Photo Credit: Jewish Press
Our sages state that itâs a mitzvah on Chanukah to publicize the miracle of the oil by placing our
menoros on the left side of the doorway, opposite the mezuzah. But why is this arrangement specifically mandated for Chanukah and not for any other
Yom Tov? We donât read the
megillah in the doorway or conduct a
Seder there?
The
Midrash Maaseh Chanukah provides an answer by relating that among the decrees of the Greeks was one forbidding Jews from closing the doors to their homes under penalty of death. Obviously, an open front door meant any sense of privacy was eliminated. Moreover, it symbolized openness to acculturation, assimilation, and all the foreign influences of the street, which leads to the destruction of the sanctity of the Jewish home.
Greece
Egypt
Greeks
Egyptians
Greek
Maoz-tzur
Mishnah-middos
Avraham-avinu
Avraham-haivri-bereishis
Beis-hamikdash
Yom-tov
Klal-yisrael