Apparently, the Rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud wanted to downplay the centrality of the military victories as the core of the Chanukah festival. That is probably why they mandated as the prophetic reading, the Haftarah, for the Shabbat of Chanukah (the first, if there are two,) a passage that includes the following words of Zechariah (4:6): "Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts."
Some people say that the true miracle of Chanukah is not that the oil burned for 8 days, but that the Jews had enough hope and faith to light it to begin with, trusting that it could last. The messages of hope, faith, trusting in God and trying to live by God’s spirit --these messages can guide all of us in our lives. I wish happy and healthy festivals to all.
Debbie Weissman, Jerusalem