Menorahs and Maccabees

We had menorahs on our minds this week.

Morah Katie: Why do we celebrate Chanukah with menorahs?

Moshe: Candles.

Rowen: Soldiers said no Torah no Shabbat. Kids spinned dreidels. Light the menorahs and Shabbat!

Moshe: The Oil.

Morah Katie: Yes. We light candles in menorahs to remember the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil that lasted for 8 nights.

Matan: The Maccabees stood up for what was right.

Morah Katie: I agree.

Morah Tzivie brought a special menorah to share.

This menorah uses oil.

Morah Tzivie: Fire needs food to keep going.  Oil can be food for fire.

What happens when the oil, or wax for a candle, is gone?

Lochlan: The fire is all gone.

Morah Tzivie: But what happened to the oil in the menorah at the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple)?

Maya: It kept for 8 days.

Morah Tzivie: A miracle happened. 

We are going to try an experiment. I am going to light this cup of oil in the menorah. I will place it on a shelf. We will watch to see if it burns down, or if it lasts.

We kept track of the oil.

The oil was out mid lunch, no miracle occurred.

We read a book about how olive oil is made.  It is quite a process of collecting the olives. Then smashing, pressing and squeezing the olives to get the oil- the oil from first press was used in the Beit HaMikdash.
We decided to try some olive pressing of our own.

Morah Katie: Would you want to be an olive farmer?

Evan: I like smashing olives, I like eating olives.

Lochlan: It would be hard work.

Morah Jillian: Are you getting a lot of oil from your olive?

Emily: No.

Morah Jillian: What did they use oil for? 

Aura: The menorah.

Morah Katie: How many olives did you smash? 

Everyone: One.

Morah Katie: Did that one olive create a lot of oil?

Everyone: No.

Morah Katie: How many olives do you think it would take to make enough oil to light the menorah in the Holy Temple?

Lochlan:154

Colette: 6100.

Morah Katie: Tell me again, what was the great miracle that happened? 

Moshe: The oil.

Colette: It lasted.