Why isn’t there a Tractate on Chanukah in the Mishnah?

A curious observation relating to Chanukah is the fact that the laws of Chanukah are interspersed throughout the Talmud instead of being organized into their own masechta (tractate) of Mishnah like the rest of the Jewish holidays.

Over the centuries, several explanations have been offered:

In his introduction to Rav Poalim, Rabbi Avraham, son of the Vilna Gaon, reports in the name of his father that among the mesechtos ketanos (minor tractates) was Maseches Chanukah. Apparently, over time, this masechta got lost since we do not have it today. Accordingly, although it was never part of the Mishnah in a formal sense, the laws of Chanukah were collected and arranged into a masechta ketanah. Regarding the status of the masechtos ketanos as part of the Oral Law, see Midrash Rabbah, Vayikra Rabbah (22:1) with ChiddusheiRadal.

In his collection of sermons titled Devarim Achadim (No. 32, p. 596) the Chida records in the name of Rabbi Yosef ibn Samun that Megillat Taanis (a baraisa that discusses the days on which it is prohibited to fast) predated the compilation of the Mishnah. Since Megillat Taanis contains the laws of Chanukah (see ch. 9) and wasn’t yet abolished in the times of Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi, he didn’t see it necessary to include the laws of Chanukah in the Mishnah.

In his chiddushim on the Gemara (Gittin, 78a), the Chasam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer, 1762-1839) writes that people were familiar with the laws of Chanukah so there was no need to include them in the Mishnah. The Rambam (commentary to the Mishnah, Menachos 4:1) writes a similar concept with regards to other mitzvoswhose laws aren’t addressed in the Mishnah.

A tradition is recorded in the name of the Chasam Sofer (See Chut Meshulash, Mesorah, 1963, p. 145,) that since Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi was a descendant of the Davidic dynasty, he did not wish to include the laws of Chanukah in the Mishnah since the heroes of the story, the priestly Chashmonaim family, unrightfully established themselves as Jewish kings (see Ramban, Bereishis, 49:10). Even if there is truth to this legend, it must be clarified that the saintly Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi did not, heaven forbid, act out of resentment toward the Chashmonaim, but rather did so l’shem shamayim, for the sake of heaven. Since the Chashmonaim acted improperly by taking the kingship, it was the Divine will that the laws of Chanukah be omitted from the Mishnah.

In his Sefas Emes (Chanukah, 5644), Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, the Gerrer Rebbe (1847-1905) writes that the essence of Chanukah and the miracles which it celebrates is the Torah Shebaal Peh, the Oral Law. As such, Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi did not incorporate the laws of Chanukah into his written text of the Mishnah. In his Pachad Yitzchak on Chanukah (#1), Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner elaborates on this idea and explains the nature of the Chanukah miracle and why Chanukah specifically was largely omitted from the written text of the Mishnah.

In his Yesod HaMishneh v’Arichasah (second edition, pp. 24-26), Rabbi Reuven Margolis suggests that it was political constraints that prevented Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi from including Chanukah (and other topics) in the Mishnah. n

Nosson Wiggins (@jewishhistorysheimhagedolim) is the author of two books on the subject of Jewish history, “The Tannaim & Amoraim” and “The Rishonim” (Judaica Press). He researches Jewish History at the Klau Library, HUC-JIR in his hometown of Cincinnati and leads tours of Klau’s Rare Book Room. He is a passionate enthusiast of Jewish history and when he’s not in the hospital working as a nurse, he can be found researching and writing posts for his Substack, “Jewish History—Sheim Hagedolim.”