Born on Hanukkah, Destined to Lead: Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim's Miraculous Hanukkah Teachings

Born on the first night of Hanukkah in the year 1895 in Baghdad, a young man named Yitzhak was given the middle name Nissim - Miracles - by his parents, because of the miraculous holiday during which he was born. Upon his arrival to the Land of Israel in the year 1925, the young boy - by now a renowned rabbinic scholar - decided to turn his middle name into his last name, and thus he was known for the rest of his life as Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim. 

One of the most creative and outstanding Sephardic leaders of the 20th century, Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim served as the Rishon L'Zion - the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel - from 1955-1973. He followed his mentor and teacher Rabbi Uziel in this prestigious position, and was considered one of the most active leaders in spreading the light of Torah to a wide variety of audiences. His teachings were inspirational, always with a unifying message, and filled with pride in the Jewish people and a deeply spiritual belief in God. 

Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim did not believe in terms like "religious, secular, Haredi, Modern Orthodox, Reform". These divisive labels went against everything he believed, and he spent his entire career as seeking to inspire and unify the Jewish people. In fact, his first mission as Chief Rabbi was to develop a relationship with the leaders of the Kibbutz movement in Israel, most of whom considered themselves "secular." That was irrelevant to Rabbi Nissim, whose goal was not to "make them religious," but to enrich their Kibbutz lives with traditional Jewish customs,  connect them to the Jewish traditions of their ancestors, and let them decide how all of this would fit into their Kibbutz life.

What follows below is my translation from Hebrew of a beautiful Hanukkah message Rabbi Nissim delivered in Israel, to a group of Jews who did not consider themselves "religious." He delivered it with love, because he loved every Jew:

Hanukkah represents our nation's historic desire for freedom and independence, both from a spiritual and national perspective. In every generation, enemies arose who sought to deny us these freedoms, and when the Hasmoneans decided to take up arms against the evil Greek rulers who denied our religious and national rights, they did so as a small band of freedom fighters who were numerically outnumbered by their enemies, yet the "few triumphed over the many." This victory was against all odds. What was the secret weapon that the Hasmoneans possessed that led to this unlikely victory over such a massive army?

From time immemorial, the Jewish people knew their identity, mission and purpose: to be a unique nation distinguished in their deep faith in God, and through observance of God's commandments, to be a light unto the nations and fill the world with positive light.

It is from this place of deep faith and purpose that the Hasmoneans took up arms. They knew what they were fighting for and why they were fighting. This was not a "war for the sake of warfare" or to assert military superiority, rather a war fought for the spiritual survival of a people, their ideas and their ideals. These were the true "secret weapons" of the Hasmoneans, and because of the purity of their motives, God helped them by showing them Divine wonders and miracles.

As it was with the Hasmoneans, so too is to today, in our State of Israel. These days of Hanukkah that we celebrate here together hold a deep and unique meaning for us. From the time when the miracle of Hanukkah miracle happened until today, our people endured a difficult and challenging diaspora, the "birth pangs of redemption." We stayed strong and maintained our faith in God, until with the grace of God we merited to see the restoration of a Jewish government in our land. Yet as it was with the Hasmoneans, so too it is today, that with our renewed independence in our sacred land, our enemies near and far continue to threaten to destroy us.

With deep faith in God, and in our mission as a Jewish nation, our modern army - the "great-grandchildren of the Hasmoneans" - went to battle and faced our enemies who sought our destruction. Their determination, along with God's help, brought about the victories we merited to see in our days, that helped reestablish and secure our nation's independence in our ancient homeland. We were all witness to the renewed miracle of Hanukkah in our days, and it is now upon us to be worthy of that miracle by carrying out our higher mission and purpose in the world. 

My dear brothers and sisters, you saw first hand the miracles that God brought for us against enemies much greater in number than us. You merited to witness the Hanukkah story again, in our generation. Use this as an opportunity to strengthen your spiritual connection to God and the beautiful traditions of the Torah. Doing so will give our victories here a deeper meaning and bigger purpose, to bring light into the world. That is our legacy, and that is our future -- all of us, together. 

Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim was born on Hanukkah in 1895 in Baghdad, and died on Tisha B'Av in 1981 in Jerusalem. Tisha B'Av is the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, but our tradition teaches that it is also the day upon which the Mashiach (Messiah) will be born. From darkness and destruction, says the Talmud, light and salvation will emerge. 

Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim's journey on earth began on the day when the Hasmoneans rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, and ended on the day when that Temple was destroyed - but also the day when its redeemer will rebuild it. How symbolic that - in the spirit of both days - he spent his entire life helping to "rebuild the Temple" - the modern-day Temple called the State of Israel. He did so by bringing the light of Torah to multitudes of Jews from various backgrounds and walks of life, inspiring them to connect to their heritage, to one another, and to God.

Per the middle name that became his last name - Nissim - his life as a Jew who came from Baghdad to Jerusalem, and persevered under difficult circumstances to teach Torah to so many Jews in the small, new, socially struggling and embattled Jewish state - was indeed miraculous.

On this Hanukkah, we remember with love Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim, a brilliant Sephardic leader and Chief Rabbi. We pray that the light of his teachings continue to illuminate our journey today, and for generations to come.

Shabbat Shalom, Hodesh Tov and Hanukkah Sameach.

I Have a Dream: Hakham Abraham Harari Raful

One of the original faculty members of the legendary Sephardic Yeshivat Porat Yosef in the Old City of Jerusalem, Hakham Abraham Harari Raful was born in Jerusalem in 1895. A descendant of a prestigious line of rabbis from Aleppo (originally from Spain), Hakham Abraham Harari Raful was steeped in Torah study from childhood. His primary teacher was his father, Hakham Ezra Harari Raful, who taught his son Torah and also made sure he had a Jewish education by sending him to the Yeshiva that he himself opened, Yeshivat Ohel Moed, under the guidance of Rabbi Raphael Shlomo Laniado.

In his book Imrei Avraham, a collection of teachings on the Torah, the Siddur (he was also an outstanding Sephardi Hazzan) and the Jewish holidays, Hakham Abraham tells a moving story that relates thematically to this week's Torah Portion, Parashat Vayeshev. 

Beginning with this parasha through the end of the Book of Genesis, we read what we call "The Joseph Narrative," the intriguing stories of Joseph in Egypt. From the beginning of these stories, Joseph's personal dreams and his talent to interpret the dreams of others take center stage. His brothers call him "that dreamer" (Genesis 37:19), and in Egypt, Joseph gains fame in his ability to explain and interpret the dreams of the Baker, the Cupbearer, and, ultimately, of Pharaoh. 

"Joseph's deep connection to dreams," says Hakham Abraham, "calls attention to our relationship with our own dreams and those of our loved ones." He tells the story of a dream that his father, Hakham Ezra, had just a few days before passing away:

My father, the pious Rabbi Ezra Harari Raful, of sainted and blessed memory, had a dream just days before his passing, that he ascended into the Garden of Eden, and there he saw the palace of Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Patriarch). My father beheld Abraham's palace and saw that etched on the gates of entry were the words that defined the life's mission of Abraham: 

"I (God) have chosen Abraham so that he may teach his children the ways of God" (Genesis 18:19)

Upon awakening from this beautiful vision in the morning, Hakham Ezra interpreted his own dream in the presence of his family:

Abraham was a distinguished leader known for many different things he did in his life. He was the first Jew, he was the first to have a direct relationship with God, and the first to journey to the Land of Israel. He fought wars, dealt with world leaders, purchased our first-ever first plot of land in Israel, negotiated with God on behalf of Sodom, and was put through the most difficult test of his faith with Akedat Yitzhak (the Binding of Isaac). Yet, with all of this, God declared that the main reason Abraham was chosen was "so that he may teach his children the ways of God." The meaning of my dream must be that the most important mission of any Jewish parent's life is to educate their children "in the ways of God" - Torah, tradition and being part of the Jewish people.

If dreams reflect our subconscious, then what was on Hakham Ezra Harari Raful's mind just a few days before passing away? The education of his children, and the continuity of his family's traditions, as well as those of his people.

This dream connects to Joseph on levels that are much deeper than the mere act of dreaming. Who was Joseph? A young Hebrew boy who, through an intriguing series of twists and turns all rooted in dreams, ends up becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt. In Jewish tradition, he is the only Biblical figure with the title Tsaddik - righteous. Many wonder why a young man whose behavior so often seemed arrogant and elitist was given the title Tsaddik?

In his rise to power in Pharaoh's palace, Joseph got married and had two children, the boys Ephraim and Menashe. Here were two young boys born to a father who was from the Hebrew tribes and now became an Egyptian prince. How did that Egyptian prince, with his new clothing, appearance and power, raise and educate those two boys? In our terms, they were raised "in the diaspora, surrounded by assimilation."

Despite the atmosphere of the Egyptian palace and all of its temptations towards assimilation, Joseph taught his boys who they were - Hebrews descended from the tribes of Israel, from their grandfather Jacob. Indeed, their identity was so strong that they are the only grandchildren to attain tribal status in Israel. Joseph did not forget who he was, and made sure his children knew their history, their identity, and "the ways of God."

This explains the blessing we give our boys around the Shabbat table every Friday night: May God make you like Ephraim and Menashe. With all of the challenges, distractions and temptations to assimilate, we aspire to raise our children so that they are like Ephraim and Menashe - two boys who were raised in the thick of an environment foreign to their heritage and religion, yet retained their identity.

Hakham Ezra's dream about Abraham's palace and the centrality for parents to educate their children in "the ways of God" not only strengthens the Joseph story, but also illuminates the message of the holiday around when the Torah portions about Joseph are usually read: Hanukkah (which we begin to celebrate this coming Sunday night, November 28, 2021).

Hanukkah is the story of the Maccabees, a small band of freedom fighters who refused to allow assimilation to overtake the Jewish people. In the words of the classic Spanish Torah commentator Nachmanides, "without the Maccabees, the learning of Torah and the observance of commandments would have been forgotten in Israel."

What is the best "Hanukkah gift" we can give our children, male and female? The same gift Joseph gave to his sons Ephraim and Menashe, and - thousands of years later - Hakham Ezra Harari Raful gave to his son, Hakham Abraham Harari Raful - the gift of Torah, Jewish identity, Jewish heritage and Jewish education. 

I have a dream, that we will all take inspiration from these great dreamers, who, in their own minds, did nothing except fulfill their role as Jewish parents - to teach their kids.

Shabbat Shalom and Hanukkah Sameah