The answer is the difference between הוד והדר. The two words are often found together but there is a difference between them. The Malbim says that הדר is an external beauty as opposed to הוד which is a reflection of true, inner beauty.
The Greeks indeed had הדר, they had an external beauty to them. There language was very elegant, refined and sophisticated. However, they were lacking in הוד, the outer appearance was an empty shell, there was no substance inside. The הדר of יון was a positive and could be incorporated into קדושה, however the inside, the chochma was poison, toxic and destructive.
The Kabbalists teach that Chanukah is the תיקון of the ספירת ההוד. What does this mean? Chazal were מתקן the holiday of Chanukah as days of הלל והודאה. The word הודאה comes from the same root as הוד. What is the relationship between the הוד of splendor, beauty and glory and the הוד of thanks? Furthermore, we know from the Ushpizin that the Kabbalists line up Aharon with הוד and he is of course connected to Chanukah as we know from the Ramban at the beginning of Behalosca, how is he an example of הוד? And why do the Kabbalists lump together נצח והוד, what is their relationship? I will try to explain a little according to my little understanding and level based upon the works of our holy masters and teachers.
The Gemorah in Shabbas (88b) says the angels complained how could Hashem give the Torah to mankind and they cited the verse Tehillim (8:2) תנו הודך על השמים. Why the usage of the word הוד to describe the Torah? We know that the Avos already learnt Torah, so what was the greatness in the giving us the Torah at Sinai? Many commentators explain that at Sinai the power of פסק and decision making was given over to Klal Yisroel. As demonstrated by the Sages disagreeing with the very halachik ruling of God in the sugyah of תנור של עכנאי (Babba Metzia 49b) [see intro. to Ketzos Hachoshen.] It was this בעלות on Torah given to Klal Yisroel that bothered the angels. They understood that possibly man can have the zechus to study Torah but how can he have the power to make an everlasting imprint on it? The middah of hod is on the gevurah side of the scales. The middah of gevurah is where the sod of tzimtum starts, its the process of Hashem containing his light to allow for something else to coexist. This is the middah of hod, to allow for another side to exist but join together to make one splendorous union (see Rav Hutner Chanukah maamer 7.)
(See Berochos (58a) and the explanation is in the same vein, the Beis Hamikdash is man's place to serve God.)
The verse says Isaiah 66:1 והארץ הדום רגלי, this world is the place where the הוד of Hashem comes into recognition. אין מלך בלא עם, its the recognition and subjugation of the people that bring out the glory, honor and greatness of the king. הוד is intertwined with נצח for there is a need to first combat the desire to be separate from God and only after that is it possible to to part of the 'עם ה and bring out the הוד. That is why הודאה is connected to הוד, for it is the "thanks", the connection of the human to the בורא עולם that is the ultimate splendor.
It is already מפורסם בעולם that Chanukah is the holiday of תורה שבעל פה, it is the power of the man-made Torah that was the cause of the victory over the Greeks. It is the תורה שבעל פה that is the הוד, the beauty of man uniting with Hashem via the Torah. That's why the Moshe received the 'קרני 'הוד only after the second Luchos because only then was there a need for תורה שבעל פה. The first Luchos conained all of Torah in them, there was no need for תורה שבעל פה, that is a chiddush of the second Luchos (Beis Halevi.)
The Or Gedalyahu points out that Aharon is the father of תורה שבעל פה for the first time we find a סברה מחודש is by Aharon (in Shemini, 8 connected to Chanukah.) And therefore, even though normally the lighting of the menorah can be done even by a non-kohan (Yoma 24b,) it is Aharon that is commanded to light the menorah in Behaloshca for the menorah is the symbol of תורה שבעל פה as the Netziv discusses is Tetzaveh. That is the connection of Aharon to הוד.
The Greeks were the antithesis to הוד. They agreed that God created the world but denied his constant השגחה and involvement in the world. They refused to be the 'עם ה, to acknowledge man's subjugation to God. Therefore, there entire focus was on the greatness of man for they didn't want to acknowledge reliance upon God. The Greeks believed in acquiring chochma, but only as a means to enhance the gratness of man. They were interested in perfecting the human mind for its own sake, they had no עסק in chochma that involved closeness to Hashem. Greek Philosophy wasn't interested in producing the religious man, it was interested in making the perfect man. In the al hanisim we say להשכיחם תורתך ולעבירם מחוקי רצונך. Why do we emphasis that its Hashem’s Torah and mitzvot and focus on the חוקים, just say they wanted us to forget Torah and mitzvot? The Rebbe explains that the Greeks weren’t against the chochma of the Torah or the mitzvot, they were against the connection to Hashem that comes about because of it. They want that connection to the chochma of the Torah as well and therefore had it translated to Greek but couldn't stand the ביטול to Hashem's wisdom that exists in the learning of a Jew. That's why they singled out the חוקים for since it defies human logic they didn't find any redeeming qualities in it.
We find in חנוכה on emphasis on הדור מצוה more than in other mitzvos, why is there this emphasis here? Based upon what we have explained it is self understood. We take the power of the הדר of the Greeks and fuse it with הוד, we use the external beauty not as an empty facade, but to enhance the internal beauty of the mitzvah.
The root of this Weltanschauung can be traced back to parshas Noach to Shem and Yefes.
Rashi (19:23) says that Shem acted with zerizes to cover his
father’s ערוה and was rewarded with tzitzis. Yefes, who didn’t move as fast was rewarded
with burial. The Maharal explains that
the body is naturally sluggish and slow, therefore Yefes acted according to his body and was rewarded with a bodily reward . This is also hinted
to in his name, Yefes, which comes from the word יופי which means (external)
beauty. Yefes was the father of Yovon and therefore his traits passed on to Yovon. Shem, who acted based upon
the neshama got a ruchnious reward, he was rewarded with a mitzvah. Klal
Yisroel descends from Shem and inherited his traits. יפת אלקים ליפת is the whole essence of the Greeks, the whole concern is with outer beauty but we are concerned with connecting to Hashem and bringing out His הוד והדר.
In the second verse of our parsha, when describing the cows it says יפות מראה ובריאת בשר. The word used to describe their appearance is מראה. In verse 18 when Pharaoh tells over the dreams to Yosef it says בריאת בשר ויפת תאר, why is there a switch in order of health and the appearance and why switch the words from מראה to תאר? See the Rogatchover. However, based upon what we have said, Pharaoh like the Greeks first considered the external appearance and only afterward was concerned about the internal well being. What caught his eye first was the external appearance of the cows and only afterward did he notice the internal healthiness. However, when speaking to Yosef, he first said what was important to Yosef which was the internal well being and only afterward described the external appearance. The word מראה is used to describe pure aesthetic beauty without any reflection on the inside. The word תאר on the other hand is a beauty that is reflective of a pure pnemious. That is why Rachel is described first as יפה תאר and only afterward as יפה מראה for her external beauty, מראה, was a reflection of the the תאר, the inner beauty. This was a process of learning for Yosef as well, he went from Yosef who was מסלסל בשערו to the Yosef who was in jail because of physical appearance. He had learnt the hard way that the external appearance is only import as a reflection of the inside, not in its own right.
ההוד וההדר לחי עולמים.
In the second verse of our parsha, when describing the cows it says יפות מראה ובריאת בשר. The word used to describe their appearance is מראה. In verse 18 when Pharaoh tells over the dreams to Yosef it says בריאת בשר ויפת תאר, why is there a switch in order of health and the appearance and why switch the words from מראה to תאר? See the Rogatchover. However, based upon what we have said, Pharaoh like the Greeks first considered the external appearance and only afterward was concerned about the internal well being. What caught his eye first was the external appearance of the cows and only afterward did he notice the internal healthiness. However, when speaking to Yosef, he first said what was important to Yosef which was the internal well being and only afterward described the external appearance. The word מראה is used to describe pure aesthetic beauty without any reflection on the inside. The word תאר on the other hand is a beauty that is reflective of a pure pnemious. That is why Rachel is described first as יפה תאר and only afterward as יפה מראה for her external beauty, מראה, was a reflection of the the תאר, the inner beauty. This was a process of learning for Yosef as well, he went from Yosef who was מסלסל בשערו to the Yosef who was in jail because of physical appearance. He had learnt the hard way that the external appearance is only import as a reflection of the inside, not in its own right.
ההוד וההדר לחי עולמים.
Wishing everyone a lichtig and freilich Chanukah. May we merit to see the light of Moshiach speedily in our days (mammash.)
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