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The Talmud (Sabbath 26b) explains why the festival of Hanukkah was established. The 25th of Kislev start the eight days of Hanukkah. When the Greeks entered the Holy Temple, they defiled (made tamei) all its holy vessels, including the menorah and all of the olive oil used to light the menorah.

When the Hashmonean family rose to victory against the Greeks, they searched and found only one small vile of oil. This oil was to last for one day. Instead the oil lasted for eight days. The next year, Hanukkah was established.

It is clear from the Talmud that the dominant reason for declaring Hanukkah a festival was to commemorate the miracle of the jug of oil. Why was the miracle of oil the dominant reason for declaring the festival and not the victory against the powerful Greek army?

The Medrash Rabba (30-200 CE; Genesis 2:4) uses Genesis (1:2) to explain the Greek exile: "When the earth was bewilderment and void, with darkness over the surfaces of the deep."

The Torah, in its second verse, discusses the state of the world at creation. The Medrash Rabba comments that the void and darkness, such as the one during creation, was also experienced during the Greek exile. The Greeks took control of the land of Israel, defiled its Holy Temple (the Beit Hamikdash), and placed harsh decrees on the Jewish nation. The decree that darkened the eyes of the Jews was to force them to write on the horn of an ox, "The Jewish nation has lost all relationship with God."

According to Rashi (1040-1105), the decree was to remind the Jewish nation of their sin with the Golden Calf. The Greeks were telling the Jews that, just as they rejected Moses, so has God rejected them.

Why does the Medrash use this decree to depict the harshness of the Greeks? The Greeks forbade keeping Shabbat, circumcision, and studying Torah under the threat of death; many Jews were executed. These appear more severe than engraving words on the horn of an ox.

To understand the importance of the miracle of Hanukkah, one must realize that the goal of the Greeks was not to annihilate, but assimilate, the Jewish nation. The other decrees, as physically harsh as they were, did not break Jewish morale. This decree, telling us that we have lost our relationship with God because of our past mistakes, breaks a person's morale.

The Greek exile and the miracle of Hanukkah occurred 1,000 years after the sin with the Golden Calf. Yet, to their credit, the Jewish people were still ashamed.

Reminding a person of his past mistakes and having feelings of guilt breaks a person's spirit. The miracle of the oil was a statement that God desired that we continue with our dedication to Torah and its values. It uplifted Jewish morale beyond any victory.

We commemorate Hanukkah to inspire us that no matter our past mistakes, without guilt we can always turn to God and His Torah values.

Rabbi Chaim Lobel is spiritual leader of Young Israel of Aberdeen.
www.yiaberdeen.com