Hanukkah or Chanukah begins at sunset on Tuesday, December 16 and ends at sunset on Wednesday, December 24, 2014. Chanukah, the Jewish festival of rededication,
also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival
beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Chanukah is probably one of the best
known Jewish
holidays, not because of any great religious significance,
but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews
(and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday
as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas
customs, such as elaborate gift-giving
and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday,
which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation
and suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most
assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.
The story of Chanukah begins in the
reign of Alexander
the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and
Judea, but allowed the people under his control to continue
observing their own religions and retain a certain degree
of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule,
many Jews assimilated, adopting much of Hellenistic culture, including the language, customs, dress,
etc., in much the same way that Jews in America today
blend into the secular American society.
More than a century later,
a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was
in control of the region. He began to oppress
the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic
priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice
of the Jewish religion, and desecrating
the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of
pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed
Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group
led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious
traditionalist group known as the Chasidim,
the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement
known as Chasidism).
They joined forces in a revolt against
both the assimilation of the Hellenistic
Jews and oppression by the Selucid Greek
government. The revolution succeeded and
the Temple was rededicated.
According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud,
at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that
had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout
the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day,
yet miraculously, it burned for eight days. An eight day festival was
declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday
commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews
do not glorify war.
Chanukah is not a very important religious
holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that
of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot.
It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won't find many non-Jews who have even heard
of Purim! Chanukah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is
related in the book of the Maccabbees,
which Jews do not accept as scripture.
The only religious
observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The
candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a Hanukia. Many people
refer to the Hanukia incorrectly as a menorah. The name menorah
is used only to describe the seven-branched candelabrum that was
housed in the Jewish Temple. The Hanukiah holds nine candles: one for
each night, plus a shamash (servant) at a different height. On the
first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shamash candle
is lit and three berakhot (blessings) are recited: l'hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d
for allowing us to reach this time of year). The first candle is then
lit using the shamash candle, and the shamash candle is placed in its
holder. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a
minimum of 1/2 hour. Each night, another candle is added from right to
left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right
(because you pay honor to the newer thing first).
