Hanukkah 5784 – Miracles Happen When G-d and People Partner Together

By Rabbi Alex Freedman.

We all know the two miracles of Hanukkah. But let’s also think deeply about the relationship between them.

Little kids learn about the holiday’s twin miracles. First there was the military victory of the few Jews defeating the many and mighty Syrian Greek army. What followed that was the little oil that lasted for eight days, instead of one.

In the Talmud and Siddur, it’s the miracle of the oil that is highlighted, not the military victory. Why might that be?

The book Iturei Torah (Mateh Moshe) suggests that with the military victory, it’s possible for an outsider to claim that it wasn’t really G-d that made the miracle happen, but that it can be explained another way. On the other hand, the miracle of the oil could only come from G-d. There is simply no natural explanation.

I think there’s something really powerful about who is responsible for each miracle. While G-d had a hand in the military victory, certainly the Maccabees fought and won with their own hands. This miracle resulted from people taking action to defend their land, their people, and their G-d. Whereas the miracle of the oil can only be attributed to G-d, not human hands.

The upshot: when G-d and people work together, miracles happen.

This is actually a pattern. The same can be said about the ultimate miracle, the splitting of the Red Sea to leave Egypt. If you read Exodus carefully, G-d causes the sea to split only when Moses raises his staff (or, according to the Midrash, when Nahshon courageously wades his way into the water). Once more, it’s G-d and people working together to make a miracle happen.

Miracles never happen without human involvement. G-d seems to need our actions as much as we need G-d’s.

Chag Chanukah Sameach!