Reb Eliezer

The Chasam Sofer (Shabbos 22) says that Chanukah עיקרו מן התורה ופירושו מדרבנן the main origin is d’Oraita but its explanation is rabbinic.

Avi K, first the Behag paskens as above that Chanukak is min HaTorah, second safek does not apply when something is instituted from the outset. It only applies when it comes after it was established.

CS, The Alalolas Ephraim from the` Klei Yokor explains that we either look at elevating the spiritual or lowering and diminishing the material. The elevation of tzadikim or the destruction of the reshaim. The question also comes up on Purim ארור המן and ברוך מרדכי. Do we look at the הצלה of tzadikim or the מפלה of the rashaim? The Magen Avraham explains they both have the same gematria but in the first the firts part is bigger than the second part so Haman went from high to low wherea Mordechai went from low to high/ Do we emphasize the positive or the negative? The Haflla says ובחרת בחיים do mitzvos from life and not vice versa. Your explanation also reflects this well.

In chutz laaretz outside of Eretz Yisroel we keep two days Yom Tov because when they designated Rosh Chodash by witnesses who claimed they saw the moon, there were places that were too far that the messengers informing this fact should arrive would make two days Rosh Chodash thereby making Yomim Tovim also two days for safeka deyoma. When it came to burrial of the dead, the first day, only non-jews could do it wheeas the second dau of Yom Tov, our chachomim were more lenient were Jews were able to perform the burrial. הזהרו במנהג אבותיכם דזמנו דגזרו המלכות גזירה ואתי לקלקולי the chachomim were afraid even though we currently use calculations, that a wicked king will arise again who will not allow us to calculate Rosh Chodash and we can end up eating chametz on Pesach. The keeping of our customs is one our most important tenant of Judaism for that the heavenly court will destroy a bad decree. Chanukah might have required to be celebrated an extra day for sefaka deyome.

The Dreidel

None – נ
Ganz – Gantz – Whole – ג
Half – ה
Schtel Hinein – Put in – Pay – ש

נס גדול היה שם – גשנה Gematria – 358 – משיח
נס גדול היה פה – גפנה Gematria – 138 – צמח In Eretz Yisroel

They both the first letters ר’ת add up to Moshiach.

CS, Why don’t we have a sefeka deyoma? Chazal wanted to show that the yevonim did not succeed, that they could not make even a safeka deyoma. Others say that they should have been nine days but there was no neis on the first day so only eight days were instituted.

I think it is Reb Chaim Brisker.

It says in Parshas Miketz אלקיכם נתן לכם מטמון מאמתחותכם כספכם בא אלי Hashem gave you a hidden find in your sack your money arrived to me. The Ksav Sofer asks should’t the fact that your money came to me come first? He says that from here we see as metioned above that the brocho cannot fall on nothing so the money had to be there when the blessing came. Similarly by Chanukah some oil had to be left over on which the brocho of the miracle should be able to fall.

They say that the impurity was rabinical because of zav so really the miracle was not necessary but reinforced and validated the strength of the chachomim and the miracle was simply להאות חבתם to show the love that Hashem Yisborach has towards us. So the Yaaros Devash and the Chasam Sofer say that Chanukah is קבלת התורה על תורה שבעל פה the celebration for the acceptace of the the Oral Law. Some say that once they put in a shiur you can light it but if it was impure there was no shiur in the menorah and on that you cannot say that it is permitted in public.

The Behag paskens that Purim and Chanukah are min Hatorah. The Chasam Sofer explains that it is based on a kal vechomer, from servitude to freedom we say shirah than surely from life to death. The Rokeach gives us an implication for Purim and Chanukah from Parshas Emor. After the Yomim Tovim the parshiyos of face bread and the menorah are mentioned. The first is refering to Purim where Memuchan was alluding to the malochim not sacrificing face bread and the Menorah to Chanukah.

How did Josef know that the baking minister should be hung? There is a parable attributed to Rav Meir Shapiro. A king comissioned a painter to paint a man holding a bowl of fruit. The fruit was so life like that the birds were eating from it. The king said, yes the fruit looks real but the man does not because how is it that the birds are not afraid of him? It must be that the birds see him as dead. Similarly, the birds in the dream saw the baker as dead.

The Raavad says in 17th perek in Hilchas Shabbos that a לחי lechi does not need a shiur because it is for recognition, haker which even if we say כתוותי מכתת שעוריה a haker still exist. Similarly if we say this by נר חנוכה will depend if we pasken כבתה זקוק לה if it goes out, we have to relight it then the shiur is to burn. If it burns without it so be it. It is stll good. Whereas now that we pasken כבתה אין זקוק לה than why do we need a shiur because it is required as it was in Mikdash and we would say the above and the shiur would be missing. See the Kol Aryeh 34.