Chanukah

Hanukkah or Chanukah begins on December 25th this year. There will be festivities occurring from the Christian and Jewish communities on the same day!

“Chanukah” is Hebrew for “dedication,” and it commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been desecrated by the Hellenistic Syrians under order of Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 B.C. Led by Judah Maccabee, the Jewish people revolted and defeated the Greeks in 165 B.C. The first order of business was to clean out the Temple of the pagan symbols and desecration that had occurred.

The story from the Jewish commentary, the Talmud, tells of there only being enough special oil to light the lamps of the Temple for one night. That one flask of oil lasted for 8 nights, however, and that is the miracle that is celebrated. The lighting of the 8 candles of the menorah recounts this event.