5784/2023
When looking at the addition of Al HaNissim we make during Shemoneh Esrei and Birchat HaMazon throughout Chanukah, many differences between the Al HaNissim of Chanukah and the Al HaNissim of Purim arise. Beyond the obvious difference in length, regarding Purim we see that the decree against us was physical, while by Chanukah the threat was spiritual. However, there are two less obvious nuances that can be seen in Al HaNissim.
First, the paragraph of BiMei Mordechai, the paragraph we say on Purim, mentions the punishment of Haman HaRasha, while BiMei Matityahu, the paragraph recited on Chanukah, discusses not what was done to our enemies, but rather what Hashem did to help us. Also, when examining the text of BiMei Matityahu, you see that there is seemingly an extra word. When discussing the Yevanim’s oppression, the first sentence states: ׳׳בִּימֵי מַתִּתְיָֽהוּ בֶּן יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי וּבָנָיו כְּשֶׁעָמְ֒דָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן הָרְ֒שָׁעָה עַל־עַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצוֹנֶֽךָ׳׳, “In the days of Matityahu son of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol, the Chashmona’i [Matityahu] and his sons, when the evil kingdom of Greece rose up against your nation, Israel, to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the laws of Your will.” Why does it not just say ‘‘מֵחֻקֶּךָ” “from Your laws”? What is the importance of the “Laws of Your will”?
Rav Aryeh Lebowitz quotes Rav Yerucham Olshin and explains that the answer to these questions comes from the use of the word “בָנֶֽיךָ” towards the end of the paragraph. The paragraph shifts from speaking about the oppression of the Greeks to citing the miracle that Hashem did for us: ׳׳וּלְעַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשִֽׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וּפֻרְקָן כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וְאַחַר־כֵּן בָּֽאוּ בָנֶֽיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶֽךָ וּפִנּוּ אֶת־הֵיכָלֶֽךָ וְטִהֲרוּ אֶת־מִקְדָּשֶֽׁךָ וְהִדְלִֽיקוּ נֵרוֹת בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׳׳, “And for Your people, Israel, You performed a great salvation and redemption on this very day. Afterward, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary”. Rav Olshin explains that the goal of the Yevanim was to take away our status as the בָּנִים of Hashem. We know (Kiddushin 29:b) that the source that you are obligated to teach your son Torah is ׳׳וְלִמַּדְתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֛ם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֖ם׳׳ (Devarim 11:19). Therefore, if Hashem gave us His Torah, we must be his children. In defeating the Yevanim, we were able to return to our unique status as Hashem’s children. The Yevanim’s goal was not that we should stop doing Mitzvot as an employee might stop working for his boss, rather they wanted to damage the Father-Son relationship that we share with Hashem when we do not just what He tells us to do, but also what he wants us to do. It is for this reason that the word “רְצוֹנֶֽךָ” is used, it demonstrates the idea of doing what Hashem wants from us and not simply what He tells us to do.
The reason that by Purim we talk about our enemies is that in the Purim story, Hashem was punishing an evil enemy, however, by Chanukah Hashem was protecting us because we are His children. The Gemara (Bava Batra 10a) says that we are called Hashem’s children when we do his will, however, when we don’t, we are called His servants. This is strange, as how are we called servants if we don’t do the will of Hashem? How can a servant be called a servant if he doesn’t serve? Perhaps the answer is that while a servant may do the commandments or the words of Hashem, only a son does the will of Hashem. Im Yirtzeh Hashem we should all be able to truly be His children and do His will in the way only a son truly can.