Page 9 - Issue 9

THE REAL MIRACLE OF CHANUKAH
Prayers and blessings said during the festival refer to the miracles which occurred at Chanukah. If these
do not refer to the legend of the oil, what do they refer to? When a small group of Jews in a little village
revolted against the might of King Antiochus and his Greek Syrian empire with its large fully trained
army, nobody thought that they could win. After all the Jews had not had an army or even fought a battle
for over 300 years. And yet these untrained inexperienced peasants defeated large armies of battle-
hardened soldiers in battle after battle. That was surely a great miracle. How was this achieved? The
Jews fought for freedom to worship in the way that they chose and for freedom from oppression. Their
enemies were mainly mercenary soldiers who fought to win booty and spoil from those they defeated.
The fact that the Maccabees were inspired by an ideal, strengthened their resolve to such an extent, that
they had in them a spirit and will to win, that carried them to victory. This inspiration was a spiritual
miracle, and as such, was far greater than the physical miracle or Divine conjuring trick that was
supposed to make one jar of oil last for eight days.

Questions:
1. How did the rabbis retell history?
2. What were they hoping to achieve?
3. What gave them the right to do this?

“The glory and the educational value of the Hasmoneans is that their example revived
the nation to be its own redeemer and the determiner of its own future.”

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, a leading yishuv (pre-state) leader and one of the founders of the Labor - Zionist movement, 1911

The previous quote shows how the pioneers reclaimed chanukah by creating their
own narrative. The following two songs are still sung today in Israel on Chanukah,
and reflect the Zionist approach to the festival:

WE CAME TO DRIVE AWAY שרגל ךשוח ונאב
THE DARKNESS ןרימע לאונמע : ןחל , יאנת - יול הרש : םילמ

We came to drive away the darkness שאו רוא ונידיב שרגל ךשוח ונאב
in our hands is light and fire.
Everyone's a small light, . ןתיא רוא - ונלוכו ןטק רוא או ה דחא לכ
and all of us are a firm light. ינפמ הרוס ! רוחש האלה , ךשוח הרוס
! רואה
Fight darkness, further blackness!
Fight because of the light!