Sukkos and Chanukah Connection

Question

There are many parallels between Sukkos and Chanuka:

• The Gemara in Shabbos 21b gives an explanation for Beis Shammai's opinion that one should count down candles throughout Chanukah that it's just like the karbanos of Sukkos which also counted down.
• The latest time to bring Bikkurim is Chanukah, and the latest time, according to the Tanna Kamma, to say the accompanying passages is Sukkos (Bikkurim 1:6).
• The Haftarah of the second day of Sukkos is that of the Chanukas HaBayis, paralleling the Chanukas HaMizbeiach of Chanukah. Remember, we say Mizmor Shir Chanukas HaBayis throughout Chanukah after Shacharis.
• Chagai (Perek Beis) received a nevuah on Hoshanah Rabbah concerning Galus Yavan.
• Both a Sukkah (Sukkah 2a) and a Menorah (Shabbos 22a) must be less than 20 amos tall.
• Maccabim 2:10:9-10 records that the eight days of Chanukah paralleled those of Sukkos, and they took Aravos and Lulavim to celebrate the neis that occurred.

Why are there so many parallels between Chanukah and Sukkos?

Answer 1

According to Macabees 2 chapter 1 verse 21 it looks like that year they did not celebrate Sukkot on time until Kislev

כא) ועתה כי יש את נפשנו לחוג את יום חנוכת המזבח בעשרים וחמש לחודש כסלו. לא חדלנו מהודיע אתכם לחוג אותו עמנו

כב) וחגותם אותו כימי חג הסוכות, וכיום אשר מצא בו נחמיה את אש הקודש בשובו לבנות את המקדש ואת המזבח, ויקרב עליו עולות וזבחים לאלוהים

the text was taken from daat

Answer 2

The following explanation was developed by Rabbi Zolly Claman, now of Edmonton, Canada.

With a better understanding of Sukkos, perhaps we can get a better understanding of its connection to Chanukah. The eight days of Sukkos consist of the seven days of the festival of Sukkos and conclude with the festival of Shemini Atzeres. During the first seven days, there are a total of seventy bulls that are brought as offerings. These seventy bulls represent all the nations of the world¹, commonly categorized into seventy nations². The eighth day, Shemini Atzeres, requires only one bull offering. This lone bull represents the nation of Israel.

The idea of these offerings is that after all is said and done, the Jewish people are Hashem’s unique nation. After all the nations in the world partake of the party of Sukkos, Hashem specifically asks us to stick around for one extra day³. Sukkos culminates in a single offering, showing the intimate relationship G-d has with the Jews^{4 5}. We are described as Hashem’s unique portion⁶, and the eight-day festival of Sukkos makes that clear.

Until the Greek subjugation, all nations of the world knew the Jewish people’s uniqueness. Indeed, this was often the cause for antisemitism. The Greeks were the first to have the audacity to question this unique relationship with Hashem. They were bold enough⁷ to claim that we had no portion in Hashem⁸. They felt that the Torah was just another intellectual pursuit, and was just as much theirs to learn. It belonged with their study of math and science and philosophy. There was nothing unique to the Jewish people. The Greek’s many decrees against Judaism were to emphasize this belief.

When the Maccabees defeated the Greek army, there was no better way to celebrate than to celebrate similar to the festival of Sukkos. The Greek’s denied the uniqueness of the Jewish people, and Sukkos epitomizes that uniqueness. Although Chanukah became its own distinct holiday, it still shares aspects with Sukkos. This is because it reestablished the Jewish people’s unique role in history, and confirmed their intimate relationship with Hashem.

---

¹ Sukkah 55b

² For example, see Midrash Tanchuma Noach § 3, Bamidbar Rabbah 2:3, Rashi to Exodus 2:14

³ Sukkah loc. cit.; Rashi to Leviticus 23:36 and Numbers 29:36

⁴ See Ma’aseh Rav § 233 for a deeper insight into this differentiation

⁵ See Meshech Chochmah parshas VeZos HaBeracha (end) who uses this to explain why we read parshas Vezos HaBeracha on Shemini Atezeres, and it’s not because that’s when we finish the Torah. Even those that completed the Torah every three years would read every Shemini Atezres Vezos HaBeracha. It’s also why we read I Kings Chapter 8 for the haftarah (Megillah 29b).

⁶ Maharsha to Sukkah loc. cit. s.v. הני ע' פרים

⁷ The Greek empire is symbolized by a leopard (Daniel 7:6, see Rashi ad. loc.), which is associated with boldness (Avos 5:20)

⁸ Bereishis Rabbah 2:4. This is to directly combat the idea expressed by the Maharsha loc. cit.

Answer 3

Ri Milunel actually separates out the core holiday of Chanuka from the neiros, imagining a celebratory 8 day holiday sans lights, with the 8 days drawing on the Sukkos model (a less radical and more traditional twist than the claim in 2 Maccabees), with the oil miracle—which was the catalyst for lighting neiros—merely an intensification of the miraculous military conquest—which allowed for the resumption of our religious practices—which is why the holiday was really instituted.

ר"י מלוניל שבת כ"א: לשנה אחרת קבעום שמונה ימים טובים. כל השמונה ימים, (לא) [שלא] נעשה נס כזה לישראל, שאלו פרעה לא גזר על המצות, ויון הרשעה גזרה, לפיכך האריכו אלו הימים כשיעור החג, שיהא שמנה ימים להזכיר בהם הנס. ואפי' לא היה נעשה (בהם) [להם נס] בשמן, כמו כן היו שמחים ומזכירין מעשה נסים כשיעור יום טוב הארוך מכל המועדות, אך לא היו מדליקין נרות כלל, אלא מהללים ומרוממים כשאר מועדות, וכשבא ונכפל להם נס בשמן, הוסיפו להדליק הנרות להזכיר כפילת הנס.

(From alhatorah.org)

See here for a possible explanation of an enigmatic chanukah custom mentioned by Maharil in light of the Sukkos-Chanuka connection