Chanukkah and Pesach: is there a connection?

There is a story about a tish held by Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov where he sat for few hours without saying a word (apparently it was not that unusual) and then he suggested to burn leftover oil from Chanukkah then doing blur chametz on ere pesach. And some follow this custom.

Natural question arrises: What is the connection between Chanukkah and Pesach?

In the Talmud - masechet Shabbat, there is a story on how Maccabeans  conquered Jerusalem and entered the Tample mount. Then they searched for oil for dedication of the Temple. (that is what the word Chanukkah means - dedication). The other time we search is on Pesach, when we search for chametz to burn as it is forbidden on Pesach to own any leavened products. Both times the Talmud used the word בדק :

hanukkah (Shabbat 21b):
  ...וכשגברה מלכות בית חשמונאי ונצחום בדקו ולא מצאו אלא פך אחד של שמן ...
pesach (pesachim 2a): .
..אור לארבעה עשר בודקין את החמץ 

It is explained that in our life we must search for two things - one to help us illuminate all around us and the other to destroy what stops us from illuminating/influencing and doing what we are supposed to in this world.

Chag Chanukkah Sameach


p.s. i'm not sure how the silence of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Rimanov is relevant to the explanation.

"lech lecha" was the first words to Avram

This week parasha Lech Lecha tells a story of HaShem commanding Avram to go to the Land that HaShem will show him. The Land of Canaan, the Land of Israel.

According to the midrash this is the first time that HaShem is speaking to Avram. We often say the most important things first and therefore it makes sense to infer that living in Eretz Israel is the most important thing HaShem wanted from Avram, from Avraham and all his descendants.

Did you know that in Bereshit Chava touched the forbidden tree?

In last week parasha Berashit we read how Chava was convinced by the snake to eat from the forbidden tree and we know what happened next.

There is an interesting midrash that re-tells the story differently:
Snake asks Chava about the tree.
Chaka tells him that if they eat or touch it they will surely die.
Upon hearing this the snake pushes Chava into the tree and she touches the tree and does not die. This convinces her that nothing would happen if she eats it.

The questions is why did Chava tell a lie about touching the tree? The midrash tells us that Adam made a sayag (a fence) around a mitzvah that he received. Adam was told not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree and when he was telling Chava he made the very first mitzvah d'rabanan (maybe d'Adaman ??). Now because Chava did not distinguish between the d'orayta and d'rabanan she was convinced she would die if she touched the tree.

The moral of the story is that we should know what is d'orayta and what is d'rabanan. It is important for our everyday life as halachic Jews. And if Chava knew we would still be in Gan Eden.

teshuvah from gvura or from chesed

Yom Kippur is coming and it is appropriate to talk about teshuva - the act of repentence.

is yeshiva granted based on emet (truth) or cheesed (kindness). In other words, are we granted forgiveness because we deserve it or because haShem is kind and loves us and therefore forgives our wrongdoings?

Also, how can we change the decisions made on Rosh haShana? it is written and sealed and licked and posted. Rambam explains that our prayers change something because WE DO CHANGE. This suggests that we are forgiven based on EMET (truth, judgment)

Blowing shofar for Rosh HaShanah and for Yovel

My friend told me during the holiday that when the temple stood the shofar was blown for two reasons - to announce Rosh haShanah and for Yovel.

The Yovel is a year after counting seven cycles of seven shmitah cycles. It symbolized freedom, it is the time when all property is returned to its original owners, when slaves are freed.
On the other hand Rosh haShanah is the day (or two) when we coronate G-d, when we declare that haShem is our King - Melech Malkei haMelakim.

What is the relation between these two uses of shofar?

And the answer is that only one that is free can decide to have a king.

This thought gives us a hint on how to daven (pray) on Rosh haShanah - we have to start with knowing that we are free men with free will and as such we want haShem to be our King and to serve him.

distinguish between day and night

Every morning we say a number of blessings. and one of them is

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ברוך אתה ה' אלהינו מלך העולם. אשר נתן לשכוי בינה להבחין בין יום ובין לילה. 

Blessed are you, Hashem, our G-d and king of the world, who gave the rooster (or mind) insight to distinguish between day and night.
__________________

It is explained that this bracha is about the ability to distinguish between good and evil.

It is related to this week parasha Reeh where HaShem asks us to choose between good and evil. From the above paragraph we know that HaShem gave us the ability.  As it is know HaShem does't ask of us more than we can give