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Sacred religion and way of lifeMore than 21 centuries ago, the Jews of Palestine were dominated by the rule of Antiochus IV, a Syrian-Greek (Seleucids) emperor who demanded that everyone in his empire follow his ways of worship. Attempting to force the Jews to adopt his pagan ways, he seized their temple in Jerusalem, filled it with idols and then ordered the Jews to abandon their faith on penalty of death. -
The TorahThe Jews refused to give up their faith in God. Mattathias, the elder of the town of Modin in Palestine, in defiance of the tyrant, called on the Jews to revolt. They followed their leader into the hills of Judea where Judah Maccabee, one of Mattathias' five sons, organized them into an army. "It is better for us to die in battle than to look upon the tragedies of our nation and sanctuary," he told the Jews. Judah received the name Maccabee, which means "hammer," because the blows he struck for freedom.
For three years the Jews fought the army of Antiochus. The account of this struggle is recorded in the Book of Maccabees where the story is told as follows: The Maccabees, much smaller in number and arms than the enemy force, set up a dummy camp. The Syrian-Greeks, believing this to be the complete Jewish encampment, attacked in full force--only to find themselves surrounded by the major part of the Hebrew army, which, under cover of darkness, had left the dummy camp and encircled the entire area. -
Menorah candlelabraDespite the overwhelming size of the enemy force, the Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, and the Syrian-Greeks were driven out of Jerusalem. Judah Maccabee was finally able to lead his troops happily and victoriously back to their city. There, the Jews cleansed and purified the Temple of every pagan object that has been brought into it and made it again a house of worship for God. It is told in Jewish legend that when Judah's men were cleaning out the Temple, they found just a single cruse of olive oil--only enough to keep the eternal light before the Holy Ark burning for one day. Miraculously, this one jar burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil, allowing the priests of the Temple enough time to prepare a sufficient supply of oil so that the eternal light could remain lit without interruption. -
Challa breadJudah Maccabee then proclaimed an eight-day holiday to celebrate the rededication of the Temple of God. Thus, the festival received its name, for Hanukkah means "dedication."
Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. The Jewish calendar is primarily based on the lunar cycle, and its dates cycle with respect to other calendar systems. Thus, the first day of Hanukkah (or "Chanukah") can fall anywhere between November 28 and December 26. -
Playing the dreidel gameToday children love this holiday, not only because it has become a time for giving of small gifts--Hanukkah gelt--often distributed over eight nights but because Hanukkah is the traditional time for playing the dreidel game. The dreidel is a small, four-sided wooden or metal top that is spun by hand. The sides are inscribed with four Hebrew letters, which begin the words: Nes gadal haya sham (a great miracle happened there). -
Family HanukkahIt is traditional to serve latkes (known in Yiddish), a kind of potato pancake, and sufganiyot (fruit-filled doughnuts), at Hanukkah parties. But the big event is a candle-lighting ceremony commemorating the light that burned for eight days during the rededication of the Temple. Every night of the festival, the father of the family places candles in a special candelabrum called the Menorah. In the presence of the whole family, he lights one candle the first night, two the second, and so on until eight candles are lit on the last night, always using a helper candle called the shamash. Hanukkah lights should burn for at least one half hour after it gets dark. Typically a b'raha is recited during the candle-lighting ceremony, and three blessings are recited during the eight-day festival. Except in times of danger, the lights were to be placed outside one's door or in the window closest to the street. And there are favorite songs commemorating the holiday as well. The most well known in English-speaking countries include "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" and "Chanukah, Oh Chanukah."
