…Over the almost countless generations, Torah Giants suggest that ‘a Miracle (NES) is above the laws of nature’ for our emotional inspiration; ALBEIT a miracle (NES) is actually completely consistent with the laws of nature (!) -AND- what makes it a miracle (NES) [according to many of these same Torah Giants] is that Miracle (NES) events occur exactly-where and exactly-when WE (as: the Nation of Israel – or as an Individual in Israel – or as a Righteous Person) need them to occur. Thus, a Miracle (NES) is this awesome and amazing simultaneous precision of where-and-when needed.

⇒ THE OIL of NES Hanukkah was found in a terracotta clay container with the seal of Cohen Gadol – thus still certified as status=pure for the Great Menorah of the Beit HaMikdash; not necessarily that the oil was somehow chemically pure, “organic”, or filtered, or otherwise processed, rather that it was pressed, bottled, and sealed in under ritual-status pure conditions. Terracotta is a low kiln temperature fired clay ceramic that is unglazed and rather porous; as can be appreciated from all of the archaeological clay vessel shard findings in this region from that period. Since the Greeks tried to totally disturb the ritual pure status of every space and every item in the Beit HaMikdash, it seems consistent with all [or the Hanukkah stories & legends] that the container of certified oil (that was discovered just after the recapture of the Beit HaMikdash) was very old; apparently buried under too much ‘whatever’ for the Greeks to trouble themselves to taint. Accordingly, given the porous nature of the container, it is consistent with the laws of nature that the most volatile fractions of the olive oil permeated through the walls of the container; either evaporating or forming a dust impregnated crust around the container. As the container continued to age, this same porosity allowed less and less volatile fractions of the oil to permeate through the terracotta, until only the least volatile tar/wax fraction of the olive oil remained in the container; of course, still bearing the certification seal of the Cohen Gadol.

[You can prove this idea for yourself at home – by taking a bottle of expensive cold-pressed olive oil – and placing it in the refrigerator for a few days: you will then see that the olive oil separates into an opaque heavier wax fraction at the bottom of the bottle, and a clear lighter oil fraction above it. ⇒ however the tar/wax fraction is only a tiny portion of your ‘instant’ opaque heavier fraction!]

Now, as we know from using various flammable fuels for lamp lighting, alcohol burns the fastest per volume, oil and light fractions wax burn slower, heavy fraction wax even slower, and tars of olive oil burn much more slowly. Yes, you can verify this phenomena at home by putting a bottle of olive oil in your refrigerator for a few weeks, then you will notice that the light more-volatile oil remains liquid, while the heavy mostly-wax oil semi-solidifies at this low temperature; then pour off the light oil into one container, and warm the wax into a room temperature liquid, and compare the time it takes to burn equal amounts with identical wicks – and you will observe that the lighter volatile fraction burns faster than the waxy fraction. If you could somehow separate the waxy portion of the olive oil into light wax, heavy wax, light tar, and heavy tar fractions, then you would similarly observe that the heavier the fraction, the longer the time needed to burn. THUS, finding the container of the very heaviest tar fraction of the olive oil allowed the Miracle (NES) of the oil of Hanukkah (The First) to burn for eight days → since the same volume of normal all-fraction (including the lightest oil fraction) olive oil would have only burned for a day (or so – maybe 24-28 hours). ⇒ Notice too that finding that oil was at least as great a miracle (NES) as it burning for eight days; thus Day One of Hanukkah is at least as wondrous to remember as Days Two through Eight!

⇒ The Weak being victorious over the strong – NES of Hanukkah – has two interesting components: Firstly, it all began with Matityahu HaCohen sparking a revolution with the call: “Whoever is for Hashem: Join me!” which was at the Miraculous moment when many who heard him and many who heard those who quoted his ‘call to unify’ came to join him; which in itself is an amazing moment in the dynamics of the continuous discussion which characterized Am Yisroel. [Nevertheless, there were many Jews who had become assimilated into the then-Greek ‘culture; as being preferable, more modern, more open, and/or more sustainable than the then-ongoing Jewish paradigm. → This aspect of Jewish population continues in our times, since many are or have been impatient with the ultra-cautious latency of our program of ‘Best Life Practices Advice’ (Halacha), particularly when it is undergoing obsessive-compulsive therapeutic detail advocacy as somehow more praiseworthy than ‘our’ ordinary day-to-day wholehearted compliance]. Secondly, it was typical of the Greek Army of Occupation to celebrate (not necessarily for only a single day) the Winter Solstice; most especially by getting drunk or very drunk. Accordingly, even without encouraging them to become even more drunk, their hangover the next morning or even the next day(s) would render them substantially ineffective to defend themselves, even against any studious weakling or physically immature youngster → who are especially highly ‘motivated’.

[Of course, there was another hidden ‘technology’ that preceded the ‘Call to Arms’ – and that was carried by word of mouth – from door to door – by Cohanim who went out to collect small portions of old over-yeasted dough (Chefresh Challah) – and given the Roman’s arrogant status assignment to the beggars/mendicants/schonorrors of society, certainly they paid no attention to these lesser ‘collectors’ who seems to go door-to-door for small pieces of sour dough.]

⇒ Our Advertising The Miracle (NES) of Hanukkah – by lighting lamps or oil or wax (candles) or electric (as appropriate to general building code safety – such as in hotel rooms) – would seem to have had a much different impact during the many generations before public space lighting (electric street lights, ambient electric light, and slightly earlier gas lights). Then, the biological clocks of neighbors; and an ordinary passerby would find it awesome and astounding to notice that the shortest days of the year (proximate to Winter Solstice) were somehow lengthened; via the illumination of the Hanukkah lamps! In our days, the Hanukkah rituals of lamp lights, foods, songs, and celebration are transitioning; perhaps as more forward-looking, to the proximate building of the Beit HaMikdash. 

⇒ Regarding the Beit HaMikdash: The Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud present different portrayals of the building of the Beit HaMikdash; to occur speedily in our days and/or in the days of those for whom we will still be a living memory. One Talmud foresees the Beit HaMikdash descending from above while the other Talmud foresees it as arising out of the ground; and both are in complete agreement: since the remnants of the earlier Beit HaMikdash (One and Two) are being (and to be) excavated in place – just as they are, their disassembled portions – are to be lifted and returned to appropriate placement, and the remaining parts – are to be newly prefabricated off-site and then lifted, positioned, and lowered into place by giant scaffold cranes; as is the current normal building practice for many-storied buildings and for prefabricated & modular architecture.  

Nevertheless, considering these ideas and conjectures, while observing the various practices and events which they discuss, may we ENJOY finding it all to be Awesome and Astounding [as a Miracle (NES) as-if above the laws of nature] → AT LEAST for our emotional inspiration; a necessary portion of our maturation, our personal life energy renewal processes, and our pleasures in propagating such pleasantries to our children, our students, and our neighbors; and for arousing our deepest most-visceral sensations, and for evoking our most-ancestral memories.