KEEP IT BURNING

“Adonai said to Moshe, ‘Order the people of Isra’el to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, to keep lamps burning always.’”
Leviticus 24:1

I know we are not in the season of Chanukah, but it is one of my favorites. It also plays a part in what we are looking at in this section of the Torah. One of the greatest miracles of Chanukah was the fact that the little oil found following the rebellion was enough to last for eight days. There was only enough to last for one day, yet it lasted longer. Chanukah commemorates an oil-based miracle and as such, more of the food eaten during these eight days tends to be fried. Foods such as latkes or sufganiyot are just two examples of the foods eaten during Chanukah. In today’s portion, though, I want to take a look at the significance of the oil used to light both the Temple Menorah and the Hanukkiah.
The process of making pure oil was tedious. The one making olive oil would squeeze the olive and place the oil from the olive in one of two places. Only the first drop of oil would be the drop considered for pure oil. This follows the instructions given by Adonai that He should have the first fruits of our labor. As the olive then was continued to be squeezed, the remaining would be placed in a canister for common use.
In reality, both canisters had the same type of oil in them. The oil smelled the same and tasted the same. It would be no different than having two accounts at the bank, if we were to put it into terms we are more familiar with now days. They both have money and both are with the same banking institution. But the difference would be having one marked ‘checking’ and the other marked ‘savings’. The savings is set aside from the account of common use. There is something special about the savings. In many cases this money is put aside for emergencies or for a desire of something special in the future. So it is with these two canisters. One jug was allowed common use while the other was for something special. Both were the same in contents, but the jug of only the first drops was marked with the seal of the high priest, signifying that it was ritually pure.
The rules and regulations of the Jewish people drove the enemy crazy. Because of this, when Isra’el was attacked, the enemy made it a point to defile and plunder the Holy Temple. In addition to sacrificing a pig on the altar of Adonai, they also smeared pig blood on the walls of the Temple and made sure to defile every canister of pure oil they could find. When the battle had ceased and the Maccabees had been victorious, their mission was to rebuild the Temple and re-dedicate it to Adonai. But as we have already learned, they were short on oil. One single canister was found, still holding the seal of the high priest as pure oil, and that one canister of oil was used to light the Menorah while they began the process of making more oil, also sealed by the high priest.
It is in Leviticus 24:1 that the command is made to keep the lamps burning. It was because of this command that the Maccabees lit the Menorah while they worked to produce more pure oil. The Maccabees came in the following morning, fully expecting to the see the Menorah unlit, but a miracle had happened. The Menorah continued to burn. It burned a third day on the same small amount of oil they had started with. It burned a fourth, fifth, and so on. And when the pure oil had completed the process, the Menorah was still burning. So then, I want to leave you with this simple challenge. Perhaps like the temple, you have been ransacked and left for dead. Your oil of gladness has been spilled out and defiled and you question if new life can come. You wonder if you will ever be able to burn with passion again. Adonai is able to do anything. With a small amount Adonai did a miracle with the oil. And with the little passion you still possess for Adonai, He can start a new flame. I encourage you to dedicate, or re-dedicate yourself once again to Him, and watch as the little you have is multiplied. Keep the lamp burning and watch the flame that erupts.

Leviticus 24:1-23