Parting thoughts on giving thanks, as Chanukah departs

At last week’s Saturday night Chanukah presentation at the Young Israel of Woodmere, Rabbi David Fohrman, of Woodmere, contrasted the Purim and Chanukah Al Hanisim prayers that we say after the Modim liturgical work, each themed to a thanksgiving to G-d.

“In the Al Hanisim prayer for Purim, we give thanks for the miracle of being saved, and that’s it. The prayer ends with a recounting of the salvation itself. However, for Chanukah, it doesn’t end there. Instead, the prayer concludes with an epilogue: and we establish these days, as days of thanks and praise.”

Rabbi Fohrman adds the following telling observation:

“It is as if the establishment of these days, as thanks and praise, is itself part of what is special about Chanukah. That thanks is integral to the holiday itself, integral to what is that we commemorate.

“Thanks is about recognition. Our recognition of the transcendent Force that comes from beyond and manifests itself in our world; the Force that is behind the flame that burned even though there was no more oil, the Force that was behind the Maccabees’ victory of the few against the strong. Our recognition of that Force is what the holiday is all about.”

These holiday contrasts, as reflected in the texts of our liturgy, involve the element of gratitude for the Chanukah miracle. The placement of the Al Hanisim prayer after the Modim liturgy of thanks to G-d, is as if it were, thematically, an integral part of Modim. I am most grateful to Rabbi Fohrman for this explication of the liturgical text.

In a very interesting and informative work by Cedarhurst native, Rabbi Yehoshua Grunstein, we read his take on the theme of gratitude within the context of our year round liturgy, almost as if it were an extension of the Chanukah theme.

Entitled, “Daven Your Age: An Adult Journey through the Daily Prayer Service” [Gefen Publishing House, 2013], this 238 page work presents to us a panorama of interesting and mind catching sound bites that help us to understand the true meaning of what is behind the discipline of “davening” and the true meaning of the Hebrew text itself.

Rabbi Grunstein teaches us the following:

“We say ‘thank you’ every day for having our days run smoothly and safely. We thank G-d ‘for nothing’ that is, for nothing that we know about. Though we aren’t aware of the hidden miracles that G-d does for us daily, we acknowledge His silent intervention in our lives.”

Further on in this book, the author goes into more detail in the Al Hanisim prayer. Here are a few sample quotes for your edification:

“Al Hanisim is a prolonged thanksgiving to G-d, for giving us even more to be thankful for on those days. …

Since Al Hanisim is essentially thanksgiving, we recite Al Hanisim after Modim — we are extending the daily thanksgiving blessing in words and content. … We prolong our thanksgiving on Chanukah and Purim because we are aware of the great miracles that occurred on those days, but that thanksgiving flows naturally from our ongoing obligation to thank G-d each day for just getting through the day alive.”

In a scholarly written footnote to the Modim liturgy, Rabbi Grunstein teaches us the following:

“This may explain the classic question as to why the text of Al Hanisim for Chanukah just speaks about the miracle of the war and restoration of the Temple from defilement, and not a word about the famous miracle of the oil that unnaturally lasted for eight days! Based on the above [quote from the opening verse of Modim], this part of the service speaks about G-d’s natural miracles and not supernatural ones, ones that are with us and can be felt ‘each day,’ and thus only the former two are mentioned and not the supernatural third.” Next time you recite the Modim, give it a more careful “kavanah” reading, and if possible, with English translation.

Rabbi Grunstein, as a youth attended HAFTR and HALB and attended services at Rabbi David Speigel’s famed Shtibel and at the Young Israel of Woodmere. He currently is the director of training and placement at the Straus-Beren Amiel Institute of Ohr Torah Stone. He serves as a reserve solider in the IDF military rabbinate, and resides with his family in Efrat.

FOR FURTHER STUDY

“The Art of Jewish Prayer” by Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner, z”l, and Dr. Liza Aiken, is one of the great classics in prayer. First published in 1991, this work contains a comprehensive chapter entitled, “Prayer of Thanksgiving” dealing with the whole concept of thanksgiving in our tradition. If you can get your hands on a copy of this book, count yourself as lucky. It is surely worth an effort to do so.

Also, where available, check out Rabbi Yitzchak Sender’s classic, “The Commentators’ Al Hanisim” for both Chanukah and Purim. Both books are worth your attention for their balanced presentation of the teachings on this subject.