Q&A: Publicizing the Miracle of Hanukkah
Publicizing the Miracle of Hanukkah
Question
Lighting Hanukkah candles publicizes which miracle? The miracle of the cruse of oil? Or the miracle of the victory in the war? Or both?
The later authorities (Acharonim) distinguished between publicizing the miracle and giving thanks for the miracle, as Maimonides wrote at the end of the laws of Hanukkah.
And I did not understand: why shouldn't publicizing the miracle itself constitute giving thanks for the miracle? You publicize it both in order to let everyone know and in order to thank the Holy One, blessed be He. Why not?
Answer
It is written that this is about the cruse of oil, but clearly it is not disconnected from the victory in the war. Apparently they wanted explicit thanksgiving. Publicizing it in itself is not thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is only implied by it.