Every other holiday (including Purim) has it's own maseches why not Chanuka?
A number fo answers are given:
1. The Rambam asks a similar question, why is there no separate maseches dealing with Tefillin and Mezuza and Tzitzis? The Rambam answers, the halachos of tefillin, tzitzis, and mezuzos, as well as the nusach of tefillah and several other areas of halacha are not included in the Mishna at all because these halachos are well-known to the masses; there was no need to include them. Some acharonim say the same applies to Chanuka as well. IMHO, this Rambam is very difficult, hilchos tefillin for example are very very complicated, the masses might have known the basics but certainly not the details. Similarly, why would Chanuka have been more well known then Purim?
2. It was not included in the Mishna for political reasons, Rebbe did not want to upset the non-Jews
3. One of the most famous answers given to this question is by the Chasam Sofer, who is quoted by his grandson Rabbi Shlomo Sofer in the Chut Hameshulash as having said many times that the reason why the miracle of Chanukah is not in the Mishna is because Rabbeinu Hakadosh was a descendant of David Hamelech and the miracle of Chanukah was through the Chashmonaim who illegitimately took away the kingdom from the descendants of David. Since this was not to his liking, he omitted it from the Mishna, which was written with Ruach Hakodesh.
4. EVen when Torah Shebaal Peh was written down, it was b'sieved and therefore they tried to minimize the information written and leave some things as Torah Sheb'all Peh. Some explian teh idea of חיסורי מחסרי in the Gemara with this. Chanuka, which is a holiday that has no basis in Torah Shebichsav, is only Torah Shebaal Peh, was left out for this reason.
In truth, none of these answers are very convincing, the question is better then the answers.
Do you have a suggestion?
ReplyDeleteSimilar to #3, I would guess that it was political. The story of the miracle of the oil first appears in the gemara. At the time of the Mishna, Chanukah may have still been exclusively about commemorating the Chashmonai victory, and as I've said, the Rabbonim did not like the Chashmonaim.
ReplyDeleteI think 2 or 3 make a lot of sense. This also fits in with what I posted earlier Chanuka and the miracle of the oil
ReplyDeleteIt is only the Talmud Bavli some 600 years after the events that first mentions the miracle of the oil. According to R' Dr. David Berger the talmud is the only source for this miracle, it is not mentioned in any other source.
If the miracle of the oil was a later invention then it makes sense why it was not mentioned in the Mishna