A Freilichin Chanukah!
The gemora asks, "Mai Chanukah-what is the festival of Chanukah all about"? The answer given is that when the Greeks entered the Beis HaMikdash they defiled all of the oils. If they were waging war against the Jews why didn't they attempt to destroy the Beis HaMikdash entirely and instead satisfy themselves by merely defiling the oils.
In truth the Greeks were amazed by the Torah and its wisdom, but they waged war upon its kedusha. They did all they could to persecute those who were "Barchu bTorah techila"- made a blessing over the Torah before studying. Their real goal was to get them to forget the one who gave us the Torah, Hashem, and to get them to transgress the Mitzvos of Hashem. They didn't mind the Jews celebrating Yom Tov as a commemoration of a historical event, but to celebrate in order to fulfill the will of Hashem was an anathema to their thinking.
From their point of view, one studies because it follows the dictates of their intellect, never because of the sanctity of its text. So too did they view the lighting the oil in the Beis HaMikdash. They allowed the Jews to light the menorah as long as it would be done with neither kedusha or tahara- santity or purity, rather just because it's "nice". They wanted them to light the menorah with a Greek touch.
This episode teaches us the meaning of the statement that if someone tells you that the nations of the world have chochma-wisdom, believe them, but if they say that they have Torah, do not believe them. The essential difference between the two is that the Torah is wisdom with guidance. The meaning of the word Torah itself means horah- guidance. Chochmah will define a situation but it does not tell you what to do. If you are a good person you will use that wisdom for the good. Other people will use it in other ways; they will define the blood thirsty enemies of Israel, Hamas and the terrorism of their Jihad as a "struggle" of the underdog. Others of a similar ilk, want make it seem as if America is to blame Chas vShalom for 911, as if they had it coming.
The Torah clearly defined the fight against the Greeks for what it really was, nothing less than a struggle against a Jew's kabbolas ohl Malchus Shomayim- acceptance of the mastery of Hashem and his Kingship over the world. Conversely, when once the great philosopher Aristotle was caught in an unflattering situation dismissed the event by saying that at this particular moment he was not the great Aristotle. He was admitting that his type of wisdom did not require integration into one's lifestyle. Our Torah requires our entire being and encompasses all of our life and lifestyle. Our leaders lead us beyond the constraints of logic. Mattisyahu's name means mattis-yud kei- that everything he received was from Hashem which is beyond the world. Ben Yochanan Kohan Gadol who entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur "lifnai v;'lifnim- he connected entirely to Hashem beyond limitation, and therefore merited to receive from beyond; to win the war and experience a miracle that lasted eight days.
The lesson to us in our lives is clear. We have a choice. We can get stuck in the "teit hayavan- get trapped in the Greek mud". This occurs when we use the Torah to conform to our preconceived notions and desires. When we abuse the Torah in this way to fulfill our personal needs, then we sink into the mud of the Greek outlook.
On the other hand, we can take the initiative to fulfill the Torah's directives even in times when we do not necessarily feel up to it. We can be the weak and we can be the few, but when we push ourselves beyond our limitations, then Hashem answers from beyond and we overcome the mighty and the many and bring Moshiach.
(Based on the Reshimos, and Sichos 5732, 1971-72 on Channuka)