Hanukkah does not make sense. Once upon a time, a dedicated and zealous group of would-be soldiers the sons of Mattathias, overtook the superior Syrian troops.
They routed the enemy’s armies and made desperate and successful lunge to recapture Jerusalem. When they entered the shambles of what once was the glory of Israel they could only locate a single small pot of oil, with the remaining stamp of the Kohane Gadol on it. Only that oil was suitable for the eternal flame, the menorah. It was enough oil to last one day. And as we all learned that oil burned for an additional week well beyond the day's supply.
The rabbis, of blessed memory, take pains to point out that the miracle of Hanukkah was that the small cruse of oil lasted eight full days when expected to burn for only a single day. Then why does this holiday last eight days? If the miracle was that the oil burned until more could be prepared, seven days, and then why is Hanukkah not seven days in order to commemorate the miracle??
A Parable.
Once there was a king who had a rebellious son. The father chided the boy on his perverse ways. At times he scolded his son, at times he punished him severely; other times overlooking his evil, the father grew more and more despondent. When he could no longer tolerate the boy’s behavior, the sad father expelled the son from his empire.
Wandering aimlessly for days and weeks the boy learned some profound lessons. He endured terrible loneliness and silent afflictions until the boy accepted himself and understood how awful he had behaved toward his beloved father.
But the boy could not go home. He was filled with remorse at his past actions. His heart, as heavy as a stone, began to seek atonement. He found a great sage and asked the ancient one how we could possibly ever return to his father, having shamed him before his people and even publicly ridiculed him.
”Have you nothing good to say about your early years?” the sage asked.
“No. I rejected everything he stood for,” replied the tearful son. “When my father told me to eat I fasted. When he told me to bathe, I covered myself with mud. When he demanded that I study I shot arrows at his favorite flocks.”
The wise one stared at the grieving figure for a full minute before speaking:
”Then how have you become so contrite? If you are so evil, what has made you realize your wrongs toward your father?” He continued, “No human being is fully evil. Every person has a residue of goodness in it--what we call a gute neshama. You may return to your father because even as you spurned him, he loved you.”
Seven days are for the miracle of lights. However the flames would never have been kindled if not for the first pot of oil on discovered by the Maccabees. So on the final day we celebrate the miracle as well as the kernel of goodness that enabled festival of lights to occur in the first instance.
