Chanukah: A Flame Eternal

Let's begin with the famous Gemara (B Shab 21b) regarding the miracle of the oil: 

מַאי חֲנוּכָּה? דְּתָנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״בְּכ״ה בְּכִסְלֵיו יוֹמֵי דַחֲנוּכָּה תְּמָנְיָא אִינּוּן דְּלָא לְמִסְפַּד בְּהוֹן וּדְלָא לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּהוֹן. שֶׁכְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ יְוָונִים לַהֵיכָל טִמְּאוּ כׇּל הַשְּׁמָנִים שֶׁבַּהֵיכָל, וּכְשֶׁגָּבְרָה מַלְכוּת בֵּית חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְנִצְּחוּם, בָּדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ אֶלָּא פַּךְ אֶחָד שֶׁל שֶׁמֶן שֶׁהָיָה מוּנָּח בְּחוֹתָמוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל, וְלֹא הָיָה בּוֹ אֶלָּא לְהַדְלִיק יוֹם אֶחָד. נַעֲשָׂה בּוֹ נֵס וְהִדְלִיקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁמוֹנָה יָמִים. לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת קְבָעוּם וַעֲשָׂאוּם יָמִים טוֹבִים בְּהַלֵּל וְהוֹדָאָה.״

This Gemara makes no mention of the astonishing military victory of the Jews over the Greeks, nor attributes any of Chanuka's significance to it.

On the other hand, the Al HaNissim prayer focuses on the religious persecution and the miraculous victory which enabled Judaism and the Temple to flourish again, seeing them as the main factors behind the institution of Chanukah. 

In an attempt at reconciliation, I’d like to (also) read the Talmudic tale as a metaphor employed by Chazal to orient us toward viewing the events in a specific light (pun alert):

The contaminated oil represents the overwhelming hellenization of the Jewish people.

The single pure jug bespeaks the idea of an unsullied core of Torah true Jews that remained loyal to HaShem and His Torah no matter the difficulties and challenges they may have faced.

(Cue the language in Al HaNissim: וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים.) 

The oil burning and spreading light well beyond its natural capacity symbolizes the idea of this spiritually indestructible group of Jews' ability to persevere in the face of adversity and to reconstitute and regenerate Yahadus afresh and anew.

The Talmud frames it this way to draw our attention to the spiritual current that flowed through the Chashmonayim's resistance, which might otherwise be viewed as mere cunning nationalistic warfare.

It now strikingly parallels Al Hanissim's casting of Chanukah's events as laden with religious significance. 

The story of the oil now becomes a message about Jewish immortality and indestructibility—an ode to our millennia-long ability to revivify and rejuvenate, notwithstanding any religious persecution or assimilationist allure that history may throw our way.

(See R Yaakov Emden's writing regarding the miraculous longevity of the Jewish people.)

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