Haftarot Shabbat Hanuka

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1. Anticipating Trouble with its Remedy

   Haftarot: Beha-alotekha

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   The haftara from Zekharya, with its message about rebuilding in the aftermath of severe fall, and the rehabilitation of the people through the spiritual leadership of a priest and a political leader, fill the needs bubbling beneath the surface of our parasha. In addition to the menorah and the status of the High Priest as leader, there is also a connection between the rest of the haftara and the reality that first appears in Parashat Beha'alotekha and continues through the entire length of the book of Bamidbar.

2. The Secret of Chanuka as Revealed by the Prophecies of Chaggai and Zekhariah

   Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

   Before the Hasmonean rededication of the Temple, Haggai began uttering his prophecy concerning the laying of the foundation of God’s Sanctuary around the same calendar date as Hanukka but many generations earlier. The prophecies of Chaggai and Zekharia were clear and relevant in the eyes of the Hasmoneans, disappeared from the consciousness of later generations to the point where all the concepts of Hannuka became entangled in a knot of riddles. This lesson proposes an all-encompassing explanation for the riddle of Hannuka. 

3. The Haftora for Shabbat Chanuka

   Rabbi Yehuda Shaviv

   There are many lessons to be gleaned from the passage in Sefer Zekharya that we read as the haftara for Shabbat Chanuka. Through a close examination of the text, we learn important messages about Jewish identity and the uniqueness of the nation of Israel in the world. We also learn about the ideal model of leadership: spiritual leadership alongside social leadership, the former embodied by the Leviim and the latter by the sons of Yehuda.

4. Two Reasons for Reading Zekharya’s Vision as the Haftara of Shabbat Chanuka

   Rabbi Mosheh Lichtenstein

   What is the connection between Chanuka and the passage from Sefer Zekharya read as the haftara on Shabbat Chanuka? This article closely examines the text of the haftara and highlights a number of key connections between the two time periods relating to the choice of Jewish identity over cultural assimilation, and the potential for redemption yet ultimately settling for an incomplete realization of the goal. 

5. The 24th of the 9th Month - Biblical Hanukka

   Elisheva Brauner

6. Menorah and Oil Miracles in Tanakh

   Elisheva Brauner

7. The Haftara for Shabbat Hanukka - God's Promise to Restore the Shekhina

   Rabbi David Silverberg

8. The Satan in Zekharya's Vision of Yehoshua

   Rabbi David Silverberg

9. The Second Haftara for Hanukka

   Rabbi Aytan Kadden

10. Sefer Zekharya: Optimistic Visions

    Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

    Yehoshua, the Kohen Gadol is a survivor who has returned to lead his people in the service of the Temple that had been destroyed. Despite his imperfections, Yehoshua is appointed to a prominent position due to this status as a survivor.

    Like Yehoshua, the people are perhaps not fully innocent and worthy. Still, just as in the high priest’s poignant story, they are all deserving of consolation after the trauma they have endured. Therefore, God will ensure the success of their endeavors.

    As in the imagery of the rock, the seven-pronged menora indicates that God’s providence will ensure the success of the rebuilding. Once again, as opposed to Haggai, Zekharya’s message is not an instruction to build, but that the project will succeed. Despite its humble start, no one should “scorn a day of small beginnings.” The method for achieving those steps is not by military might, but through spirituality.

    The olive trees would appear to signal the durability of Zerubavel and Yehoshua’s leadership. God’s eyes will watch over the community and its leaders, ensuring the survival of the imperiled community.