Page 9 - HANUKIYA

between the two cherubim.” As I heard this, I immediately realized Hannukah’s connection to the ark and
cherubim, and this was why the holy Ruzhiner Rebbe had engraved the Torah ark cover and cherubs on
his hannukiah.

This teaches us about the wonderful knowledge of the hannukiah’s sponsor, the likes of whom we found
no one except for the Ruzhiner Rebbe ZTSVK"L.

The question remained about the connection between the showbread and Hannukah and the hannukiah.
I was asked about this by my friend Rabbi Eli Palai may God live and preserve him when he saw the
hannukiah in Shabbat eve Emor Torah portion (after we met on Passover, when I was with him on vacation
and brought the Torah scroll of the Apter Rebbe, which was in my possession, about which I wrote about
at length in a separate book. None of the men present there was able to read the machzor prayer book
attributed to the holy Apter Rebbe except for Rabbi Eli Palai may God live and preserve him. We have
been friends ever since.)

On Saturday night, I read the weekly portion in a Torah commentary Me’ina book as I do every week.
There I found a name in the book, Omri Zvi, to interpret the reason for lifting the table for the pilgrims
and shows them the miracle of the showbread and the day we eat it warm and fresh, at least eight days
after it was baked as the Gemara states (Yoma 71 21 and Hagiga 72 26), and other miracles at the Holy
Temple and why this miracle was shown to the pilgrims

The writer of this explanatory text shows the friendliness of Israel in his golden words: what is the proper
thing that the pilgrims saw in this miracle, which the showbread was hot and fresh even after eight days,
rather than the many other miracles at the Great Temple.

However, the Gemara (Yoma 71 76) gives two reasons for the question raised by Rabbi Shimon Bar
Yochai’s students, Why didn’t the manna fall for the Jewish people just once a year to take care of all
their needs, instead of coming down every day? He said to them, I will give you a parable: to what does
this matter compare? To a king of flesh and blood who has only one son. He granted him an allowance for
food once a year and the son greeted his father only once a year, when it was time for him to receive his
allowance. So he arose and granted him his food every day, and his son visited him every day. … So too, in
the case of the Jewish people, someone who had four or five children would be worried and say, Perhaps
the manna will not fall tomorrow and we will all die of starvation. Consequently, everyone directed their
hearts to their Father in heaven every day. The manna that fell each day was sufficient only for that day,
so that all of the Jewish people would pray to God for food for the next day… All were found with their
hearts set on their Father in Heaven. Second, they would eat it while it was hot.

The showbread indicates that it is possible to see the first reason, because if the showbread was so
unique as to be as hot and fresh on the eighth day as on the first day, it would be possible to grant manna
this uniqueness, which fell once a year and stayed fresh year round.

Numbers 7:89

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