The Midrash says חֹשֶׁךְ זה גלות יון שהחשיכה עיניהם של ישראל בגזירותיהן שהיתה אומרת להם כתבו על קרן השור שאין לכם חלק באלהי ישראל. Why is the golus of יון called חושך and how does that connect with writing on the horn of the ox?
The Bach (siman 670) says שעיקר גזירת היוונים היה ביטול העבודה, ומשום שכלל ישראל נתרשלו בעבודה,ועי"ז היה הגזירה על ביטול העבודה. What is the nature of this attitude of התרשלות? This happens when one's activities become a routine. When one merely goes through the actions as rote without fire and passion. Since the avodah was done on a daily basis for such a long period of time, the passion necessary for proper avodah was lost. This led to יון. Why does this lead to יון? Because Yavan is the personification of monotony. Aristo believed that the world was always around. The laws of nature always existed and are unchangeable. They are of the opinion that אין כל חדש תחת השמש, everything has a set system of laws preprogrammed that it must fit into and can not be changed. This is noted by the Bnei Yissaschar in the very name of יון itself which shares the numerable value of the word גלגל for they believe everything fits under the rules of the galgalim, יון, זה שמם לדראון ולחרפות, יו"ן בגימטריא גלג"ל, זה היה כל מגמתם להשכיח מישראל התורה רק להאמין שאין שום הנהגה למעלה מן הגלגלים והכל הוא בטבע הגלגלים ושפיטת הכוכבים. (This gematria is already noted in Megalah Amukot Vaeschanan 66.) Or in other words, a גלגל is a circle that goes around, there is no way out, there is nothing beyond it. When things are preprogramed to rules there is no excitement. Excitement comes through chiddush. Yavan is the anti-chiddush, anti- excitement.
Why did Yavan have a philosophy of קדמות העולם? Why could they not accept something to be greater than the laws of nature? Yavan's core belief is that for wisdom must be quantifiable. Something can only be true if it can be proven and demonstrated to be the truth. They were limited by the extent of their own ability to absorb and relate to information. Only that which can be assessed and assessed by a human's senses and understanding was the accepted truth. Since the world currently functions within the laws and boundaries of nature, they could not accept anything beyond that. They were stuck in the own box that they had created.
Daniel (Ch. 7) compares Yavan to a נמר. As the Maharal notes, the נמר is associated with עזות as the Mishna Avos says הוי עז כנמר. The Maharal says this is connected to chachma for לא הביישן למד, it requires an element of chutzpah to be able to question and come to the truth. However, when one's wisom is totally derived from עזות and not tempered with the middah of ונפשי כעפר לכל תהיה, when there is a lack of מודים, a lack of acknowledgement that there may be wisdom beyond one's reach, then it can lead to one's downfall.
Rav Nissim Gaon in his hakdamah to Shas says that nevuah stopped at the beginning of the reign of Alexander. The navi had the capability to "see" that which is beyond the boundaries of the world. The rise of Yavan comes about to stifle this power. The malchus of Yavan is the antitheses to nevuah. The ability to see the truth beyond the world's limitations was removed by Yavan. This is the darkness that Yavan brings into the world. When one is shrouded in utter darkness one can only feel themselves, they are not aware of anything beyond themselves. This is the darkness which Yavan brings into the world, a lack of awareness of anything beyond the self.
The ox represents the strength of this world. רב תבואות בכח שור, the ox is used to plow and plant, the basis for human life in this world. Yavan says true strength is by cultivating the powers that exist within this world. There is nothing beyond that.
להשכיחם תורתך. The words חושך and שכוח share the same letters. One forgets things that are not important to a person. Things done as a routine are not what one remembers. People remember that which is important, cherished and unique. The influence of the the natural systems and order adhered to by Yavan leads to שכחה (see Shem MiShmuel Mekatz (5676).)
The Sfas Emes interprets הרגיל בנר as one who brings light into the רגילות. One who injects fire, passion into the actions of rote. That is what Chanukah teaches us. That is a lesson of the burning Chanukah candles. The Shem MiShmuel adds that these days are auspicious to be able to inject feelings of freshness, excitement and passion already from days yonder, זמן כ"ה בכסלו הוא מסוגל להתחדשות והתחלת עבודה עוד מימות עולם כי במדרש שלמ"ד בתשרי נברא העולם הי' קרבן קין והבל בחנוכה, ובכ"ה בכסלו נגמר המשכן אלא שהמתין עם הקמתו עד חודש שנולד בו יצחק אבינו, ונראה כי עד נס חנוכה אף שהי' הזמן מסוגל להתחלת עבודה מטעמא דבעינן למימר קמן, מ"מ הי' כאלו אבן הי' מונח על פי הבאר, ובנס חנוכה מחמת גודל מסירת הנפש שהי' שם זכו שנגלל האבן מעל פי הבאר, והפתח פתוח וכל מי שנדבו לבו לכנוס יכנוס.
No comments:
Post a Comment