Why is the story of Chanukah not mentioned in the Mishnah at all, besides for to Passing references to Halachot which apply to them in the context of Damages an the laws of planting?
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A lot of the answers given so far, plus some others, are summarized and discussed in this post at the Seforim Blog. |
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In one of his sefarim (יסוד המשנה ועריכתה), R' Reuven Margalios argues that R' Yehudah Hanassi omitted mention of Chanukah from the Mishnah in order not to antagonize the Romans (since, after all, one aspect of Chanukah is the celebration of the defeat of a powerful non-Jewish occupying government). |
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A reason I have heard why Chanukah is minimized in the Mishnah is that Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi was a descendant of David HaMelech and was upset that the Chashmoneans took away the Meluchah from the descendants of David HaMelech. |
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Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner talks about Chanukah as the celebration of oral tradition (not just the written Bible), so the early edition of the Talmud (the Mishna) kept it that way too. |
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Rabbi Michael Hasten suggests something dangerously simple: the basic observance of Chanukah is straightforward (light candles, okay), and we know from historic sources that it was wildly popular throughout the Jewish population. The Mishnah didn't concern itself with the absolute basics that everyone did and knew already. (E.g. the Mishnah opens "when is it late enough to say Shema at night?", assuming you already knew that Shema is said at night.) |
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Because this chag celebrating the dedication of the mizbeyach was not commonly observed after the destruction of the mikdash, along with the other days in Megillas Taanis. The gemora says this, contradicting the braisa in Shabbos that says that the opinions on the manner of lighting are from Beis Hillel and Beis Shammai. One could say that the houses preserved two obsolete traditions and argued them regardless of the fact that the days were not observed (which was common). Hanukkah was certainly observed later, it appears by the time of R. Yohanan. Ironically, around the time of the liberation of Eretz Yisrael BY THE ROMANS from the hated Palmyrene/Tadmorean occupation of the 270s. |
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