Walk Through the Parsha by Rabbi David Walk

Natural
Chanukah 5768
December 5, 2007
One of my favorite genres of movies is the sports film, especially baseball. I could fill many articles with my observations and insights into these films, most of them not very valuable. I cry every time I see Field of Dreams or Pride of Some Unnamed Team in the Bronx. But one of the most interesting of these works is the fantasy tale, The Natural with Robert Redford. The irony is that, except for the cartoon-like Angels in the Outfield films (and definitely catch the 1949 original with Paul Douglas), this is the most supernatural sports film every made. From the lightning bolt which produces the magic bat to the miraculous finale, this is a most unnatural movie. When you think about it, the whole concept of being a 'natural' is paranormal. We usually understand that under normal circumstances accomplishments derive from effort and hard work. If someone in any field displays tremendous skill with little exertion, that's pretty mystical, and not so natural. However, we refer to this individual as a natural, pretty counter intuitive.

Which of these two phenomena do we find more impressive? Someone who through strength of character and hard work finds success, fame and wealth, or a lottery winner who got to the top of the food chain by plunking down a dollar for a ticket? At first glance we might be intellectually inclined to opt for the hard working over achiever, but that doesn't seem to be the case of Chanukah. The only prayer specifically connected to Chanukah is Al Hanisim or concerning the miracles. In this paragraph inserted in both the Shmoneh Esreh (Silent Devotion) and Birchat Hamazon (Grace after Meals), we thank God for wonders performed on our behalf during the Chanukah war. We identify five aspects to this miracle: You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Torah. There is also a tradition that before their great battles the Maccabees didn't discuss strategy or train. Instead they prayed and fasted. This sounds as if we're very impressed with accomplishments achieved without much effort exerted on the part of those involved.

Allow me to restate the question. Which is the goal of our lives on this earth, to look for and emphasize the rare miraculous events or to work hard to find a way to live within the natural order of things? I think that this dilemma was beautifully expressed by the Sefat Emet (Reb Aryeh Yehudah Leib Alter, the second Gerrer Rebbe, 1835-1906) in an interesting comment made about the famous argument between Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai about how to light the Chanukah candles. Beit Shamai held that we should start with eight candles on the first night and descend to one on the final evening. Beit Hillel decided to start with one light and work up to eight by the end of the holiday. These positions were explained in the Talmud as counting down the remaining oil as the days required for replenishing the oil supply departed or the more general issue of always ascending in sanctity never descending. Of course we go according to the House of Hillel.

The Sefat Emet in 1899 suggested a novel approach to the matter. We are told in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a) that these days were established as a time for praise (Hallel) and thanksgiving (Hoda'ah). According to the Rebbe praise involves love and joy, while thanksgiving is more connected to reverence and submission to a greater authority. Love and joy are characteristics that we want to see grow and increase. On the other hand submission is based on the principle of retraction and decrease, always making more room for the Higher Authority. With the approach of love and enjoyment we see this increase until we reach the highest level on the eighth day. However, the concept of reverence and submission reaches its greatest expression on the ninth day when we've stopped lighting candles at all.

The Beit Hillel position is to continue to highlight and be moved by the miraculous nature of the candles. The highest level of miracle was reached when this modest amount of oil burned on into the eight and final day, running on fumes so to speak. The Beit Shamai team was looking forward to the time when the miraculous candle was replaced by the natural olive oil lights which were in place on day nine. The biggest appreciation of Beit Hillel is the miracle; the biggest excitement of Beit Shamai is the return to the natural. Beit Shamai would say that the greatest achievement is living within the natural realm while recognizing, acknowledging and thanking God for the natural order of things.

In fact, I believe that on Chanukah we try to find the balance. Immediately after lighting the candles we recite the poem, Hanerot Halalu (these candles). In this paragraph we recognize nisim v'nifla'ot (miracles and wonders). What different phenomena do these two terms describe? Nisim, I think are events which we basically understand, but still see the presence of God in them, like a sunrise or a gifted artist. Nifla'ot describes that rare occurrence when we are at a loss to explain what happened, like the splitting of the sea as the Jews departed Egypt. Both phenomena are pretty cool. One is very much in your face, while the other is requires us to carefully consider God's role in the world around us.

On Chanukah we endeavor to recognize that God is equally behind the natural and supernatural. God is in the laws of physics as much as in the stuff we can't begin to explain. God was behind the explicable military deeds as much as the Deity bent the physical rules in the miracle of the oil. We are just required to recognize this. Eventually we must find the natural as spiritually moving as the unnatural. Then we've understood the message of Chanukah and we've delineated our distance from the Hellenist Greeks, who preached a philosophy where everything can explained rationally. That's not fun or inspiring. Happy Chanukah!