Doughnuts, latkes…Hanukkah is all about oil! That’s because back in the day, lamps were not lit by candles but by olive oil. And indeed, that is the so-called miracle of Hanukkah - that when the Maccabees rededicated the temple and lit the holy menorah, they thought they only had enough holy oil for one day, but it lasted, miraculously, for eight days.
Oil was a precious commodity back in ancient times. It was used for everything - lighting, cooking, purifying, healing. Oil provided warmth, sustenance and light. Oil production and availability, meant culture, life, and communal vitality.
Ancient olive oil production is not too different from today, just with less mechanical tools. Here’s a crash course, should you want to become an olive oil producer:
Olives are crushed (with stone presses or by foot).
The pulp is pressed to release oil.
The oil is skimmed off and kept in vats.
Back in the day, only a very special, clear oil was used in sacred service at the Temple in Jerusalem, hence why there was only one little cruse of oil that could be used to light the menorah and rededicate the temple.
But this miracle we talk about? The 8 days? It makes a nice story, but I personally don’t think it gets to the real heart of the holiday. Tonight, I want to suggest to you that the true miracle of Hanukkah does not have to do with the oil’s ending, that is the miraculous lighting, but rather the oil’s beginning…that is, the pressing.
Like the Maccabees of 165 BCE, we Jews of 2025 CE feel like we are being pressed on all sides by anti-Jewish politics and anti-Jewish violence. We feel the foot of hatred and the stone press of despair bearing down upon us. It is hard to keep our spirits from being crushed.
And yet, 2200 years ago, the Maccabees were in a similar situation. They were oppressed, beaten and silenced, but their spirits were not crushed. In fact, in all the centuries between then and now, with all the trials and tragedy, the spirit of the Jewish people has not been crushed. Whether it be in the Maccabees’ caves, the secret study halls, or in the terror tunnels where our people have been held hostage, we have found ways to kindle light. Whether it be a physical or spiritual prison we have been thrust into, we have always sought the light of hope and we access this eternal flame, this perpetual hope, anytime we turn our hearts to each other…much like we have done tonight.
Writer Sarah Tuttle-Singer reflects: “Judaism is not only belief; it is practice under pressure. It is community created in impossible places. A circle formed in a tunnel. A flame lit not because it will save you, but because it reminds you who you are…that in a hellscape meant to erase [us], [the martyrs of our people have always made a] small Jewish room, and let light enter.”
“Judaism is not only belief; it is practice under pressure.” We are the oil! We are the agents of light and life produced under oppressive circumstances. Our existence is a miracle! Our gathering tonight is a miracle. Each one of you is a miracle.
So tonight I pray: Eternal Light of the Universe, “for the miracles and for the wonders and for the mighty deeds and for the salvations and for the victories that you wrought for our ancestors in their days and in this day, we give thanks and to praise your great name.” Reveal within this oppressive world a hidden love. Help us to find that last little cruse of hope. Awaken within us the strength to again shine bright, as an example to one another and to the world. Amen.
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