Chanukah - 8 days

what is the holiday and why 8 days?

in a nutshell

When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BC Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.

Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattityahu, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Yochanan, Shimon, Eleazar, Yonatan, and Yehuda led a rebellion against Antiochus starting with Mattityahu killing first a Jew who wanted to comply with Antiochus's order to sacrifice to Zeus and then a Greek official who was to enforce the government's behest. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi. By 166 BC Mattityahu had died, and Yehuda took his place as leader. By 165 BC the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Chanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. Yehuda ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made.

According to the Talmud, unadulterated and undefiled pure olive oil with the seal of the kohen gadol (high priest) was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. But the Greeks knew this and therefore broke all the seals. After allot of searching they found one jug of pure olive oil - with the seal of the Kohen Gadol (high Priest).  The problem was that they only had one flask which is good enough for one day, and to get more oil will take at least eight they lit it expecting it to just burn for one day, yet  miraculously it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.

How do commemorate this?

Every night of the eight nights of Chanukkah we light the Chanukkah menorah starting from one every night adding one - till the eighth - 8 candles/oil lights, the traditional way is with candles, however some more stringent light it with oil. We do this at the time of sunset with the family around, there are the traditional Chanukah coins/Gelt, some give gifts, toys candy etc. its lit at a window or doorpost of the house to publicize the miracle of the holiday.

A deeper Meaning in the Story

The Greeks didn't try to take away the Jewish tradition - they were fine with these beautiful customs Friday night family time meals, the great wisdom of Torah etc. their only problem was the G-d in the Torah, "why are you mixing in G-d into this beautiful way of life" they couldn't stand the way the Jewish People fulfill the Torah commandments only because they were told without understanding it.

We see this in the miracle of the oil. When the great Greek nation came to overthrow the Jewish power in Jerusalem, what did it bother them about the oil - to go a remove every seal?

Because they didn't at all mind the Jewish ways all what upset them where these rule of holiness which we cant see, its the same oil before and the same oil after, the only thing that changed was that now it was without a seal - yet it still wouldn't be able to be used!!! - that bothered them

So what was the miracle? the oil lasted for 8 days. According to Kabbalah Seven represents nature seven days of the week, seven attributes etc. Eight represents above nature, above our understanding etc. and it was with oil - something that doesn't mix with any liquids - representing the Jewish people. no matter where we may be we will get mixed up within the other nations - again something that's above our understanding.

How do WE be like this?

Through US listening to G-d above our understanding.