Today is the 8th day of Chanukah.
Typically, when you ask a person why we celebrate Chanukah for eight days, they’ll say that it’s because of the miracle that the oil lasted for eight days.
But Rabbi Yonatan from Luneil, one of the Rishonim, says there’s another reason that Chanukah is celebrated for eight days, and that the reason actually preceded the miracle with the oil:
שלא נעשה נס כזה בישראל
Because we never had a miracle as great as the miracle of Chanukah.
Whereas in the story of Pesach, Paroah didn’t make a decree on the mitzvot, the Greeks did make decrees against the Mitzvot, and so G-d made a miracle to save us and bring our mitzvot back.
Therefore, the rabbis of the time chose to make Chanukah as long as the longest holiday we celebrate, which is Succot followed by Shemini Aseret. So even if the oil hadn’t lasted 8 days, Chanukah would have been 8 days anyway, in order to correspond with the Torah holiday of Succot and Shmini Aseret.
Accordingly, the eighth and final day of Chanukah corresponds to Shemini Aseret, which is the pinnacle of the whole high-holiday season, when everything is finished off. And in this respect, the 8th day of Chanukah has that special power as well.
Furthermore, the Gaon of Vilna points out that we say the full Hallel on the entire holiday of Succot, both days of Shavuot, and just the first day of Pesach.
(Rosh Hodesh Hallel is only a custom)
We are missing the full Hallel on the six other days of Pesach. Furthermore, the Gemarah says that we should really be saying the full Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. (We don’t say it because the books of the living dead are open, and it is not sensitive to sing Hallel when some may be inscribed for yeah judgement)
The Gaon of Vilna says that the eight days of Chanukah are there to fill in for the 8 missing days of Hallel (the first six days are for the six days of Pesach that we don’t say it, the 7th day is for Rosh Hashanah and the eighth day is for Yom Kippur). This gives a second power to the eighth day of a Hanukah, in that -it’s like Shemini Aseret, which is the culmination of the high holiday season, and -it is the Hallel that we wanted to say on Yom Kippur but couldn’t.
This gives an added significance to the Hallel of the eighth day, but even if you’ve already prayed Hallel today, the 8th day, don’t worry- it’s not too late to benefit.
There’s a principle that on Chanukah our purpose is L’Hallel U’LeHodot- to praise and thank Hashem. On a simple level, we are praising Hashem for the miracle. But Hallel is also supposed to be for praising and thanking Hashem all of our own personal gifts, in our lives.
Furthermore, Hanukah is supposed to be a trigger for all the themes and principles we have worked on. Rav Wolbe says people make a mistake and think that when a holiday is over, it’s over. But actually, it’s just the beginning. It’s the time to take whatever you’ve worked on, and continue with it. It’s not over at the end. The Ramban says the holiday is like a wellspring. When you come to wellspring, you don’t just take a drink and leave. You fill up a jug, which has to last until the next pit stop. Likewise, Chanukah has to last us until Purim. We have to walk away with Hallel U’LeHodot- appreciation and thanks, for everything that has happened. As we have said previously, the miracle of the oil is there to show us that every-day life is also a miracle. We have to appreciate every detail in life.
We also use L’Hallel U’LeHodot to fix the negative impact the Greek culture had on us. How did their culture take away from us and why does Hallel help?
The Hovot Halevavot tells us that there are three reasons we aren’t dancing on the tables celebrating everything we have, every moment of life- that we have ears to hear with or that we have eyes to read this with. One of the reasons we don’t appreciate, says the Hovot HaLevavot, is because we chase our desires and look at what we don’t have, rather than see and appreciate what we do have. That’s human nature, and it was partly the Greek culture’s fault. Greek culture was all about enjoyment, bodily and worldly pleasures. It was “What’s next?” ... It was about seeing “What don’t I have?” rather than seeing what I do have.
Therefore, when we walk away from Chanukah, we have to stress our Hallel and Lehodot- thanks and appreciation, and carry it with us for the rest of the year.
Have a wonderful day and final Chanukah Sameach.