIRSCH

 

Commentar HALLEL

 

 

 

 

 

 Gebetbuch „Jisroels Gebete“ 3. unveränderte Auflage 1921  

Rav Aharon KOTLER (1892-1962) quotes S.R. HIRSCH on Chanucko

 

חנוכה

 

התעוררות לחג

 

Rabbi Aharon KOTLER

 President, Beth Medrash Govoha

 

There is something fascinating in the Chanukah story: a powerful empire defeated by a handful of כהנים. we read of Greek armies, clad in iron armor, on mighty elephants, led by tough warriors, yet destroyed by a band of simple priests. Likewise, our נשמות sing when we hear the story of דוד המלך, a young boy, beating חוגליות battles. It feels as if such events reveal an essential truth about the world.

 What is that truth?

 When a great empire collapses, a cruel dictator falls, or a bully is silenced, an inner truth from Hashem speaks to us; what is that truth?

 Every Jewish child knows: the נס חנוכה is of a single vessel of oil; enough for one day, burning for eight.

 We express a parallel in על הניסים - מסרת גיבורים ביד חלשים רבים ביד מעטים, the victory of the חשמנאים was of a נס, על ידי ריבוי, with the few overcoming the many.

 What is the thread of these two ניסים: the remaining פח שמן miraculously left טהור by the Greeks, burning beyond its means, and the victory of רבים ביד מעטים?

 These are not side elements to חנוכה, they are the essence of חנוכה itself. משה רבינו, in פרשת ואתחנן tells Klal Yisroel לא מרבכם מכל העמים ... כי אתם המעט מכל העמים לא מרבכם מכל העמים ... כי אתם המעט מכל העמים “Hashem did not choose you because you are the greatest in number, rather because you are the fewest of the nations.”

 Hashem did not choose us despite our tiny size, rather this quality led Him to choose us! And Hashem did not save us in נס חנוכה despite the overwhelming armies fighting us, rather it was our “few in number” that caused Him to save us!

 What is this quality that causes Hashem to choose us, and then again to save us?

 Why would Hashem see our strength דווקא as a tiny nation? Do we not see our small size - a minuscule nation – as punishment for sins, rather than our special strength? Does not the Torah itself say ונשארתם מתי מספר בגוים as a rebuke for our failures?

 It appears that, no, our small size is not our weakness, rather it is the quality that forms pour strength. What is this strength?

 We have all heard מעט מן האור דוחה הרבה מן החושך; what does that mean? Is there not strength in numbers? Would we not be a far better עם הנבחר of servants to Hashem if there were billions of us, like the Chinese and the Indians, instead of a few remnants of history?

 Rav Samson Raphael HIRSCH writes that Chanukah reveals a יסוד of the universe:

 Truth, he says “cannot be upheld by a majority”. Truth cannot be protected by the powerful. This is because being large and powerful would corrupt truth! The people would become corrupted by the glitz and power, and instead of protecting אמת they would abandon it. Rav HIRSCH writes that Hashem carefully entrusted his תפקיד to the hands of the few, the weak, as only they could protect it, only such a tiny nation could cherish it as Hashem’s gift, rather than distort it for their own glory.

 נס חנוכה tells us: we Torah-true Jews, a fraction of a fraction of Jewry, in a sea of 8 billion humans were given the noblest of missions, carrying truth for eternity. Although we only number in the thousands, we remain true to Torah’s light and avoid the temptations of the world, and therefore we are the chosen ones to bring the Divine light, the שכינה, to the world.

 Do not despair that we are so few. Do not be discouraged that a genuine Torah-true family, serving Hashem quietly and modestly is so rare; know instead - that it is we who are Hashem’s agents on earth.

 Stand tall and strong as a Torah-true Jew, know that your power is vast, the light you bring burns far beyond its physical matter, know that the very existence and purpose of the בריאה depends on you!

 Hashem will make your light burn forever, He will protect you in the face of overwhelming forces, as you are His people, the Yeshiva and Kollel are His houses, and your families are His beloved children.