Hanukkah, sometimes called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day holiday that begins on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev, a winter month. It commemorates the victory of the outnumbered, poorly equipped Jews led by Judah the Maccabee over the greatly superior forces of the Greco-Syrian tyrant Antiochus in 165 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). It is significant to us all because it's the first record of a minority people fighting to attain the right to practice their own religion. Hanukkah takes place in the home and involves lighting candles, enjoying special foods, and playing dreidel and card games. After they recaptured their desecrated Temple and began repurifying it, the people found only one small pot of oil - just one day's supply - that was pure. They lit it and, miraculously, it burned for eight full days, giving them time to prepare a new, ritually pure supply. Both the military victory and the burning of the oil were miracles. Today we especially honor the memory of those who lit the oil because it was the proper thing to do, despite knowing that they didn't have enough to burn as long as required. We should let this story encourage us to do the right thing even when it is difficult and even when we don't think we will succeed.
It is significant to us all because it's the first record of a minority people fighting to attain the right to practice their own religion.
Both the military victory and the burning of the oil were miracles. Today we especially honor the memory of those who lit the oil because it was the proper thing to do, despite knowing that they didn't have enough to burn as long as required.
We should let this story encourage us to do the right thing even when it is difficult and even when we don't think we will succeed.
In every Jewish holiday, the traditional rituals include aspects intended to involve the whole individual through all the senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. We explore how Hanukkah customs do this as we continue.