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Why does the Gemara (גמרא)'s account of Chanukah (חנוכה) explain the establishment of days of hallel and hoda'ah but never mentions lighting candles? Through careful analysis of textual difficulties—why 'Heichal' specifically, why emphasize the High Priest's seal, why 'malchus beis Chashmonai'—the shiur reveals the Gemara's deeper focus on spiritual themes connecting the High Priest, the number eight, and divine providence.
This shiur provides an intensive analysis of the Gemara (גמרא) in Masechta Shabbos (שבת) 21b, which presents the Talmudic account of Chanukah (חנוכה) through the famous question 'Mai Chanukah?' Rabbi Zweig begins by reading the Gemara's response: that Chanukah consists of eight days when fasting and eulogizing are prohibited, because when the Greeks entered the Temple they defiled all the oil, and when the Chashmonean dynasty prevailed, they searched and found only one flask of oil sealed with the High Priest's seal, sufficient for one day, yet a miracle occurred and it burned for eight days. Rather than accepting this account at face value, Rabbi Zweig demonstrates his analytical methodology by identifying numerous textual difficulties (kashas) that reveal the Gemara's deeper intent. The most glaring problem is that the Gemara explains why Chanukah was established as days of hallel and hoda'ah (praise and thanksgiving) but makes no mention of lighting candles - the very practice most associated with Chanukah today. This omission seems inexplicable given that the entire story revolves around oil and lighting.
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Shabbos 21b
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Why does the Gemara say one Shabbos protects from Amalek while two Shabboses bring redemption? The shiur applies a principle from Kiddushin about repetition changing psychology: the first time doing anything is experimental, but the second demonstrates genuine desire. True Shabbos connection with Hashem requires moving beyond spiritual curiosity to authentic internalization.
