09 Dec THE PARADOXES OF OIL AS A GUIDE FOR LIVING THE DEEPER MEANING OF THE CHANUKAH OIL MIRACLE

Two Perspectives
Two cowboys
come upon an
Indian lying on
his stomach with
his ear to the
ground. One of the cowboys stops and
says to the other, “You see that Indian?”
“Yeah,” says the other cowboy. “Look,”
says the first one, “he’s listening to the
ground. He can hear things for miles in
any direction.” Just then the Indian looks
up. “Covered wagon,” he says, “about two
miles away. Have two horses, one brown,
one white. Man, woman, child, and
household articles in wagon.” “Incredible!”
says the cowboy to his friend. “This Indian
knows how far away they are, how many
horses, what color they are, who is in the
wagon, and what is in the wagon.
Amazing!” The Indian looks up and says,
“Ran over me about a half-hour ago.”
Why Celebrate Oil?
The kindling of a menorah during the eight
days of Chanukah commemorates an
ancient miracle that occurred in our
Jerusalem Holy Temple, some 2300 years
ago. Following the victory of the Jews
over their Greek oppressors who
desecrated the Temple and attempted to
destroy Judaism, a little cruse of unsoiled
olive oil found in the Temple lasted and
burned for eight days, till the Jews
managed to purchase new pure oil for the
daily kindling of the Temple Candelabra.
To commemorate this display of Divine
grace in a world usually enslaved to nature,
the sages of Israel instituted the eight-day
holiday of Chanukah, in which we kindle a
menorah each night.
In that sense, oil embodies the essence of
the Chanukah narrative and serves as the
main focus of the festival of lights. Indeed,
in many a Jewish household, the Chanukah
lamps consist of wicks dipped in olive oil,
replicating the Temple Menorah lamps.
Throughout the holiday we eat various
foods soaked in oil, from latkes to donuts
(oy, the calories).
This is strange. The miracle of the oil, it
would seem, was of minor significance
relative to the military victory. Besides the
fact that this was a miracle that occurred
behind the closed doors of the Temple
with only a few priests to behold, it was an
event concerning a religious symbol
without any consequences on life, death
and liberty. If the Jews would have been
defeated by the Greeks, there would be no
Jews today; if the oil would have not burnt
for eight days, so what? The menorah
would have not been kindled. Would the

latkes taste any worse?
Why did the main focus of the Chanukah
become oil?
Many insights have been offered. In this
essay, we present a symbolic explanation,
relating to the inner psychological universe
of man. It is based on a pre-Chanukah
letter penned by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in
1947.
Four Qualities of Oil
Olive oil contains four interesting
qualities.
A) Olive oil is produced by crushing and
beating ripe olives. The olive must be
severely “humbled” and pressed in order
to emit its oil.
B) Olive Oil, as many other oils extracted
from minerals, plants and animals,
penetrates solid substances deeply. We all
know how difficult it is to remove the oily
grease that makes its way into our fingers
or our clothes. Various oils have been used
throughout history as remedies for bodily
wounds and diseases, since oil penetrates
the body far beyond its external tissue.
C) Oil does not mix with other liquids.
When you attempt to mix, say, oil with
water, the oil will remain distinct and will
not dissolve in the water.
D) Not only will oil not mix and become
dissolved in other liquids, rather staying in
place or sinking downward, but
furthermore, the oil will rise, floating atop
any other liquids.
On a symbolic level, these appear as
paradoxical characteristics. Is oil “humble”
or “arrogant?” It is beaten badly, yet it
rises to the top!
From Spiritual to Physical
In the writings of Jewish Mysticism, all
physical properties of any existing object
are seen as continuums of their
metaphysical properties. Every object
originates in the realm of the spirit,
embodied by a particular sublime energy.
Then the energy evolves to assume a
physical reincarnation, giving rise to
particular physical characteristics that
mirror their spiritual source.
This, parenthetically, constitutes an
extremely rich component of Judaism.
From the vantage point of Torah, the truths
of science, physics, chemistry, biology etc.
and the truths of philosophy, spirituality
and psychology are merged together in a
perfect mosaic, since the physical evolves
from the spiritual.
The same principle applies to oil as well.
The four above-mentioned qualities

displayed in oil are
essentially a physical
manifestation of four
spiritual and
p s y c h o l o g i c a l
attributes from where
oil originates. They,
in turn, evolve and
assume the four
physical forms of
expression outlined
above.
Four Cardinal
Principles
In our lives, we must learn how to become
“oil”-like. We must learn to cultivate the
four properties characterizing oil.
A) The crushing and pressing of the olives,
which allows you to become oil, represents
the notion of humbleness, the antithesis of
arrogance and self-inflation. Seeing
ourselves for who we really are, being
open to discover our biases, blind spots
and errors, allows us to genuinely grow.
B) The direct result of this “pressing” is
your ability to become oil-like and, just
like oil, penetrate others deeply. When
you’re haughty and pompous (usually
because of a lack of self-confidence and

hence the need to create a delusional self-
confidence), you are incapable of sharing

yourself with others, or allowing them to
share themselves with you. You hide in a
bubble, afraid of being vulnerable and
authentic. You can’t be in a real
relationship. Only when your fake ego is
crushed a little bit, either by choice or by
life’s circumstances, you have the courage
to show up in the world, and to show up to
other people, with the real “you.” You can
then connect with other people’s hearts
profoundly.
C) Humility and genuine relationships
must never allow you to be pulled down
and completely defined by the
relationships. You must never forfeit your
individual identity and to dissolve in the
emotions or choices of the other person.
The beauty and magic of a relationship lay
precisely in the fact that two distinct
individuals choose to share themselves
with each other. Just like oil, you know
how to feel and experience another human
being deeply, while still not becoming
consumed and nullified by the other’s
identity. Like oil, you must always retain
your distinctiveness.
The holy master Rabbi Menachem Mendel
of Kotzk (1787-1859) once remarked: “If I
am I because you are you and you are you
because I am I, I am not I and you are not

you; but if I am I because I am I and you
are you because you are you, then I am and
you are.” Now we can begin to schmooze.
D) This threefold process of crushing
yourself, bonding with others and at the
same time retaining your distinctiveness –
should ultimately cause you to rise—just
like oil—to the top, and “float” head and
shoulders above all which is around you.
Realizing that you are a “Piece of the
Divine,” and that at every moment you are
an ambassador of G-d to our world, allows
you to experience yourself as invincible,
wholesome and way above the gravel that
you may encounter in yourself or others.
This comes not from arrogance but from
realizing that your core is part of the
infinite. Just like oil, you, too, rise to the
top.
The Talmud states, “The messenger of a
person is just like sender.” If G-d chose
you and sent you on a mission to this
world, you are G-dlike! If you can only
identify that space within yourself, nobody
can compare to you.
This was the deeper mystical significance
of a miracle that caused oil to increase.
And it is why we celebrate with focusing
on oil, for this story captures the rhythm of
life. For me to become a glowing menorah,
casting light in me and around me, and
lighting up the world, I must be oil-like:
First, I must discover the art of humility
and integrity; second, I must allow myself
to show up in my relationships genuinely
and wholesomely; third, I must retain my
distinctiveness and individuality; fourth, I
must always recognize that part in me
which is always “on the top.”
Judaism, particularly its festival of
Chanukah, comes to teach ordinary human
beings how to become oil-like. If we wish
to ignite a fire in our lives, we ought to
take a good and deep look at the olive oil
in our Menorahs
Happy Chanukah – let’s go easy on the
physical oily foods, but not on the spiritual
message of oil.