What was the great miracle?
The story told is that in 165 BC, the Jewish Maccabees rose up against the Greeks who had banned all Jewish practice, defiled the temple, and even put their own idols in it. When the Maccabees finally reclaimed (rededicated) the temple, there was only a day's supply of lamp oil for the temple menorah, but it supernaturally lasted for 8 days! I heard someone say it's like having your phone battery down to 10%, but it somehow keeps going for 8 days!
In Jewish communities around the world today, the oil miracle is celebrated with lots of oily food like donuts (sufganiot) and fried potato latkes, and children play games with a spinning top (called a dreidel) with the first letters of the words “A great miracle happened there” on each side: × -×’-×”-ש (Ness Gadol Hiya Sham). In Israel, however, the dreidel’s letters spell × -×’-×”-פ (Ness Gadol Hiya Po) “A great miracle happened HERE”. There are many great themes in the Feast of Dedication for those who love Yeshua.
