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The Zohar mentions several elements of a candle flame:
1. "The flame itself", in which the various manifestations of light appear,
2. The unchanging or steady aspect of the flame’s white light,
3. The fluctuating aspect of the blue or black light,
4. The destructive aspect of the flame, symbolized by the red color that sometimes appears within the blue or black light.
Each of these elements is metaphorically associated with different Divine names.

There were seven candles in the Menorah in the Holy Temple, corresponding to the seven "moving stars" – the sun, the moon, and the five planets closest to the earth. The twelve loaves of showbread upon the Table correspond to the astrological signs of the Zodiac. This symbolism emphasized that neither the hosts of the heavens nor the astrological signs control the fate of the world.

The Chanukah candle is the light of the essence of G-d, the light which automatically dispels and transforms the darkness, even in the realm that represents a denial of G-d's existence and a rebellion against Him. Thus the Chanukah candle is placed outside the door facing a public area which reflects the idea of plurality, of separate existence.

In Hebrew, the word shemonah (eight) has the same exact letters as hashemen (the oil), neshama (soul), and mishna (transmitted teaching). The Syrian-Greeks entered the Temple and sullied all its oil, representing the deepest level of the Jewish soul, his potential to awaken from the deepest slumber of exile, to come to life even under the most trying circumstances.

The Greeks accepted only those ideas that make sense to human intelligence, including the existence of G-d, His unity, His first-ness and His eternalness, but they denied G-d's "micro-management" and the Torah commandments which defy logic.

On the other hand, a Jew believes that G-d is higher than any level of wisdom and knowledge, that no thought can contain the Almighty at all, even the loftiest. We and our intellect are limited; we must believe and have faith in the basic foundations of the Torah.