10 Dec AL HANISSIM ON CHANUKAH

On Chanukah, we
insert Al Hanissim
into our davening and
bentching. It is very
practical for us to
discuss all the halachos
that apply to this. Some
questions we will discuss
are:
Why is it said? Is there
a difference between
saying it in davening and
bentching? What happens if you forget to say it?
We will also discuss the concept of davening for
miracles.
Source
The Gemara suggests that since Chanukah is
d’rabbanan in nature there is no need to mention Al
Hanissim in bentching (since there is no obligation
to eat a meal on Chanukah, there is no obligation
to recite Al Hanissim in bentching). The Gemara
concludes that if one wishes to mention it he may
do so in the brachah of thanks, which is Nodeh. Al
Hanissim is recited in davening before V’al Kulam,
which is the brachah of thanks.
Davening
As mentioned above, we say Al Hanissim in
davening before V’al Kulam, since Chanukah
is all about thanks. This is mandatory, and there
never was a question regarding this obligation. One
reason is that since there is chazaras hashatz there
is pirsumei nisa by saying Al Hanissim (it is said in
tefillos without chazaras hashatz as well).
We say Al Hanissim in Mussaf of Shabbos and
Rosh Chodesh, even though there is no Mussaf the
rest of Chanukah. However, if one forgot, there is
no need to go back to the beginning of Shemoneh
Esrei.
There is no need to repeat Shemoneh Esrei if one
forgot to say Al Hanissim.
Al Hanissim is recited on the first night of Chanukah,
even if one davens Ma’ariv before he lights.
One should not skip Al Hanissim in order to answer
Kedushah with the shatz.
It is permitted to say Al Hanissim on the last day
of Chanukah, even if one davened Minchah after
nightfall. This is also true if on the last day of
Chanukah one said Al Hanissim in Ma’ariv.
If One Forgot
We mentioned above that if one forgot to mention
Al Hanissim he does not have to go back. If he has
not yet finished Shemoneh Esrei, the following
rules apply:
Didn’t step back yet from Shemoneh Esrei – Some
would say it then but the custom is not like this.
Didn’t finish brachah yet – You can say
it then even if you said baruch and not Atah at the
end of the brachah.
Finished brachah – If one finished the brachah of
V’al Kulam and he remembered he did not say Al
Hanissim he does not go back to say it.
Said It in Wrong Place
If one said Al Hanissim in Retzei it is not a hefsek
and he does not have to repeat it again.
Said Wrong Al Hanissim
If one said Al Hanissim and confused Chanukah
with Purim, he does not have to go back if he

remembered after he finished the brachah of hatov
shimcha.
Bentching
The custom is that we say Al Hanissim in the
brachah of thanks (Nodeh), before V’al Hakol. The
reason is that the theme of Chanukah is thanks.
Tosafos says the reason for the uncertainty in
the Gemara regarding Birkas Hamazon and Al
Hanissim is that it is said in the privacy of one’s
home and there is not as great of a pirsumei nisa
as in shul.
Based on the Gemara’s expression of “one wishes”
it is apparent that there is no obligation to say Al
Hanissim.
If one forgot Al Hanissim in bentching, he does
not repeat bentching. This is true even if one forgot
Al Hanissim in bentching on Shabbos where there
is an obligation to eat, and if one misses out on a
portion of bentching he normally would have to
repeat bentching.
Nevertheless, if one remembers before he finished
bentching and he is holding at the Harachamans he
should (some mention can) add the following:
“Harachaman Hu ya’aseh nissim v’nifla’os k’shem
she’asah l’avoseinu bayamim hahem b’zman
hazeh,” and then start B’yemei Mattisyahu, etc.
Some maintain that one can say this when he
forgets Al Hanissim in davening as well, at the end
of Shemoneh Esrei, before the first Yiheyu l’ratzon.
If one started a meal on Erev Chanukah and
continued until nightfall he would say Al Hanissim
in bentching if he ate a kezayis of bread after
nightfall.
M’ein Shalosh – Al Hamichyah
When one recites Al Hamichyah during Chanukah
one does not recite even a shorter version of Al
Hanissim. Since there is no mention of thanks in Al
Hamichyah, there is no need to recite Al Hanissim.
Others explain that only Yamim Tovim mentioned
in the Torah are mentioned in m’ein shalosh.
Others mention a novel approach as to why there
is no mention of Chanukah in Al Hamichyah.
Generally, we are not allowed to pray for miracles
(see below). Furthermore, we mentioned before that
it is questionable whether to mention Al Hanissim
during bentching, as it does not generate a great
deal of pirsumei nisa. There is some pirsumei nisa,
since it is recited in public when people eat together.
Foods that warrant m’ein shalosh are generally
eaten in private where there is no pirsumei nisa, so
we don’t mention it.
Nusach
The custom of many is to say V’al Hanissim (with a
vav); however, the overwhelming custom is not like
this. The correct nusach is b’zman hazeh.
Some maintain that in Al Hanissim one should say
k’shem she’asisa – “so too, You should do nissim
for us.” However, we are not allowed to make
personal requests in the first and last three brachos
of Shemoneh Esrei. Others permit it since it is a
public need. Some explain that we are thanking
Hashem for favors in the past, and saying k’shem
is also for past occurrences. However, the custom
is not to say it. Nevertheless, one may recite it if
he wishes.
Davening in a Siddur
One should use a siddur at least the first time he
recites Al Hanissim in davening since he is not

used to saying it. Others are lenient and maintain
that the additions for Chanukah are minute,
and people remember them from year to year.
Therefore, there is no need for a siddur.
Announcing Al Hanissim
At Ma’ariv on the first night, one should announce
before Shemoneh Esrei to say Al Hanissim.
Although one is not supposed to be mafsik then,
this is considered a need for tefillah.
Anyone can make the announcement, but it is not
proper that many people do it since it will confuse
people.
Erev Shabbos – Shabbos
When the first night of Chanukah falls out on
Shabbos and one lights Chanukah candles before
Minchah, he does not say Al Hanissim in davening.
When Erev Chanukah falls out on Shabbos and
one eats shalosh seudos after dark, he does not say
Al Hanissim in bentching. Rather, one only says
Retzei, since the beginning of the meal was not on
Chanukah.
If one began eating on the last day of Chanukah,
which was on Shabbos, and continued eating into
the night, he says Al Hanissim and Retzei since we
go according to the beginning of the meal.
If one forgot Retzei and mentioned Al Hanissim
on Shabbos Chanukah, when he repeats bentching
since he missed Retzei, he should say Al Hanissim
as well.
Davening for Miracles
Earlier, we learned that if one forgot Al Hanissim
in bentching and he is up to the Harachamans he
should add a Harachaman about Al Hanissim.
The language indicates that we are davening for a
miracle, which is generally not allowed. One of the
reasons we do not ask for Hashem for miracles is
that we don’t want to diminish our merits. We do
find that Leah davened that her child be a daughter
(Dinah) and Hashem answered her prayer. Some
maintain that the Imahos are different. The Mishnah
says if one is expecting a child he should not daven
that it be a boy since this is a tefillah in vain.
A number of answers are suggested for this.
• Some explain that in the Harachaman we are
asking on behalf of the public.
• The war of the Chashmona’im was a natural
occurrence, and the restriction is only to ask
for unnatural events.
• A tzaddik may daven for miracles. The answer
about the war is a bit difficult since the fact
that we won the war was a huge miracle;
therefore, some refer only to the first answer
above.
• The Greeks wanted to destroy our spirituality.
The aspect of not davening for a miracle
applies to physical miracles, not spiritual
miracles.
• One is allowed to ask for general miracles, as
long as he does not request specific things. This
explains why the Harachaman on Chanukah
uses a language of “make miracles.” Indeed,
many people can say that they had a miracle
happen to them as they davened for general
miracles for themselves.
• In the Harachaman we are asking for the world
to be as it is supposed to be, the righteous over
the wicked, so it is not a miracle we are asking
for but for the nature of the world to go back

to its correct manner.
• One can daven for a miracle which is done in
public since the miracle will bring a kiddush
Hashem into the world.
The Gemara says that if one has a sword on his
throat he should not refrain from asking for mercy
from Hashem. We see from here that when one
is in danger he may daven for a miracle because

he cannot be saved without it. Asking for a non-
essential miracle, such as davening for a boy or girl

after one’s wife is forty days into the pregnancy, is
not allowed.
After Avraham Avinu fought the kings, he was
worried that his merits were depleted by the miracle
of winning the war. Hashem assured him that his
merits were intact. The Yehoshuas Yaakov derives
from here that normally when a miracle happens to
a person his merits are lessened. Here, this miracle
brought about a kiddush Hashem, and one may ask
for such a miracle.
Benefit from a Miracle
It is not permitted to derive benefit from a miracle.
One who does benefit from a miracle decreases his
merits.
It is brought down that the Jews got rich through
the makkah of Dam while in Mitzrayim, as they
sold water to the Egyptians. Some claim that all the
water was blood and when a Jew took it, the blood
turned into water. Since one should not benefit
from a miracle, Hashem caused that the miracle
occurred in the hands of the Egyptians, when the
blood turned into water for them since they bought
the water from the Jews. Some also explain that
the issue of benefiting from a miracle is for the one
to whom the miracle happened, but the Jews gave
the money to others and then they gave the money
back to them. Others explain that when Hashem
shows He wishes for one to have benefit from the
miracle it is allowed. Some mention that since the
blood turned back to water, for the Jews it was not
a miracle; it was just the water returning back to
its state, so it was not considered benefiting from
a miracle.
According to this, we can question how the Jews
were allowed to benefit from the mann in the desert.
Nevertheless, the Jews were allowed to eat the mann
since the restriction is limited to an individual, not
the public. Others suggest that they had nothing else
to eat, so they were allowed to eat the mann.
Some question how it was possible for the Bnei
Yisrael to use the oil they found in the Beis
Hamikdash to light for Chanukah, if the oil which
lasted for eight days was miracle oil, and we are not
allowed to benefit from miracles. Since it was for
the public, it was allowed. Others mention that the
oil which was found in the Beis Hamikdosh was
the exact oil which lasted for the additional days
and there was no new oil which was added to the
existing oil.
If one davens and what he wishes for comes
through, it is not considering deriving benefit from
a miracle.