During the second century BCE, the Hellenistic Syrian-Greeks ruled the Land of Israel with an iron fist and tried to impose the Greek culture, beliefs, and practices upon the Jews. They robbed them of their property, outlawed Torah study, and made it illegal to keep the Torah commandments (such as Shabbat and circumcision). The Syrian-Greeks had ransacked the Holy Temple and desecrated it by using it for the worship of Greek gods and sacrificing pigs on the altar.

A small band of Jewish warriors, led by Judah Maccabee, the eldest son of the priest Mattityahu (Mattathias), decided to rise up and defend themselves. They defeated the mighty Syrian-Greek army and drove them from the Land, thus liberating it from foreign rule. In defeating the army, they were able to reclaim the Temple and rededicate it to the service of God.

At the time of the rededication, nearly all of the oil in the Temple had been contaminated by the Greeks. The Temple Menorah was supposed to burn continuously, day and night—and that’s why the oil was so important. Miraculously, the Maccabees found a jar filled with enough pure oil to last for one day. It would take eight days to obtain new, pure olive oil, but they went ahead and lit the Menorah anyway. By a miracle, the jar of oil they had found lasted for eight days and nights. Thus, the eight day Festival of Chanukah was declared in remembrance of this miracle.