16 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.