The oil found was sufficient for one day, and it miraculously burnt for eight days. Therefore, we celebrate Chanukah for eight days. The Beis Yosef asks that Chanukah should be seven days because there was no miracle on the first day. There was enough oil for that day!
The Alter of Kelm zt’l replies that there was a miracle the first day, too. It was the miracle of nature. Oil produces light naturally, but isn't that also a miracle? How does oil become light?
Reb Moshe Feinstein zt'l says that on Chanukah, we train ourselves to recognize that every aspect of nature is a miracle. Shulchan Aruch (676:3) states, "If a person is unable to light Chanukah lecht on one of the nights of Chanukah, he should say the brachah of ניסים שעשה when he sees Chanukah lecht.” This is an unusual halachah. We don't say a brachah for seeing any other mitzvah besides Chanukah lecht. This is because Chanukah is all about seeing. It is about training oneself to see the world as it truly is: a miraculous world.
This is also why Chazal (Shabbos 22.) say, "Chanukah lecht that was placed above twenty amos is pasul." People won't see it, and the point of Chanukah is to see, to see the world in its true colors.
After the Gemara tells us that a menorah can't be placed higher than twenty amos, the Gemara digresses to discuss a pasuk in this week's parashah, where Yosef was thrown into a pit. It states (37:24), מים בו אין ריק והבור, "The pit was empty; it didn’t have water." The Gemara adds, "It didn't contain water, but it had snakes and scorpions."
The meforshim wonder why the Gemara teaches these lessons together. What is the connection between a menorah above twenty amos and that Yosef was thrown into a pit filled with snakes and scorpions?
Reb Moshe Feinstein zt’l answers that a great miracle happened to Yosef. He was thrown into a pit with snakes and scorpions, but they didn't bite or harm him. But Yosef's brothers didn't recognize this miracle. If they had, they wouldn't have sold him as a slave. The Gemara teaches us that it is possible to stare at a miracle and not notice it. Indeed, we always see the miracles of creation, but who thinks about them? This is the reason a Chanukah menorah can't be too high. The Chanukah menorah trains us to see the world correctly and recognize the miracles we are exposed to all the time.
We now understand why the Gemara places together the halachah of a Chanukah menorah perched above twenty amos and the lesson that Yosef's pit had snakes and scorpions. Yosef's brothers didn't recognize the miracle. And this is precisely why Chanukah lecht can't be too high. The Chanukah lecht must be seen because it reveals Hashem's miracles.
However, looking at Chanukah lecht alone doesn’t suffice if we don't contemplate the message that the Chanukah lecht are teaching. When a person is in a dark room, he can't see anything. Even if someone turns on the light, he still won’t see anything if his eyes are closed. The light of Chanukah reveals that Hashem performs miracles and that even nature, itself is a miracle. But if a person keeps his eyes closed, he won't capture the message.
In the morning, we say the brachos פוקח עורים and מעיני שנה המעביר. Both brachos seem to be thanking Hashem for our ability to see. What is the difference between them?
Reb Shimon Schwab zt’l answers that one brachah thanks Hashem for our vision, and the other brachah thanks Hashem for our perception. We praise Hashem that we can see, and we praise Hashem that we can perceive the miracles our eyes witness.
Reb Shlomo Eiger of Lublin hy'd zt'l (son of Shevet Yehudah zt'l) taught that there are two ways to awaken someone: either with a loud sound or by turning on a light. On Rosh Hashanah, we are awakened by the loud call of the shofar. On Chanukah, we are awakened by the bright lights of emunah that emanate from the Chanukah lecht.
The Tzror HaMor says חנוכה spells ה"כ חנו, and there are ה"כ, twenty-five, letters in שמע אחד 'ה אלקינו 'ה ישראל. So ה"כ חנו means the Chashmanaim won the war because they believed in Hashem. And each year, on Chanukah, we open our eyes and discover the miracles Hashem constantly performs for us.
