Purifying The Oil XII: The Oil of Blessing Part Two

Continued from Purifying the Oil XI: It is true, the immediate comparison in the passge is between blessing and dew, not oil, but the two mean the same thing, as this dew was distilled by God from the supernal oil. Wine and oil belong respectively to the Left and the Right sides, and from the Right side blessings descend on the world, and from there, the holy kingdom is anointed. This because it was fixed upon below, oil was first prepared above as the source of blessings. (Zohar I 88a)

The small cruse of oil found by the Chashmonaim is considered by the Zohar to be the “Oil Above,” the Oil of the Right Side, Chesed, or Expansiveness. When the Chashmonaim acted expansively, when they were willing to act as if they had far more strength and military might than their physical circumstances indicated, they created stirrings Above of “Oil,” the Heavenly source of blessing.

Chanukah is a time when we must look at everything we do in our lives with a similar spirit of expansiveness. We must act as if we had far more ability than our physical circumstances may indicate. We must reach far higher in our learning, prayers, and service of God. We must act without limitation. It is expansiveness which stirs the Right Side Above, and allows us to access the “Supernal Oil,” the source of all blessing.