Soropa Blog

According to the Gemarah in Shabbos 21:a (Rashi) the celebration
of Chanukah was decreed because the oil, which was supposed to
last one day, lasted for eight days. But at the same time the
Jews were saved from the total destruction of their spiritual
values and the loss of their Torah in a very miraculous manner.
Wasn’t this a greater miracle?

Let’s ask another question: Our Rabbis tell us that Josef also
experienced a miracle as he was being brought down to Egypt by
the Yishmalim. They were carrying spices instead of
carrying tar, so the that Josef would have a sweet smell as he
travelled. Josef was being brought as a slave to an inescapable
place of impurity and decadence, did the spices really help him?
Could they change his frame of mind at such a time of
desperation?

The answer to the second question is yes! From these spices
Josef saw that G-d was still with him and he wasn’t forgotten.
These spices were a ray of light in the darkness and a
revelation to Josef that it was G-d himself who was taking him
to Egypt.

To answer the first question we need to understand that the
purpose of a miracle is to reveal G-d’s involvement (”the light
of his face”)in a given situation. It does not matter what the
size of the miracle is, the main thing is that we see that G-d
is with us. We know that a father loves his child not so much
because he provides for his simple and basic needs but rather by
the extra and special things which he gives his children. Surely
the smaller miracle of Chanukah was that we were able to
continue the mitzvah of lighting the menorah, but because it was
smaller it revealed Hashem’s love for us in a greater way. It
was this small light of the menorah which announced to the world
Hashem’s burning love for his chosen people.

Based on Sichot Mussar