…as we celebrate Chanukah and/or Thanksgiving this year, let us keep in mind that we are literally surrounded by miraculous occurrences for which we should be thankful.

“The days of Chanukah are days of thanksgiving and praise” (Likutei Moharan 2:2). While these may sound like the words of a contemporary American rabbi who, riffing off of the close proximity of when Chanukah and Thanksgiving fall this year, thought it fun to link the religious and secular somehow. However, this phrase was said by a Hasidic rabbi who lived in the Ukraine during the 18th and 19th centuries, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), great grandson of the founder of Hasidism, the Baal Shem Tov (c. 1698-1760). As Rabbi Nachman would never have even toyed with the idea of celebrating Thanksgiving, his words reveal that, despite the underlying differences between the holidays, they both share the idea of being thankful for what we have.

The most well-known Chanukah custom consists of lighting a Chanukah Menorah (Heb: hanukiyah), an eight-branched candelabrum. This is done in order to commemorate the fact that, after defeating the Seleucids (Greeks), the Jews re-sanctified the Temple in Jerusalem. However, due to a supply chain shortage (like today!), there was not enough oil to keep the Menorah inside of the Temple lit for more than a single day. However, God performed a miracle and the single-day’s worth of oil lasted for eight whole days! Hence, we light eight candles, one for each night, throughout the holiday of Chanukah, to celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days.

As air-tight as this story may seem, the math simply does not add up. If there was enough oil to last for one day, the fact that the oil lasted on the first day was anything but supernatural. Thus, only the seven days AFTER the first were miraculous! So, Chanukah should last seven days, and we need to all go buy new Chanukah Menorahs with seven branches (once the supply chain gets fixed and Amazon restocks.) So, if the first day was not a miracle, then why is Chanukah celebrated for eight days?

This question has been asked, and answered, by countless Jewish minds throughout the centuries. Some say that after retaking the Temple, our ancestors only put in a tiny bit of oil into the Menorah each of the eight days, and that the miracle–that occurred on all eight days–was that it lasted the entire day instead of just for a few hours. Another popular answer is that the eighth miracle has nothing to do with the Menorah and oil at all, but instead is the fact that a tiny band of Jewish rebels defeated a world power.

There are many, many more possible answers to this question that Jewish thinkers have proposed throughout the ages, and thus there is no definitive answer. However, the one thing that each answer has in common is that it is based upon an eighth miracle that occurred during that time. I believe that the fact that there are SO many possible answers–each based upon a different miracle–tells us something about how Chanukah is related to a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude. We can see this from how the custom of lighting the Chanukah Menorah is performed.

The rabbis teach that, ideally, one should place their lit Chanukah Menorah outside the front door of their house, and that the second best option is to place it in the window. This is because the miracle associated with the oil lasting for eight days was a public miracle, and thus we should celebrate it publicly (see Shefa Hayyim 10). However, there are miracles that happen every single day, most of which are unseen, and we need to be thankful for those as well. Thus, while Jewish thinkers have yet to agree upon WHICH is the eighth miracle we are celebrating on Chanukah, they all agree that there is one. Furthermore, as literally hundreds of miracles have been named as the potential mystery-eighth miracle, that shows us that when one wishes to be thankful for the things that God and the universe have brought into their lives, the potential reasons to do so are incalculable!

Thus, as we celebrate Chanukah and/or Thanksgiving this year, let us keep in mind that we are literally surrounded by miraculous occurrences for which we should be thankful. The air we breathe, the beat of our hearts, our friends, our loved ones…our Kehillah community. The list goes on and on! As we might not always be aware of just how miraculous our lives are, Chanukah serves as a reminder for us to remember that eighth, unnamed, mystery miracle that is in our own lives that maybe no one else knows about. Thus, I invite you to ponder what you have to be thankful for–but sometimes take for granted–and make that the focus of your holiday. Whether it be when you light that eighth candle, or sit around the table with loved ones, I encourage you to remember that there is a hidden gift in your life that is worth celebrating.

A freilichen hanukkah and Hag urim same’ach! Happy Chanukah!

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