Hanukkah’s Lesson on Divine Providence

In Jewish ritual jurisprudence, rabbinic laws—i.e., those found in the Talmud—are overridden by those derived directly from the Pentateuch. This distinction guides situations where one must prioritize among different obligations. Thus it is anomalous that halakhic scholars conclude that a person who has enough money for either Hanukkah candles (a rabbinic ritual) or wine for the Shabbat kiddush (considered a biblical commandment), but not for both, should purchase the former. Mois Navon uses this ruling to analyze the meaning of the festival lights, and the obligation “to publicize the miracle” on the holiday: