The Celebration of Chanukah
Chanukah began at sundown yesterday, December 15, which is actually the 25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev. Lasting for eight days and nights, it celebrates the triumphs, both religious and military, of the ancient Jewish heroes. The celebration of Chanukah includes games, festive foods and blessings, and tells a story of Jewish culture surviving in a non-Jewish world.
Chanukah, or Hanukah, (or even Hanukkah,) is known as the “Festival of Lights,” and is really a relatively minor holiday in the Jewish year. Over the years, it's proximity to Christmas, has brought greater attention to Chanukah, and the tradition of giving gifts, to the non-Jewish community.
The Story of Chanukah
About 2,200 years ago, (in 168 B.C.E.,) religious Jews, led by Mattathias the Hasmonean, and later his son Judah the Maccabee, took up arms against a Greek-Syrian ruler named Antiochus IV, who ruled Jerusalem. Antiochus IV tried to force Greek culture and religion upon peoples in his territory and took over the great temple of Jerusalem, burned the holy books and condemned the scholars to death.
A rebellious group of men led by Judah the Maccabee, became known as the Maccabees. After three years of fighting, in the year 3597, or about 165 B.C.E., the Maccabees victoriously reclaimed the temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah.
Upon reclaiming the temple, they began to prepare for the cleansing and rededication of the temple. (In Hebrew, the word Chanukah means "dedication.") To accomplish this task, they needed to reestablish the eternal light, and for that they needed consecrated oil. The problem was that in the temple they found only enough purified oil to kindle the temple light for a single day, and it would take eight days to make new oil. But miraculously, the light continued to burn for eight days with only the small amount of all that they used.
A Spiritual Look at the Meaning of Chanukah
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