As we enter the period of merriment that is Chanukah, we are asked, by Rabbinic decree, to insert and recite the paragraph of Birkat HaMazon known as Al HaNissim. Said but two times a year, this short addition to the “Grace After Meals” (as well as the Amidah prayer) speaks of the manner in which Hashem has graciously delivered us from absolute destruction, and has not only sanctified His own name, but has allowed us, the Jewish people, to reenter His Sanctuary and praise and sanctify His name as well. There is, however, a question to be asked on the composition of the Al HaNissim supplication for Chanukah: where is mention of the oil miracle?
Indeed, we very clearly mention the miracle of militarily defeating the Assyrian Greeks, reclaiming our faith from spiritual annihilation, and the eight days of Chanukah designated for giving thanks to and praising Hashem. Yet nowhere in the text of Al HaNissim do we find mention of the miracle of the oil. In an idea developed by Rav Soloveitchik, it is the placement of the supplication that establishes the core principle of emphasizing the miracle. Al HaNissim forms part of the Hoda’ah, thanksgiving, section of both the Amidah and Birkat HaMazon. These sections serve as a vehicle for our thanking Hashem for the material blessings of our lives and for His protection throughout our history. However, as the Rav notes, we do not include thanks for purely spiritual miracles. Thus, in Al HaNissim we thank Hashem for vanquishing our enemy and physically protecting us; we do not include praise for the miracle of the light, for this was a miracle for the glory of the Beit HaMikdash (Harerei Kedem, Vol. 1, p. 351).
“VeAchar Kein Ba’u Vanecha LeDevir Beitecha UPinu Et Heichalecha VeTiharu Et Mikdashecha VeHidliku Neirot BeChatzrot Kodshecha VeKave’u Shemonat Yemei Chanukah Eilu LeHodot ULHallel LeShimcha HaGadol,” “Your children then entered the holiest part of Your House, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and designated these eight days of Chanukah for giving thanks and praise to Your great name.” We now come to a bump in the road when analyzing the nature of our citing the triumphs and miracles specified in Al HaNissim, for what then is the reference to our entering the Heichal of the Beit HaMikdash and cleansing it, “kindling the lights….these eight days of Chanukah…” It is at this point that the Rav draws us away from the singular Al HaNissim of Chanukah and draws us into a comparative analysis of the supplication for Chanukah with that of Purim.
In the Al HaNissim of Purim, we find no mention of the actions taken by Mordechai and Esther as expounded upon in the Megillah. We know of their immense sacrifice and character despite the situation they faced, yet again, there is no mention of these two by name or even by the events that transpired, rather being “mentioned only as an indication of the period…” Where the Megillah depicts the human aspects of the miracle that transpired, the Al HaNissim completely ignores them. However, the Al HaNissim of Chanukah does not shy away from mentioning human action and reaction: “VeAchar Kein Ba’u Banecha LeDevir Beitecha UPinu Et Heichalecha VeTiharu Et Mikdashecha…” The contrast between the role of the Chashmonaim and that which Mordechai and Esther played is thus clearly seen.
From this, we understand the nature of war when it is conducted in a spiritual manner. Though man is under the guidance of Hashem when spiritual survival is at stake, man is petitioned by Hashem to take initiative, and therefore his role is recorded. In questions of physical struggle alone, Hashem acts differently. In cases of physical menace or threat of physical destruction, He uses the human hand as a mere instrument of His will, recruiting man to use his energy and resources to implement the plan He has devised. However, there is a distinction noted here between spiritual and military achievements. Spiritual achievements are attributed to man, while military ones are attributed to Hashem. In matters of human accomplishment “as far as political and material achievements are concerned he cannot attribute them to himself.” Therefore, on Purim, upon celebrating a physical victory, Al HaNissim does not mention Mordechai and Esther, for if the achievements are of a military or material nature, then victory should be accordingly attributed to Hashem (Days of Deliverance, pp. 121-124).
Chanukah presents a different story by the convention of its victory. Antiochus aspired to destroy the Jews spiritually, and when the menace is thus of a spiritual nature, the initiative belongs to man alone. It is because of this aspiration that we recall the Chashmonaim’s efforts when commemorating their victory on Chanukah, for we have actualized the ideals of taking initiative in a task we are invited to partake in by Hashem Himself. For this, we cite the miracle of the Hasmonean victory on Chanukah in our Al HaNissim supplication, which serves as the backbone of Jewish continuity despite threatened spiritual ruin.