Hanukkah is a commemoration of the second temple destruction. It is a celebration of the miracle of the long-lasting oil. It is a dedication to the temple.
One night of oil was not enough for the Judeans to make more oil. Eight days was. In this way, Hanukkah is also about preparation.
Frankly this is too big a scale for me to grasp. I don’t understand the magnitude of having to re-dedicate the holy of holies after winning an underdog battle against the fierce Antiochus IV and his soldiers. Whew, it’s overwhelming just in writing.
I do understand dedication though. I have just recently moved, again, for the tenth time in as many years. In each of these moves I have been able to rededicate my place (just because the physical location is different and they’ve all been apartments, the link is they are my home). I get to go through the process of unpacking my belongings and re-evaluating their importance in my life. I get to hang my mezuzzot. And when I put my dishes away, I am conscious and conscientious of kashrut. As I hang a chaotic collage of pictures I am aware of where I have been and remind myself of where I want to be.
Eight days may not be long enough for me to prepare for the next stage, for the full rededication, but it is a good start and it affords the time to think. What is the next step? How do I prepare for it? How do I spend this transition time? For this last one, I take notice of what the Judeans did. Rather than saying there was not enough oil to last through the making of oil and either giving up or working in the dark, they went for it. They did not put on hold the “now” for the “later”. Nor did they paralyze themselves with fear. They forged ahead.
So too will I. I will continue to lead my life as desired with the knowledge that I am preparing and forging ahead.
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