An integral aspect of the mitzvah of Chanukah candles is Pirsumei Nisa, publicizing the miracle. Not only do Chanukah candles need to be lit, but they need to be viewed and contemplated. Chanukah is not the only holiday that contains a mitzvah with a Pirsumei Nisa aspect. Halacha understands Pirsumei Nisa is also at the root of the mitzvot of 4 cups of wine on Pesach and of reading the Megilah on Purim. On each holiday, the intended audience is different. On Pesach, we drink 4 cups of wine at the Seder, ahome-based ritual. The 4 cups of wine are meant to emphasize the freedom that we enjoy (even today) due to the Exodus from Egypt. Alongside our 4 cups at the Seder we read the Hagadah, and our primary audience is the next generation. Drinking four cups of wine is just one of many things that we do at the Seder to pique the interest of our children and grandchildren and to publicize the miracles of Pesach to the next generation. On Purim, we tell the story of the holiday through reading the Megilah. While one can read the Megilah at home and even to oneself, it is preferable to hear the Megilah at shul with a large group of Jews. When it comes to Purim, we fulfill Pirsumei Nisa by publicizing the miracle to our fellow Jews. The Pirsumei Nisa on Pesach and Purim is fulfilled through retelling the story. The Pirsumei Nisa on Chanukah is essentially fulfilled merely through an action: lighting candles. While one’s personal celebration of Chanukah is incomplete without thanking Hashem (through reciting Hallel) and through retelling the story (by reciting Al HaNisim), the Pirsumei Nisa aspect of the holiday seems to be fulfilled purely through others seeing the Chanukah lights.
Who is the intended audience of the Pirsumei Nisa of Chanukah? This is a matter of debate among 20 the century rabbis. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that we are only interested in publicizing the miracle of Chanukah to other Jews, regardless of level of observance. This would be consistent with the intended audiences for Megilah reading on Purim and the Seder on Pesach. However, Rav Soloveitchik disagreed.
He noted that the Talmud sets the latest time for lighting the Chanukah candles as when there is no more pedestrian traffic in the market. So long as there are people walking outside one can fulfill the obligation of Pirsumei Nisa by having your candles seen by outsiders. The Talmud (Shabbos 21b) teaches that the last people to leave the marketplace were the Tarmoda’i. Rashi explains that the Tarmodai were those who collected small sticks to sell to the vendors on their way home from the market when all the other shops were closed. Rashi also explains that the Tarmodai were not Jewish. From here Rav Soloveitchik suggested that Pirsumei Nisa on Chanukah, unlike Purim and Pesach, is fulfilled through publicizing the miracle to non-Jews as well. The Rav explained that the lesson of Chanukah is that there are some moral and religious values that are worth fighting for and worth risking one’s life for, even if one is not in mortal danger. King Antiochus would have been happy for the Jews to remain alive so long as they gave up their Jewish ways and their Jewish beliefs. The Chashmonaim taught us that our religion, our morals, and our values are worth fighting for. On Chanukah we light Chanukah candles as an expression of our commitment to this same idea. We want the whole world to see that we are committed to our religion, and we hope that other nations and religions are similarly committed.
While there is only one way to fulfill the technical mitzvah of Pirsumei Nisa, there are many ways to fulfill the spirit of this idea on Chanukah and all year long. When we wear a kipah or a Jewish star; when we inform our employers, or coworkers, or schools of our needs for religious accommodations; whenever we self-identify as Jewish or are identified by others as Jewish; we have an opportunity to strengthen our Jewish pride and to serve as a beacon of Godliness to the world around us.
(Photo courtesy of Joey G, with thanks to Ricky Rothstein for creating a Chanukah Wonderland)
No comments:
Post a Comment