As we know the two reasons we celebrate Chanukah are to commemorate how the Jews won the war against the Greeks and how the oil that was found in the Beit Hamikdash lasted for 8 days. I was always wondering if there was a deeper connection between these two events and I heard an interesting explanation of how they are connected. If we look deeper into what the cause of war between the Greeks and the Jews was about, we can understand that the war was not just to eradicate the Jews physically, but to extinguish the jewish soul. They wanted Judaism to just be cultural and not spiritual which is why they banned the jewish people from keeping Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and Brit Mila. These three mitzvot symbolize our connection with Hashem and show that Judaism is not just another culture that is void of spirituality. In addition, the Greeks didn’t believe that Hashem is always involved in the world and controls nature. The connection between these two seemingly separate events is that when Hashem performed the miracle that the Jews were able to win over the Greeks who greatly outnumbered them, it showed that Hashem is involved in our everyday activities and is in charge of nature even though it seemed like a natural occurrence. The open miracle with the oil lasting for 8 days also clearly showed how Hashem is openly involved in our lives and how against all odds they were able to find oil that was not defiled and could be used to light the menorah. These two miracles showed the Greeks that contrary to their belief, Hashem is constantly involved in world events and in our own personal lives.
Another question that comes up is, when do we commemorate the victory over the Greeks? It seems that we are only commemorating the miracle of the oil when we light the menorah. I heard an interesting answer, that explains that in the Beit Hamikdash the menorah only had seven branches and on our menorah we have eight. Why is there this difference? Also if there was enough oil for the first night of Chanukah then why was that such a miracle? The reason for the difference is that we have the extra branch/candle to symbolize the victory over the Greeks. On the first night we light the menorah to commemorate the victory and the other seven nights we are commemorating the miracle of how the oil lasted for all the rest of the days. The lesson we can take from Chanukah is that Hashem is constantly watching over us and helping us even at times when it seems as if events are progressing naturally. May we all have a bright and uplifting Chanukah!
Tzipiyah.com - Inspiring Jewish Pride-Chanukah: Then and Now
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