For What is Chanukah?
The Gemarah in mesechet Shabbat (21B) explains that the name
Chanukah comes from the fact that Greeks had defiled the alter and that
the Hashmoneams replaced the defiled alter and re-dedicated the new
alter for Temple service. We know that names of holidays emulate the qualities
of the holiday, and the name Chanukah symbolizes the essence of the holiday of being about
renewal.
However the deeper issue is which miracle was the holiday actually
established for. Despite the impressive accomplishments with the military
victory, the Gemarah states that Chanukah signifies the miracle of finding the
cruze of oil and that it remained lit for 8 days.
The Slonimer Rebbe explains, Chazal doesn't set holidays just
based on a miraculous event, or for a remembering a specific event, rather it
must have an eternal and lasting quality.
What is the eternal nature of Chanukah?
