Happy Chanukah! 🌀 Sixth Night's Lights

We all know the phenomenon of finally receiving an answer to a question, then having a flood of new questions or thoughts which are opened by the first. Rabbi Yosef Karo zt"l once asked a question which famously demonstrates this aspect of life.

"If there was enough oil found to last one day, then it only burned for seven extra days. Why then do we celebrate this miracle as, the eight days of Chanukah?"

There is no one "right" answer per se, but hundreds have been offered to solve the question. Nonetheless, I have an affinity towards two of the answers that I am aware of. Perhaps there is a different one that you know of, or can think of that most interests you!

1) Since recapturing and rededicating the Temple is the foundation for the possibility of the miracle of the oil burning for 8 days to subsequently occur, the recapture and unlikely defeat of powerful adversaries was itself a miracle, and deserving of celebration. The first day is therefore for this miraculous victory, and the following seven are for the miracle of the oil.

The second possible answer that I like is also similar.

2) After recapturing the Temple, and seeing it's state of having been defiled in every imaginable way, the next miracle to occur was the finding of pure, untampered, still sealed oil for the menorah. This is worthy of thanks and celebration, as is the fact that it burned 7 days longer than it should have...

Anyways, here are the Lights from day 6 of Chanukah!

Reminding myself and G-d willing, if we can just open up to the Universe, to ourselves and each other and find one thing to be thankful for, then we can find a thousand. There are miracles and chains of miracles all around us...

(Archimedean spiral, helix and conic spiral hybrid.)

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Thanks For Your Attention and Support!

Melech ben Chaya מלך בן חיה, @inphiknit