[Avodah] The Chanukah Musings of a Mathematician

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, December 3, 2007 6:58 pm, I wrote:
: RASoloveitchik suggested that Beis Shammai's shittah of lighting 8
: neiros the first night, followed by 7, etc... was based on the
: connection between Sukkos and Chanukah, and was pocheis veholeich
: because the parim were. In seifer haMakabiim we see that the people
: who had missed aliyas haregel on Sukkos because the BHMQ was tamei
: came with 4 minim on that first Chanukah. Then there's that whole
: chanukas habayis to sukkah connection. From here RAS gets to "ger
: vetoshav anokhi imakhem" and the difference between Yehoshua's kibush
: and the period from Ezra to the Chashmonaim stabilizing the 2nd one.
: Beautiful stuff.

RAF thought he would spare me embarrassment by pointing out off-list
that the connection between Chanukah and Sukkos being Beis Shammai's
motivation is in Shabbos 21b, made by R' Yosi bar Avin or R' Yosi bar
Zevida.

Rather, RAS must have cited the gemara as a ra'ayah to his point.

I am correcting the blog entry as well.

In any case, the notion that Chanukah embodies the "geir vetoshav"
ideal, as does the Sukkah, is STILL one the justifies all on its own
picking up a copy of Logic of the Mind, Logic of the Heart to learn.

(In the future, I ask people to consider the time savings of writing
such corrections to the list rather than my having to do so. I don't
claim to be one of Avodah's better-informed members, you won't hurt my
feelings.)

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

-- 
Micha Berger             One who kills his inclination is as though he
micha at aishdas.org        brought an offering. But to bring an offering,
http://www.aishdas.org   you must know where to slaughter and what
Fax: (270) 514-1507      parts to offer.        - R' Simcha Zissel Ziv