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Hanukkah, or the Festival of
Rededication, celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the
Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE. Although it is a late addition to the Jewish liturgical calendar, the
eight-day festival of Hanukkah has become a beloved and joyous holiday. It is also known as the
Festival of Lights and takes place in December, at the time of year when the days are shortest in
the northern hemisphere.
History: Beginning in 167 BCE, the Jews of Judea rose up in revolt against the oppression
of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire. The military leader of the first phase of
the revolt was Judah the Maccabee, the eldest son of the priest Mattityahu (Mattathias). In the
autumn of 164, Judah and his followers were able to capture the Temple in Jerusalem, which had
been turned into a pagan shrine. They cleansed it and rededicated it to Israel’s God. This
event was observed in an eight-day celebration, which was patterned on Sukkot,
the autumn festival of huts. Much later rabbinic tradition ascribes the length of the festival to
a miraculous cruse of oil that burned for eight days.
At Home: Much of the activity of Hanukkah takes place at home. Central to the holiday is the
lighting of the hanukkiah, an eight-branched candelabrum to which one candle is added on each day
of the holiday until it is ablaze with light on the eighth day. (The Hanukkiah is also referred to
--incorrectly-- as a Hanukkah menorah, but a true menorah has a total of only seven branches).
In commemoration of the legendary cruse of oil, it is traditional to eat foods fried in oil. The
most familiar Hanukkah foods are the European (Ashkenazi) potato pancakes, or latkes, and the
Israeli favorite, jelly donuts, or sufganiyot. The tradition developed in Europe to give small
amounts of money as well as nuts and raisins to children at this time. Under the influence of
Christmas, which takes place around the same time of year, Hanukkah has evolved into the central
gift-giving holiday in the Jewish calendar in the Western world.
The defining act of Hanukkah is to kindle the lights of the hanukkiyah, the eight-branched
candelabrum. These lights, which can either be candles or tiny oil cups with floating wicks, grow
in strength during the eight days of Hanukkah, with the addition of one candle or lighted wick
each night.
One light is added each night to fulfill the concept of lo moridim ba-kodesh (one does not
decrease in holiness). Because the purpose of these Hanukkah lights is the public proclamation of
the Hanukkah miracle, the hanukkiyah is traditionally lit in a place where the candles can be seen
from out of doors, near a window or a doorway. If, however, this public placement of the
hanukkiyah constitutes a danger, either from fire or anti-Semitism, the lights may be kindled
elsewhere in the house.
Since the Hanukkah lights fulfill a religious obligation, the rabbis forbade using them for any
other purpose, even Torah study. Hence every hanukkiyah has a ninth light, the shamash, or
"helper," whose purpose is to provide light and to kindle the other candles. The
candles, lit after sunset, are traditionally supposed to burn at least one-half hour after
nightfall. On Friday nights, the Hanukkah lights are kindled before the Shabbat candles. In some
homes, the head of the household lights a single hanukkiyah for the entire family, while in
others, each member of the family lights his or her own hanukkiyah.
Since Hanukkah is not biblically ordained, the liturgy for the holiday is not well developed. It
is actually a quite minor festival. However, it has become one of the most beloved of Jewish
holidays. In an act of defiance against those in the past and in the present who would root out
Jewish practice, the observance of Hanukkah has assumed a visible community aspect. Jews will
often gather for communal celebrations and public candle lighting. At such celebrations, Hanukkah
songs are sung and traditional games such as dreidel are played.
Like Passover, Hanukkah is a holiday that celebrates the liberation from oppression. It also
provides a strong argument in favor of freedom of worship and religion. In spite of the human
action that is commemorated, never far from the surface is the theology that the liberation was
possible only thanks to the miraculous support of the Divine.
The Talmud describes Hanukkah as a holiday of "praise and thanksgiving" in commemoration
of the miraculous overthrow of the Syrian Greeks, the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem, and
the single cruse of oil that lasted eight days. Hanukkah's festive atmosphere derives almost
entirely from home ritual and customs and is dominated by light as a metaphor for spiritual
freedom. This is emphasized by special holiday songs, games, and foods.
Prayers: Both Ashkenazim (Jews of Eastern European descent) and Sephardim (Jews
of Spanish or Mediterranean descent) recite two blessings each night, which affirm the commandment
to kindle the Hanukkah lights and recall the Hanukkah miracle. An additional blessing said on the
first night of most Jewish festivals, the Shehecheyanu, thanks God for enabling one to be alive
for the celebration.
Following candle lighting, it is traditional to recite Haneirot Hallalu, verses stipulating that
"these candles" are holy and one is not permitted to use them except to look at
them.Ashkenazim continue by singing Maoz Tzur, a hymn that remembers different redemptions in
Jewish history, whereas Sephardim recite Psalm 30, a psalm for the dedication of the Temple.
The Miracle of Oil: Another reminder of the miracle of the legendary cruse of oil comes
through the smells and tastes of oil that permeate special Hanukkah foods: potato latkes for the
Ashkenazim and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) for the Sephardim. During Hanukkah, an additional prayer,
Al Hanisim ("for the miracles"), which expresses thanks to God for the Jews' miraculous
deliverance, is added to the Birkat Hamazon (Grace after Meals) and the Amidah (standing or silent
prayer).
Jewish law prohibits work for one hour after candlelighting. This time period is traditionally
used for "family learning," specifically to teach children about Hanukkah through study
and discussion. Families also use the period after candlelighting for games, singing, and
gift-giving.
Games: A favorite Hanukkah activity is a gambling game played with a four-sided spinning
top known in Yiddish as a dreidel (sevivon in Hebrew). Legend
attributes this custom to Jews during the time of the Hanukkah story who would grab a dreidel and
start to play if Syrian soldiers entered the house during Torah study or prayer.
In truth, the custom is probably a much later one. In the Diaspora, four Hebrew letters --nun,
gimel, hey, and shi -- adorn the sides of the dreidel; they represent the words nes gadol hayah
sham, meaning "a great miracle happened there." In Israel, the last letter is changed to
a peh, representing the word po, "here," with the resulting declaration, "a great
miracle happened here."
Hanukkah is also a time of joyous singing of traditional Ashkenazic and Sephardic songs, as well
as more recent songs composed in the United States, Israel, and elsewhere. Some families enjoy
decorating their homes for Hanukkah.
Gelt: With the proximity of Christmas, Hanukkah has emerged in the United States as a
central gift-giving time for Jews, although in Europe the tradition had been to give children only
raisins, nuts, and small amounts of Hanukkah gelt ("money"). Today some Jews advocate
giving children gifts on Purim instead of Hanukkah,because the scroll of Esther actually mandates
that Purim be celebrated with mishloah manot, "the giving of gifts" (although these are
traditionally gifts of food), and matanot l'evyonim "gifts for the poor." |
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