There are two Yomim Tovim in which we say ‘Al Hanisim’, Purim and Chanukah. On Purim we celebrate with a feast and food while on Chanukah we celebrate with candles and hallel. The Meforshim explain this difference between Purim and Chanukah. On Purim, Haman’s decree was to destroy the Jewish nation physically while during Chanukah the struggle was against the Neshama of a Yid. Once the Maccabees were victorious in their war against the Greeks, their dilemma revolved around how to light the menorah oil in a state of purity. Whether the oil is pure or tamei is not a physical thing that we can touch, but it is a spiritual matter as the Rambam explains.
One of the qualities of oil is that it floats to the top of all liquids. In a person oil represents intelligence the level of a person that is on top. Through using oil we get light. So too a person uses seichel to guide him or her in the best way to live. Oil is greasy and permeates everything it comes in contact with. So too seichel penetrates into every level of a person. The job of seichel is to have an affect every aspect of life. The Greeks were intelligent and wanted everything to be done for strictly rational reasons. If we would have agreed to go along (chas v’shalom) with their reasoning we could have continued to keep kosher, but it would have only been for health reasons. We would have kept Pesach, but it would have been to celebrate the concept of freedom. We would have been able to continue learning the Torah but it would have been viewed (chas v’shalom) as a constitution. The Greek’s were opposed to us calling it ‘Your Torah’, Hashem’s Torah.
The Greeks may have even tolerated us having some form of a belief system. They may have accepted if we subdued our opinion to a higher authority. They would have viewed it to being similar to accepting the opinion of a doctor because we realize that he has an understanding that is superior to our own. They would have accepted this because it makes sense. But if we do mitzvos because they are ‘chukei r’tzoneicha- because it’s Hashem’s will’ and it doesn’t matter whether there is a reason or not at all, this they could not tolerate.
One may ask, what do we care about the reason why we do the mitzvos, hamaisa hu haikar, the action is the main thing? If we actually rest on Shabbos we have done the mitzvah, why does it matter if he is doing it to benefit his family life? If he doesn’t eat chaazer because it is unclean, what does it matter if in the end he doesn’t eat chaazer? The Greeks were prepared to allow this kind of observance. This is what the war of the Chashmonayim was all about. They fought for the kedush, the holiness and purity of the mitzvah as is represented in the oil. We don’t honor our parents and not desire other people’s possessions (lo sachmod) because it is nice, we do it because it says so in the Asares Hadibros! This is what we fought for in the war; we fought for the soul, the kedusha of neshamos Yisroel and the kedusha of the Torah and mitzvos.
Today, when learn the Torah and we perform any and every mitzvah, we need to remind ourselves to connect with the ‘Nosein HaTorah’, Hashem who gave us the Torah and the mitzvos. Every mitzvah; be it Matzah, Marror, Shofar, or Sukkah needs to be connected to the kedusha within it. This is also true of nigunim. Even if the words of the songs are Jewish, is the nigun also kodesh? The Rebbe converted the French national anthem into the nigun of Aderes v’Emunah; not everyone can do that. When we do not do this properly then the kedusha is missing. We are not necessarily the ones who can do this.
The Rebbe answered an individual who asked to make a recording of songs with pesukim and non-Jewish melodies. The Rebbe answered that he needs to seek the opinion of a Lubavitcher Rav, who is a posek and also involved in communal affairs. The Rav needs to ascertain if it is possible and worthwhile to make the melodies kosher. In cause of a doubt one needs to be strict and not allow. (see Likkutei Sichos v.24 pg.429)
Chanukah teaches us that the oil needs to be pure. Chanukah also teaches us that the oil needs to be sealed with the Kohen Gadol’s seal; these are our Rebbeim. If our customs come through the Rebbeim we know that it is kadosh v’tahor. If not, it may be kosher but it may not be appropriate for our menorah.