We Jews have a special appreciation for drinks of different kinds. Every Jewish holiday has a unique liquid with which we celebrate it: On Rosh Hashana, honey; on Purim, alcohol. On Pesach, it’s wine, on Shavuos, milk and on Chanukah—oil! Each of them carries nostalgic sentimental value as well profound spiritual directives associated with the energy and potential of the holiday. On Chanukah we celebrate not just the fact that the oil miraculously burned for eight days in the newly rededicated Temple, but the spirituality of oil that inspires us each year on this spectacular Festival of Light.

Oil is different to all other liquids in the way that it influences its environment. Most other beverages just keep to themselves, but oil quite literally lights up the entire room! Even those who are far removed from the oil are touched by its presence as it replaces the darkness with light, once kindled. Our sages explain that the nature and chemistry of the Chanukah oil represents an exciting spiritual meditation that is critical for us to employ each year at this time.

They explain that in fact, this extraordinary aptitude of oil to illuminate its surroundings is a direct result of its paradoxical nature. On the one hand oil is the solution of choice for getting into hard to reach places like door hinges that creak or bicycle chains that have rusted. This is because oil is the ultimate mixer, with no limits on where it’s able to reach. On the other hand, when mixed with other liquids, oil always stands alone as it rises to the top. This is why you always need to shake your salad dressing before serving, as the oil will have otherwise inevitably taken all the flavor to the top of the jar.

Like oil, we too strive to make our mark as we positively influence the world around us. The lesson we learn from the Chanukah lights is that only when you are unique are you able to influence change. Only when you........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)