Hanukka as Renewal

          Our Sages taught us that there were three mitzvot which the Greeks wanted to abolish: mila (circumcision); Shabbat and ḥodesh (proclaiming the new month).

          Sfat Emet notes that at first glance it is easier to understand the Greek opposition to mila and Shabbat than to ḥodesh. However, the mitzva of ḥodesh was targeted by the Greeks for a deep philosophical reason, explains Sfat Emet. The Greeks deified nature. The mitzva of ḥodesh teaches that God gave man the power to imbue time with sanctity. In this sense, ḥodesh teaches that man is above nature. It is not the renewal of the moon which establishes the new Hebrew month, but the Sanhedrin's proclamation of the new month. The Jewish concept expressed by the mitzva of ḥodesh, that human behavior has an influence on heaven, was antithetical to Greek philosophy, and therefore the Greeks wanted to abolish ḥodesh.

          Sfat Emet adds that, philosophically, Ḥanukka is similar to ḥodesh. The Hasmoneans' devotion to Torah and mitzvot brought God to perform the miracle of Ḥanukka, and brought about a renewal of the Temple as well as a renewal of the Jews' connection to their spiritual roots. Ḥodesh is all about renewal. Ḥanukka adds the dimension of renewal even at the "time of darkness," at the end of the (lunar) month.

          It is not by chance that Ḥanukka includes Rosh Ḥodesh. Rosh Ḥodesh is the beginning of renewal, while Ḥanukka is the culmination.