בס"ד
There is a connection between the prophet Zechariah and the festival of Hanuka and the month of Kislev in which it falls. The dates of three of his prophecies are explicitly mentioned. The first one occurs in the eighth month which is Heshvon. This is the month before Kislev. It would seem that there has been repentance in Israel in that they admitted that the Lord of Hosts has indeed carried out His threats to deal with them according to their ways and deeds. G-d responds that if they return to Him, follow the Torah, listen to the prophets, and eschew their wickedness, then He will return to them.
The next prophecy is in Shvat which is two months after Kislev. The day is the 24th which in the evening, 25, would be the same date of the month as Hanuka. This one has the form of a lucid dream. In it G-d speaks to him, several angels speak to him, and there are a number of visions. The message is upbeat that the Jews will be returning to Judea including Jerusalem and that the Temple will be rebuilt. There is a detailed vision of the menorah in which it is being supplied with oil from two nearby olive trees.
Another prophecy occurs on the fourth of Kislev. It is a response to a question by distinguished members of the community concerning if they should fast on the days commemorating the destruction of the first temple. The answer is that once the Temple is rebuilt these days should be celebrations.
Hanukkah marks the highest fulfillment of these prophecies. Even though the Jews returned to Zion, Judea remained a province of one empire or another. However with the victory of the Maccabees full sovereignty was regained.
Part of the vision of the menorah is two olive trees which supply it with oil. Zecharia asks what do they represent and the angel replies these are the two ‘sons of oil’ (בְנֵי־הַיִּצְהָר) who stand with the Lord of all the world”, (Zecharia 4:14). Various explanations are given to explain this verse. Until the commercial harnessing of electricity, candles were used to provide light and these often were fueled with olive oil. Because of this, olive trees symbolized perception, education, and intelligence. Many commentaries say that here it was Zerubavel, the political leader, and Yehoshua, the high priest. Using a similar theme others say it was Moshe rabenu and King David. Some like Aharon because he was actually annointed.
Conceptually it may be religious insights gained through internal meditation to the depths of the soul and external meditation to the heights of science. Similarly it could mean sound ideas which are manifested in sound actions. Here it could be the Tanakh and the land of Israel. The hint may be for the Jews to truly be sovereign and independent, they must be experts in scripture and even with this, it must be in the land of Israel.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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