Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that is celebrated for eight days and nights and is often called the Festival of Lights.

Why is it important?

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, or Israelites, over the Greek-Syrian ruler, Antiochus, approximately 2,200 years ago.

The eight-day Jewish celebration commemorates the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where, according to legend, Israelites had risen up against Antiochus in the Maccabean Revolt.

Hanukkah, which means "dedication" in Hebrew, begins on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and usually falls in November or December.

History

Judea

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Judea became part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt until 200 BCE, when King Antiochus III the Great, the Seleucid king of Syria, gained control of the land. Antiochus III allowed the Jews who lived there to continue practicing their religion.

Antiochus IV

Son of Antiochus III, Antiochus IV outlawed the Jewish religion,  ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods and, in 168 B.C., descended upon Jerusalem, massacring thousands of people and desecrating the city's holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus.

The rebellion

A large-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy, led by Jewish Priest Mathathias and his five sons. In 166 B.C., Judah, one of the sons, known as Judah Maccabee ("the Hammer"), took the helm and successfully drove the Syrians out of Jerusalem, relying largely on guerilla warfare tactics. Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light its menorah—the gold candelabrum whose seven branches represented knowledge and creation and were meant to be kept burning every night.

source: History.com

Hanukkah, a.k.a. Festival or Lights

(Hebrew: ÎùÍ▓ÎáÍ╗ÎøÍ©Í╝Îö)ÔÇÄ

The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "ÎùÎáÎÜ", meaning "to dedicate". On Hanukkah, the Maccabean Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. Many explanations, however, have been given for the name. Chanukah/Channuka/Hanukkah is a transliteration of the Hebrew, and the world hasn't quite reached unanimous agreement on how to pronounce it!

Hanukkah's word meanings

Many meanings have been ascribed to the word, including a rabbinical dispute

Chanu

The name can be broken down into ÎùÎáÎò ÎøÎ┤Îö, "[they] rested [on the] twenty-fifth" (chanu: [they] rested), referring to the fact that the Maccabees ceased fighting against the Syrian Greeks on the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins.

Chinuch

ÎùÎÖÎáÎòÎÜ Chinuch, from the same root, is the name for Jewish education, emphasizing ethical training and discipline. One Hasidic text suggests that the light of Hanukkah is a foretaste of the light of the messiah and is meant to educate us for our eventual redemption.

Eight Candles

ÎùÎáÎòÎøÎö (Hanukkah), acronym for Îù ÎáοÎòά ÎòÎöΣÎøÎö ÎøÎæÎÖά ÎöΣΣ – "Eight candles, and the halakha is like the House of Hillel". This is a reference to the disagreement between two rabbinical schools of thought – Hillel and Shammai – over whether one should light eight candles on the first night and dwindle down to one or, as Hillel's members argued, light one candle first and an additional one every night of the holiday, since we should strive to increase sanctity rather than diminish it. The Hillel school won out.

The "miracle"

According to the Talmud, one of Judaism's most central texts, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who took part in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle.

Even though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah's candles burning for a single day, the flames continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find a fresh supply. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival.

The celebration

The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the kindling of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiah. On each of the holiday's eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash ("helper"), is used to light the others. Jews typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.

Food

In another allusion to the Hanukkah miracle, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes (known as latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular in many Jewish households.

Other customs

Playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts.

Despite recent commercialization in America, from a religious perspective, Hanukkah remains a relatively minor holiday that places no restrictions on working, attending school or other activities.