Friday, December 7, 2018

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.

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