Eating Dairy on Chanukah

The Bnei Yisaschar explains the minag of eating dairy on Chaukah based on the Midrash Chazal that when the angels appeared to Avraham he fed them basar b'chalav, meat and dairy together. When later Hashem wished to give the Torah to the Jewish people and the angels complained that only they were deserving of getting the Torah, Hashem raised the issue of their not being worthy because they violated this issur. The Bnei Yisaschar further expains derech pilpul that Avraham was able to serve basar b'chalav even though normally deriving any benefit from basar b'chalav is prohibited because since this became the vehicle by which the Jewish people overcame the angels argument and received the Torah, and the halacha is that "miztvos lav l'henos nitnu", the benefit derived from a mitzva performance does not have the halachic status of personal benefit, this hana'ah was not prohibited. My wife added the following observation, apropos to the previous posting I had done on Chanukah and birur: why specifically was it that basar b'chalav became the means of overcoming the angels? Perhaps basar b'chalav represents this idea of irbuvya, the mixture of good and bad that is all confused in the world as a result of man eating from the eitz hada'as. Man must face the confusion of the world, but can undo it through the power of Torah. Angles live in a static state and are forever trapped in the same static state. (I pointed out to my wife that the Noam Elimelech in Parshas Mishpatim also sees in basar b'chalav an idea of irbuvya, but has a different approach - take a look!)

P.S. See my wife's website: www.kallahmagazine.com