Why We Should Pay Attention to the Message of Hanukkah

How does the story of the Festival of Lights translate into our modern day world?

Hanukkah chronicles the four-year war which took place between 167 B.C.E. and 163 B.C.E. The Syrian Army headed by King Antiochus invaded Israel and was victorious, but Judah Maccabee and his brothers were not going to bow down to this new ruler.

The Maccabees assembled their own army and took Israel back from the wicked Syrian King. When the Maccabees entered Israel's Great Temple in Israel they found that the Syrian army had decimated the interior and left them with no oil to light the menorah.

The Maccabees got to work cleaning the inside of the Temple and as they worked, they did find a small amount of oil, but only enough to last for just one night. Then a miracle seemed to happen because instead of the lamps burning out after one day, the oil kept burning for 8 days and 8 nights. The Maccabees saw this as a sign that God was watching over them. This is why we light the candles of freedom and celebrate with family and friends during Hanukkah.

The lesson to be learned from Hanukkah according to reformjudaism.org. is that we must trust and never lose hope. Trust means not letting ourselves be crushed by worry, ambiguity, and despair. Personally, I'm trying my hardest but in these trying times, I'm still hoping for a miracle.