When the Maccabees revolted against the darkness, they chose outward action. When it came time to rededicate both themselves and their Temple, they called upon inward meditation to take the first step of faith in using the tiny amount of available oil to reignite the sacred light of the Temple and to rekindle their souls. As the story of the miracle of Hanukkah goes, they only had enough sacred oil to last for one day. Here's the miracle that Hanukkah commemorates: The oil burned for eight days, long enough for more to get past Antiochus' strangling blockade of Jerusalem.