- Clergy
- Shabbat
We all know the story by now – the victory of the Maccabees against all odds, the restoration of the Temple, and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight nights – A miracle that many modern Jewish scholars now believe never actually happened.
Written in the Talmud 600 years after the revolt of the Maccabees, the story of the oil is now often explained as our sages’ desire to remind us of God’s presence even in the most human of actions. The reason for the eight days of the holiday have been given many interesting explanations:
- It was a belated Sukkot celebration, which was finally able to take place.
- It took the Maccabees eight days to purify and restore the Temple.
- It was a replica of the eight days of celebration that King Solomon held when he dedicated and opened the First Temple in 900 BCE.
But does it really matter? Whether the oil lasted one day or eight days, the fact is that the sacred, golden menorah -- whose eternal flame was never supposed to go out – was alight once again. And the light of hope and freedom that had been extinguished in the hearts of the oppressed and subjugated Jews had been rekindled and restored.
Historians tell us that long before the Talmudic tale of the miracle of the oil, Jews in ancient Israel celebrated Chanukah by lighting oil lamps in their homes. This was not just to celebrate the Maccabean victory, but also to remind them of the power of light in the midst of darkness and to never give up hope and faith.
The power of those Chanukah lights has sustained Jews over the centuries, infusing us with strength, courage and resilience even in the most difficult times of darkness and despair.
It has inspired us to kindle our own inner light and share it with each other, in order to bring goodness, healing and holiness into the world.
It symbolizes our holy potential and our divine luminosity as it is written in Proverbs: “The human soul is the candle of God.”
Light is our avatar, our mission and our power. Light is our Torah and our tradition. Light has been with the Jewish people since God’s very first words, “Let there be light.”
This Chanukah, as we gather with loved ones and watch the candlelight grow brighter each night, let us invite the light in our hearts and realize that the true miracle is us. Despite thousands of years of oppression, exile, and antisemitism, we are still here. Everything we believe and stand for are still here.
Like the oil in the menorah, we are still illuminating the darkness. Our flame has not gone out.
Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom.
With love and light,
Susan