Paul Greenberg writes on "What is Chanukah?":
Today is the first day of Chanukah, a minor Jewish holiday that’s become a major one over the years. The first candle was kindled last night . . . . But just what does Chanukah celebrate?
Answer: A successful Jewish revolt against a Syrian empire ruled by the Seleucid dynasty of Greek kings some 2,200 years ago.
Well, not exactly. The revolt was not so much against the Syrian emperor, Antiochus Epiphanes, as against his attempt to impose Hellenistic culture on ancient Judaea.
Well, not exactly. This now celebrated revolt supposedly against the Syrians was really something of a civil war between those Jews who proposed to adopt more of the fashionable Greek culture and those who rebelled against it. . . . a military victory — of tradition over assimilation . . .
Well, not exactly. The military aspects of the struggle are scarcely mentioned in today’s celebration of Chanukah. The focus has shifted over the centuries. The very name Chanukah, or Dedication, now refers to the cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was defiled by pagan rites.
After all . . . It isn’t the Feast of the Maccabees, who led the revolt. Therefore the real theme of Chanukah is the rededication of the Temple.
Well, not exactly. The essential ritual of the holiday has become the blessing over the Chanukah lights . . . The festivities now center on a Talmudic tale relating how the liberators of the Temple found only enough pure oil to burn for one day, but it lasted for eight . . . . We’re really celebrating the miracle of the lights. . . .
The blessing over the candles recited each night of the holiday goes:
"Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old."
Miracles, not victories. As in the Exodus from Egypt, it is He who delivered us. Freedom is a gift from God, not men. . . . One more violent confrontation has been lifted out of history, and enters the realm of the sacred. . . .
If there is one, unchanging message associated with this minor holiday magnified by time, it can be found in the unchanging portion of the Prophets designated to be read for the Sabbath of Chanukah. It is Zechariah 4:1-7, with its penultimate verse:
Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.
Exactly.