We are taught that the oil in the Menorah miraculously burned for eight days. However, we are not explicitly taught how the miracle worked. There are two main possibilities. Either the whole thing was a show, the oil didn't burn and the fire was completely a Neis. Or one could suggest that the oil simply burned on slow-motion and thus lasted for the duration of eight days.
The issue is that both of these suggestions are lacking. The formulation that the wicks remained ignited miraculously and the oil didn't burn can't be true. Chazal teach us that different kinds of oil produce different quality flames. The Menorah requires a flame that emerges specifically from olive-oil. Miracle-oil may look the same, but is essentially not the material that the Beis HaMikdash requires.
The second approach is also lacking. There is a Halachah that the oil in the Menorah was filled to the tippy-top each morning. It had to burn on a full tank. If the oil burned slowly then already by the second day this part of the Menorah service would be lacking; it would be partially empty.
Based on this we are forced to say that the miracle of the Menorah was that the oil itself produced the flame and yet it was not consumed. This is paradoxical, but finds its roots in the Torah.
When G-d first reveals Himself to Moshe Rabeinu He appears in a burning bush. It was on legitimately on fire, yet the bush was not destroyed in the process. It is at this point that Hashem says to Moshe that His name means that He will be with Am Yisrael not only in this exile, but in future difficult times. The correlation is direct to Chanukah, where the same miracle appears.
This phenomenon repeats itself a third time; in the same place. The word for bush as used in that context is Sneh. Chazal teach us that the vision of the burning bush took place on Har Chorev, a mountain that would be known afterwards as Har Sinai. The word Sinai is derived from Sneh, and it is here where the burning-but-not-burning miracle appears again.
We are told by Chazal that Har Sinai was covered in grass and flowers. Moshe himself stood on the mountain. The Psukim clearly state that the Fire of Hashem descended on the mountain and it became engulfed in smoke and flames, yet all the beauty remained intact.
The connection between the Neis of Chanukah and the Sneh/Sinai miracle revolves around Am Yisrael's connection to Torah. At the Sneh event Hashem tells Moshe that this revelation is beginning a process of exodus that will ultimately return to that same place so the Torah may be given. תעבדון את האלוקים על ההר הזה. And as we have explained in previous posts, (here and here) the victory of Chanukah commenced a national return to Torah-excellence.
What is the meaning of the Tzruah, the style of this Neis and Limud HaTorah?
In physical pursuits the harder one works, the weaker they feel after the adrenaline crashes. The most spectacular fire eventually becomes pathetic ash. However, the opposite is true of Avodas Hashem. וקווי ה' יחליפו כח - And those who passionately strive towards Hashem end up with more strength. Learning Torah doesn't expend energy - it provides it. The bush was aflame but was not consumed. Har Sinai was on fire, but the flowers didn't scorch. The Menorah burned, but the oil didn't go down!
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