It's so easy to get lost in the spirit of Hanukkah with the gift giving and the dreidel spinning, but here's another take at the holiday by one of my friends, Ari. Ari and I met this summer when BBYO's Kallah program did an exchange with his Orthodox summer camp, Camp Morasha. Ari has such great insight into the Torah, and I hope his words bring you some inspiration during Hanukkah!

"What is Hanukkah? It can't be just about a military victory because there have been many military victories in Jewish history before this one and we don't celebrate them- so what is it about this one that makes it significant?
The answer is that this battle was more than just a military victory- it was a spiritual victory, a victory of Judaism, not just the Jewish people. The Greeks did not want to kill off all the Jews, they just wanted them to stop being Jewish. The ensuing battle and victory of the Maccabees, while also signifcant because of the military might they possessed, is more significant because they proved that the Jewish religion will always prevail against those who try to annihilate its existence. The Greeks represent all those people who over the years tried to stamp the Judaism out of the Jew so that he would become like everyone else. The Macabbee is the Jewish soul who responds in turn that he will not throw away his faith and his religious experience in the face of oppression."

Happy Hanukkah everyone!