Ok so here’s a question for you:
On Chanukah we light candles for eight nights to celebrate the fact that when the Jews went
into their decimated Temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one day, but instead
it burnt for eight.
So here’s my question – if we are meant to be celebrating the miracle of the oil – then
for how many days did the miracle take place?
Well if the oil was meant to last for one day, and it lasted for 8, then the miracle
only took place for… 7 days – because the first day was to be expected!
So if we are celebrating the “miracle”, wouldn’t it be more fitting to celebrate
the miracle over 7 nights of Chanukah, not 8?
A fair question, don’t you think?
I think that what is so curious about the Chanukah miracle is when you compare it to
other Biblical miracles, say, the splitting of the sea.
If you saw both events – the splitting of the sea would instantly make you say “wow!
That’s a miracle!”
But if you saw the menorah – you might not even realise anything miraculous was taking
place.
You would need to observe, to stay a while, to understand, to think, to realise that something abnormal is taking place.
– that these flames have been burning for far longer than they should have.
In other words, unlike the red sea, to appreciate the miracle of Menorah it takes some effort
on our side to notice it.
What’s even more interesting about the miracle of the menorah is that while it was one of
the LAST open miracles documented in Jewish history – it actually mirrors one of the
very FIRST miracles experienced when the Jewish nation was born.
Which miracle am I thinking of?
The miracle of the menorah was the fact that the oil was burning but was not consumed – can
you think of another Biblical miracle seems curiously similar to this?
What else was burning but was not consumed?
I'm thinking of when Moses sees the miracle of the burning bush - the bush was burning but it
was not consumed.
Let’s dig deeper for a second.
The only incidents the Torah tells us about Moses up until this point is that he noticed
the suffering of a Jewish slave and some Midianite girls and he did something about it.
And now we see Moses noticing something else – Moses now sees the divine within this world.
And it took effort on Moses behalf to recognise that something abnormal was taking place.
A unifying feature of Moses character that links all these events is that he sees beyond
what meets the eye – he actively looks beneath the surface to find meaning, love, empathy
and the metaphysical.
The verse says, “He saw and behold!
The bush was burning in the fire but was not consumed.
Moses thought, I will turn aside now and look at this great sight – why will the bush
not be burned?
– God saw that he turned aside to see and God called out to him.” What’s so curious
about that last part is that it implies that had Moses not turned aside to notice the miracle
of the bush burning, perhaps God would not have spoken to Moses.
In other words, a distinctive and commendable characteristic of Moses was his ability to
look beneath the surface of everything in this world – of other human beings, and
of the physical order of things.
Moses actively sought out meaning within the world – he notices the subtle miracles – and
through that mindset he is able to access the divine.
Chanukah celebrates the Jewish conviction, exemplified by Moses, that if you seek out
the small gifts and miracles in the every-day, you will find them.
If you are consciously keeping your eyes wide open, you will be able to appreciate Gods
hand in your life.
And that really answers our initial question.
Why do we celebrate for 8 days when the miracle only lasted for 7?
Because really, every day is a miracle – it’s all being powered by one force – even when
it looks totally natural.
Both the natural order and open miracles are divinely powered.
By celebrating even the first day, which broke no laws of nature, we are sensitising ourselves
to the fact that even if we might not be able to witness any open miracles today – constant
divine blessings can be found in our every day lives – they’ll be masked as simply
part of the natural world – but if we are able to notice and appreciate them, we’ll
see them for what they are.
All kinds of crazy things are happening in our mad world today – many people feel as
if things are getting darker – Chanukah implores us to look for God in the details
– to keep our eyes wide open – for when we do, we can find light amidst the darkness.
God tells Elijah that he is “not in the whirlwind, the earthquake, or the fire, but
in the still small voice.”
But it’s only a voice you can hear if you are listening.
For God doesn’t shout, he whispers.