Chanukah and Beyond Histories and Mysteries

Chanukah raises more questions than any other holiday; it is an enigma wrapped in light. The final festival in our history, Chanukah stands apart: it has no dedicated sefer in Tanach, and even the Talmud offers only a fleeting glimpse of its grandeur. This scarcity of primary sources has allowed legend, lore, and assumption to fill the gaps-often without solid grounding in our mesorah. In this illuminating work, Rabbi Moshe Taub draws upon authentic Torah tradition, scouring millennia of writings to uncover the true essence of Chanukah-its halachos, minhagim, and history-and dispelling misconceptions with clarity, reverence, and humor. Including a section on the winter months and concluding with reflections on his rebbi, Rav Nota Greenblatt, this sefer is a luminous journey through Chanukah's mysteries, revealing the holiday as we've never seen it before. Who composed Al Hanissim? Why do we light the menorah in shul? Are donuts really part of the mesorah? Why does Birkas Me'ein Shalosh ignore Chanukah? Does using olive oil recall the miracle or symbolize something deeper?