Chanukah: Capturing the Light

Chanukah: Capturing the Light

Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein

Mosaica Press / 175 pages

Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein, a British born Rebbe at a number of Yeshivot in Jerusalem, has done it again  with his “Chanukah: Capturing the Light.” As the title conveys, this latest offering is intended to get us inspired for Chanukah. With sixteen chapters, including a treatment on the famous “Beis Yosef Question" as to why Chanuka is observed for 8 days if the miracle was only 7 days (they did, ultimately, find one day’s worth of oil!) Rabbi Bernstein covers all the major themes and rituals of Chanuka.

Here are some of the highlights that I have already enjoyed having received the sefer less than 24hrs ago. There is a great interpretation of the “mehadrin” theme in candle lighting, a nice chapter on the special relevance Chanukah has for kohanim and leviim, the importance of gratitude, and just having come out of Parshat Lech Lecha, there is a niece piece on how the “four Kings” correspond to the four exiles. There is also a thorough treatment of the miracle of oil, the Beis Hillel/Beis Shammai dispute as to the number of candles that should be lit (8-1 or 1-8) and the lesser known Sukkot connection to Chanuka. There is much more, including material on Greek, Greece, and Greek philosophy, but I haven't read those and probably won't: doing so might spoil my plans for an upcoming vacation to Crete and Mykonos.

Rabbi Bernstein keeps to his reputation in this latest volume (this must be his 5th or 6th sefer!) with being able to write for “kol beit Yisrael” and, as such, both scholars and laymen will appreciate his clearly presented teachings. Although this is the first new Chanuka reader to reach me this year, it will likely be the best. Light reading yet thorough, educational and inspiring. What more can we ask for in a holiday primer?


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