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There is a Midrash that talks about the 4 different galuyot the Jews will encounter throughout their history. They are alluded to in the pasuk at the beginning of Bereshit: והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על-פני תהום

תוהו is Babylonia
ובהו is Persia
חשך is Greece
And על פני תהום is Edom

The Greeks are related to choshech, darkness. It is no coincidence therefore that the miracle of Chanukah is in the candles. Every Jewish holiday has a special mitzvah connected to it. On Chanukah it is the candles. There is no special meal (although latkes and sufganiyot are encouraged!) and no other outstanding mitzva.

It's all about the lights.

It is fitting therefore that Chanukah comes at the darkest time of year, when the days are shortest and light is sparse. It reminds of the dark days of the Syrian- Greeks ruling in Israel when many Jews were assimilating into Greek culture. They desperately needed a guiding light and it came from the Maccabim. They were not only strong militarily but more importantly they were a spiritual force for the Jews at the time. They represented the clarity the Jews at that time so desperately needed.

תורה זו אורה Torah is called a light. Torah is what gives our lives clarity, meaning and purpose in a sometimes very dark world. We need a guiding light to help us forge a path in life. The Greeks were trying not to kill us but to make us loose our way. They were trying to make us forget who and what we were - they were making our eyes dark - about ourselves. The Maccabim came and gave us light both physical through the miracle of the oil and spiritual to keep us on the correct path.

Why does oil plays such a prominent role in the holiday of Chanukah? When oil is mixed with water it always rises to the top. It never mixes, it does not assimilate. Hashem is showing us in a very real way how we as Jews are meant to live our lives. Like the oil that provides light we are meant to be an אור לגוים a light unto the nations but at the same time we are not meant to get taken in by the nations, we must not assimilate just like the oil is always separate from the water.

May the lights of Chanukah give us clarity for who we are meant to be as individuals and as a people. And may the lights inspire us to follow the meaningful path of the Torah.

Chag Urim Sameach and Shabbat Shalom