Hannukah: Oil Shmoyl
Who really cares if the oil in the Temple lasted 8-days when it should have been enough only for one?
Think about this: What difference did this make to anyone’s lives? If the Greeks were oppressing the Jews, there were bigger issues at stake, such as whether the people would live to see tomorrow. One could understand if someone were alone in a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and only had enough freshwater to last one day and somehow, it miraculously lasted eight days. That would be considered a miracle, especially if during those eight days, the person washed up on an island and was saved, whereas otherwise, they would have died at sea. That is a difference-making miracle. But the fact that the Temple oil lasted a few more days than planned when the nation was just emerging from war, devastation and massive numbers of friends and family killed, who would notice or care? There were bigger issues in every community and household in Israel than the lights in the Temple lasting a few days longer. It seems like something that would have been disregarded at the time.
Hannukah is celebrated for two reasons. The first reason is the miracle of the oil, discussed above. The second reason is the military victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks. That a small band of warriors was able to defeat the mighty Greek army in war was an incredible military feat. But in the end, despite the Maccabee victory, it was temporary. Greek culture ended up swamping the Maccabee family and much of Israel, who became heavily Hellenized during the period the Maccabees reigned over Israel.
It doesn’t seem that the holiday is significant when you look at it through those lenses. But what if we combine the two reasons into one?
The recapture of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was of significance. This was the most impotrant structure in the entire Jewish world. The most popular symbol within the Temple was the Menorah, the golden 7-armed candelabra, lit daily as part of the Temple service. Ancient Israelite coins from these times often depicted the menorah on one side. It was a recognized image that continues to be featured on Israeli coins to this day. Even if the victory over the Greeks was short-lived, it allowed the Temple operations to recommence.
Perhaps the symbolism of the oil lasting for longer than it could, served as a rallying cry to the people who had been devastated by the war. Could it be that they saw the ability of the Temple rituals to persist despite scant supplies and likely large amounts of ruination in the Temple itself as a sign that they too could make do with meager supplies, let us say one day’s worth, and survive, let us say for eight days, until the economy was fully restarted and recovered? Maybe Hannukah for the people at the time wasn’t a celebration of the miracles, the military victory or the candles lasting longer, but it was a belief, from these two symbols, that they could survive the aftermath of the war, live their lives as Jews without threat, and through a “miracle,” believe they could survive that most difficult period between when the war was won, but everything lay in ruins, and full economic recovery. Maybe that’s what the long-lasting oil symbolized for them. Perhaps it galvanized the people and gave them hope.