The holiday of Chanukah recalls the miracle that occurred when Jewish patriot Judas Maccabeus drove the forces of Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes out of the Temple of Jerusalem. Maccabeus and his followers discovered that the invaders had desecrated the Temple, so they sought oil to light a menorah to rededicate it (that menorah recalled one that Moses included in his Tabernacle). But they found only enough sacramental, purified oil for a single day. Miraculously, that tiny amount of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply could be obtained.
The Hanukkah menorah includes eight candles, one for each day the oil burned, plus the shammes, a "servant candle" that is used to light the others.
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