“What is Hanukah?” the Talmud asks. It is a story about the miracle of oil and light, is the answer. We may ask, however, so what is a miracle? And do we believe in miracles anyway?

Jewish commentators have wrestled with the question of the miraculous for at least 2,000 years. Some commentators understand the miracle as a manifestation of God’s omnipotence in the form of the suspension of natural law. The parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, Joshua ordering the sun to stand still at Givon are all examples of such classic miracles.