Chanukah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Chanukah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.

The story of Chanukah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Judea, but allowed the people under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated, adopting much of Hellenistic culture, including the language, customs, dress, etc., in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The Temple was then rededicated; this is the Chanukah miracle found in the Books of Maccabees.

According to tradition, as recorded in the Talmud, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks at the time of the rededication. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day yet, miraculously, it burned for eight days. This was the other Chanukah miracle and the reason we celebrate the festival for eight days.

Rabbinically, Chanukah is a minor religious holiday on par with the less well known Purim. Chanukah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the Books of the Maccabees.

The holiday is celebrated religiously by lighting candles or oil to commemorate the miracles. They are placed in the Chanukah Menorah or Chanukiah. Many people refer to the Chanukiah incorrectly as a menorah. The name menorah is used only to describe the seven-branched candelabrum that was housed in the Jewish Temple. The Chanukiah holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shamash (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shamash candle is lit and three brakhot (blessings) are recited: l’hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and shehekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year). The first candle is then lit using the shamash candle, and the shamash candle is placed in its holder. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour. Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first).

Because of the law prohibiting the lighting of a fire on Shabbat, Chanukah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles on Friday night, and they are lit after Havdalah on Saturday night. The following blessings are said:

prayer

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of time and space, who enriches our lives with holiness, commanding us to kindle the Chanukkah lights.

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir shel Chanukkah.

Blessed are You, our God, Creator of time and space, who performs miracles for our ancestors, in the days of long ago and in this time.

Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam she'asah nisim la'avoteinu bayamim haheim baz'man hazeh.

On the first night, the Shehecheyanu blessing is also recited.

Why the shamash candle? The Chanukah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shamash), so that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don’t accidentally use the Chanukah candles. The shamash candle is at a different height so that it is easily identified as the shamash.

It is traditional to eat fried foods on this holiday, because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced “lot-kuhs” or “lot-keys” depending on where your grandmother comes from), or “potato pancakes.” It is also customary to eat donuts, the traditional food of Israel known as sufganiyot.

Gift giving is not a traditional part of the holiday. However, in North America, due to its proximity to Christmas, gift giving has become a major aspect of the holiday. Traditionally, one only gives gelt, Yiddish for money, but rather than actual money, chocolate coins are given to add to the sweetness of the holiday. Chanukah gelt is a Jewish custom rooted in the Talmud: “The Talmud states that even a very poor person must light Chanukah lights, even if he can’t afford it. A person with no money is required to go ‘knocking on doors’ until he collects enough to buy at least one candle for each night of Chanukah. The Torah concept of charity -- tzedakah -- requires us to help the recipient in the most dignified manner possible. Therefore, the custom arose to give gifts of money during Chanukah so that someone who needs extra money for Chanukah candles can receive it in the form of ‘Chanukah Gelt.’”

Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top. Most people play for matchsticks, pennies, M&Ms or chocolate coins. A dreidel is marked with the following four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimmel, Heh and Shin. On Israeli dreidels, there is no Shin but rather a Peh, which stands for Po, meaning here. This supposedly stands for the Hebrew phrase “nes gadol hayah sham,” a great miracle happened there. Actually, it stands for the Yiddish words nit (nothing), gantz (all), halb (half) and shtell (put), which is the rules of the game! There are some variations in the way people play the game, but the way I learned it, everyone puts in one coin. A person spins the dreidel. On Nun, nothing happens; on Gimmel (or, as we called it as kids, “gimme!”), you get the whole pot; on Heh, you get half of the pot; and on Shin, you put one in. When the pot is empty, everybody puts one in. Keep playing until one person has everything. Then redivide it because nobody likes a poor winner.

There are many Hebrew Chanukah songs, the most famous of which is Maoz Tzur or Rock of Ages which tells the story of God’s deliverance, the major theme of Chanukah. Less traditional, but more amusing, are the four versions of Adam Sandler’s Chanukah Song, which makes reference to celebrities who are Jewish.

Sources: Judaism 101;
Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, The Tapestry of Jewish Time, NJ: Behrman House, 2000;
Ohr Somayach;
Rabbi Randall Mark.

Photo: The Jewish Museum New York, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Jewish Holidays: Chanukah