Rabbi Steven Burg, CEO of Aish and an executive board member of the Rabbinical Council of America, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the miracle of Hanukkah is as relevant today to Jews as it was more than 2,000 years ago.
Hanukkah, which begins at sundown Wednesday in a rare confluence with Christmas Day, celebrates the Jews' rededication of their temple after the Maccabean revolt against the Greek Empire.
The Jewish people had only enough oil for one night, but a miracle happened, and the temple's menorah stayed lit for eight days. It was another case of God's ability to provide light to the Jewish people in the face of darkness, according to Burg.
"The greatest message was the miracle was the light," Burg told "Wake Up America." "After our temple was destroyed and defiled, we basically came back in.
"We fought back, and we were able to find a little bit of oil that lasted for eight days. That's the miracle everyone knows.
"But part and parcel with that miracle was the fact that we were able to take on the Greek Empire, which is one of the greatest empires in the world, which had oppressed the Jews. A group of small Jews, the Maccabees, fought back and won this war against one of the greatest empires in the world," he said.
"And I think now being in Israel and seeing what we're up against a war on seven different fronts, seeing thousands of missiles descend upon us, but yet we know that God is protecting us today just as much as he did 2,000 years ago."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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