( Whisperings of Christmas) The Week of Endless Oil

We all fell silent. Some were inclined to lie on their backs; arms folded behind their heads and study the stars, other gazed meditatively at the glowing embers. I was watching the movement of the sheep. Gradually it dawned upon me that they were becoming increasingly agitated for such a quiet night.

        My son, Joel, broke the stillness with a comment; “We have been learning about the lights in school,” he ventured shyly.

        “Lights? What lights?” Zeke prodded some sticks deeper into the coals then hunkered down beside him.

        I spoke up; “He’s referring to the lights in the temple in the time of Judah of Maccabee.” 

        Zeke’s face brightened and in the flickering fire light I thought I saw lingering smiles soften several countenances.

        “That was truly a miracle if there ever was one,” Joel continued looking bashfully down.

Several heads nodded. There was a relaxing of the atmosphere as we sat back and reminisced about Judah and his father Mattathias. I am sure ‘our’ Judah was proud to be the descendant of such brave and fearless warrior –leaders who valiantly rescued Yerushalayim from the wicked Syrian-Greeks.”

Aron sighed and poked idly at the embers; “I can almost picture their dismay, however, when they finally slashed their way through to the temple only to find it in shambles. It must have been heartbreaking even to such hardened soldiers, to find that Jehovah’s lamp had gone out and they were able to find only enough pure oil to last for one day!

        “Yet it lasted for eight days!” Joel’s good friend, Micah, announced with a huge grin on his face.

“Until they were able to make more oil,” another little fellow added.

We all nodded jovially.

  “Is there some sig—sig-nif-ee-glance in light? “Micah asked. I hid my grin behind my quivering mustache. Micah always did love to use such ridiculously long words.

        “It represents Ha Shem,” I explained.

  I had been keeping an eye on the kelev for some time now. He seemed restless and uneasy. Now he sat down on his haunches and half whined, half whimpered at the sky.

        Zeke arched his hand over his eyes. “Can’t see any strange prowlers out there… can you?” He unfolded his long frame and ambled over to the kelev.