Hanukkah
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that begins on the 25th of Kislev, typically falling in late November or December. It commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 165 BCE after the Maccabean revolt against Syrian-Greek oppression. Central to the celebration is the lighting of the menorah, where a candle is added each night to symbolize a miracle where a small amount of consecrated oil lasted eight days. The holiday involves special blessings, songs, and traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot, which are fried in oil to honor the miracle of the oil.
While primarily a family-centered celebration, Hanukkah includes synagogue services that highlight the historical and spiritual significance of Jewish resilience and religious freedom. In modern times, especially in North America, Hanukkah has taken on additional cultural importance, often coinciding with Christmas and incorporating gift exchanges. Although traditionally considered a minor holiday, its themes of liberation and faith continue to resonate deeply within Jewish communities worldwide.
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Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah, the Jewish festival also known as the Feast of Dedication and the Festival of Lights, begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month Kislev (November or December), which fell on December 13 in 2017. The actual observance, as with all Jewish holidays, begins at sundown on the preceding day. The holiday continues for eight days, as does Sukkot, on which the original celebration of Hanukkah was modeled. The observance of Hanukkah was instituted in the year 165 BCE by Judah the Maccabee at the successful conclusion of his three-year war against the Syrians, culminating in the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Temple had been desecrated as part of a program of forced Hellenization undertaken by the Syrian-Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The efforts of Antiochus to suppress the Jewish religion and to institute worship of the Greek pantheon were resisted by a small group of Jewish nationalists originally led by Mattathias of Modin. After his death, it was led by his eldest son, Judah the Maccabee. Using guerrilla tactics, they defeated Antiochus's large army and regained control of the Temple. After the Temple had been cleansed, the rededication of the altar on the 25th of Kislev was celebrated with sacrifices and songs of praise (Hallel). The Maccabees decreed that a similar celebration was to take place each year, beginning on the anniversary of the rededication. Some controversy surrounds the origins of Hanukkah in the twenty-first century, as despite the narrative of Jewish unity and religious freedom that surrounds the holiday, modern scholars have argued that many of those fighting against the Maccabees were in fact Hellenized Jews, and the motivation of the Maccabees was not only to defend their own right to practice those traditions and observances that Antiochus had outlawed, but to impose these practices on those of their brethren who had assimilated.
After the final destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE and the complete loss of Jewish national independence, the spiritual aspect of this holiday was emphasized. According to a rabbinic tradition, the custom of observing Hanukkah for eight days by kindling one light on the first night and one more each successive night arose from the miracle that was supposed to have occurred at the rededication of the Temple. This story states that when Judah went to rekindle the eternal light that was supposed to burn continuously in the Temple he could only find one small container of consecrated oil that had not been desecrated by the Greeks. This small container of oil, only enough to burn for one day, actually lasted eight days until new oil could be prepared and consecrated.
Today, Jewish people still observe Hanukkah by lighting one candle on the first night, two on the second, three on the third, and so on until on the last night all eight candles are burning. The candles are placed in a menorah or candelabrum, which contains holders for nine candles. The ninth candle is called the shammash, “the servant,” and is used to light the other candles. The lighted menorah may be placed in a window so that people outside can see it. The menorah stands as a symbol of freedom, love of liberty, and willingness to fight for these principles. The Hanukkah lights also symbolize the light of faith, which continues to grow even if only a small group of believers remains.
When the candles are lit each night a special blessing is recited:
Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa nisim la'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'z'man ha'ze.
In the United States, especially within Reform Judaism, the blessing is often recited in English; however, there is not a single widely agreed-upon translation that is used for this purpose. One version reads as follows:
Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us by Thy commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who performed wondrous deeds for our fathers in ancient days at this season.
Because it is forbidden to do any work by the light of the Hanukkah candles, the time during which the candles burn was traditionally spent singing songs and playing games. Most special Hanukkah games involve the dreidel, a four sided top with one of the Hebrew letters (nun, gimel, hay, and shin) on each side. The letters stand for the saying: Nes gadol haya sham, “A great miracle happened there.” In Israel the last word of the saying is often changed to Po, so that it reads “A great miracle happened here.”
Although Hanukkah is technically only a minor Jewish holiday (except for the brief time when the candles are burning there is no prohibition against working) and although, historically speaking, it was created fairly late, in modern times it has become important because of the establishment of the nation of Israel. The creation of Israel led to a renewed stress in that country on the national aspects of Hanukkah, the liberation that the Jews won, and the fact that it was a victory of the few over the many and of the weak over the strong.
Among many North American Jewish communities, Hanukkah has also received more emphasis because it happens to fall at the same time of year as the Christian observance of Christmas. The proximity to Christmas has tended to bring emphasis on the festive part of Hanukkah, especially the exchanging of gifts. Children traditionally receive Hanukkah gelt, or money, and other gifts. Parties are held at which the special holiday food latkes (potato pancakes) are eaten. The latkes, being fried in oil, are said to symbolize the miracle of the oil. Outside of North America, other fried foods are eaten to celebrate the holiday; in Israel, the most popular Hanukkah food is sufganiyot, or jelly-filled doughnuts. Sephardic Jews, hailing from Spain and Portugal, may eat fried dough balls known as buñuelos. Those of Hungarian Jewish descent eat fritters made of shredded cheese, known as kez latkes (cheese pancakes). These are just a few of the Hanukkah foods eaten by Jewish people around the world.
Although Hanukkah is celebrated mainly at home among family and friends, special synagogue services are held as well. These services traditionally include reading from the First and Second Books of the Maccabees, in which the story of the revolt is chronicled. The Torah reading of Numbers 7:1 through 8:4, which describe the dedication offering of the princes of Israel, and the singing of Hallel, emphasize the spiritual victory of the Maccabees and the importance of religious liberty and the survival of Judaism.
Bibliography
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Chabin, Michele. "Celebrating Hanukkah in the Holy Land." USA Today, 12 Dec. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/12/12/celebrating-hanukkah-holy-land/944866001/. Accessed 18 June 2024.
Feldberg, Michael. "How Christmas Transformed Hanukkah in America." My Jewish Learning, 2024, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hanukkah-american-style/. Accessed 18 June 2024.
"History: The Hanukkah Story." ReformJudaism.org, 2024, reformjudaism.org/hanukkah-history. Accessed 18 June 2024.
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