*Hanukkah - Chanukah begins Thursday evening, December 7 through Friday,
December 15, 2023*
[image: hannukkah 23 6.jpeg]
The eight-day Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or Chanukah commemorates
the rededication during the second century B.C. of the Second Temple in
Jerusalem, where according to legend Jews had risen up against their
Greek-Syrian oppressors 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. Hanukkah 2023 begins on the
evening of Thursday, December 7 and ends on the evening of Friday, December
15. Often called the Festival of Lights, the holiday is celebrated
with the* lighting
of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts
<
https://www.history.com/news/hanukkah-traditions-origins>.*
*History of Hanukkah*
The events that inspired the Hanukkah holiday took place during a
particularly turbulent phase of Jewish history. Around 200 B.C., Judea—also
known as the Land of Israel—came under the control of Antiochus III, the
Seleucid king of Syria <
https://www.history.com/topics/the-history-of-syria>,
who allowed the Jews who lived there to continue practicing their religion.
His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, proved less benevolent: Ancient sources
recount that he outlawed the Jewish religion and ordered the Jews to
worship Greek gods
<
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythology>. In 168
B.C., his soldiers descended upon Jerusalem
<
https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-jerusalem>, massacring thousands
of people and desecrating the city’s holy Second Temple by erecting an
altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs within its sacred walls.
Did you know? The story of Hanukkah does not appear in the Torah because
the events that inspired the holiday occurred after it was written. It is,
however, mentioned in the New Testament, in which Jesus attends a "Feast of
Dedication."
Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale
rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy. When
Matthathias died in 166 B.C., his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee (“the
Hammer”), took the helm; within two years the Jews had successfully driven
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.
*The Hanukkah '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 first Book of the Maccabees
tells another version of the story, describing an eight-day celebration
that followed the rededication but making no reference to the miracle of
the oil.)
*Hanukkah Decorations and Traditions*
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.
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
Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided spinning tops called
dreidels and exchanging gifts. In recent decades, particularly in North
America, Hanukkah has exploded into a major commercial phenomenon, largely
because it falls near or overlaps with Christmas. From a religious
perspective, however, it remains a relatively minor holiday that places no
restrictions on working, attending school or other activities.
*“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test
of our civilization.” -Mahatma Gandhi*
Daksha Howard
Program Coordinator
Residential Life
Beloit College
Phone- 608-363-2125
Email - howardd_at_beloit.edu
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm - Monday Through Thursday
Friday - 8 am to 1 pm
Received on Thu Dec 07 2023 - 10:11:14 CST