Chanukkah

Chanukkah · Dedication / Rededication

The rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt — a story of religious freedom and Jewish identity.

Tip: hover (or tap) any underlined word for a quick definition.

Name, translation, date and length — the facts to have by heart.

Hebrew name: Chanukkah
English translation: Dedication / Rededication
Date / timing: Begins 25 Kislev (late November or December, sometimes running into January)
Length: 8 nights
Historical reason: The Maccabean revolt against Antiochus IV and the Greeks, and the cleaning and rededication of the desecrated Temple over eight days.

Why this exists, what happened, and the values it carries.

Chanukkah means dedication, or rededication — and the (hanukkiah) is the lamp of that dedication.
It marks the rededication of the Temple after its desecration.

The Greeks tried to take away the Temple and forbid Judaism, turning the Jews into a Greek nation; under Antiochus IV, pressed hard on Jewish life and some Jews — the Jewish Hellenists — embraced Greek culture.
Antiochus suppressed Jewish practice: Shabbat, the festivals, circumcision and Temple worship were forbidden.
The Temple was turned into a pagan temple: pigs were brought in and it was desecrated and profaned. The eight days of Chanukkah are the days of cleaning and rededicating it.
Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee led the Maccabean revolt against the Greeks — Judah was the soldier.
In one episode, Jews who refused to fight on Shabbat were massacred; afterward the decision was made that Jews may fight defensively on Shabbat.
The revolt succeeded and the Temple was cleansed and rededicated.

Rituals, symbols, prayers and foods — and the reason behind each.

Lighting the : on the first night one candle to mark the day plus the you use to light it; on the second night the shamash, then the candle of that night, then the candle of the night before — adding lights from left to right.
Placing the where it can be seen — , publicizing the miracle.
Eating foods fried in : latkes and doughnuts.
Playing dreidel and giving gelt.

Increasing the lights night by night expresses growing light and growing publicity of the miracle.
The is used to kindle the others so that the eight lights themselves are only for looking at.
foods recall the oil of the Temple ; potatoes were what grew and were available, so fried potatoes — and anything fried — became the food of the holiday.
The dreidel is a symbol of fun and playing.

Chanukkiyah / menorah: Eight-branched lamp plus ; the rededicated Temple light.
Shamash: The servant light used to kindle the others.
Oil: The Temple ; recalled through latkes, doughnuts and anything fried in oil.
Dreidel and gelt: Fun and playing; the holiday's customs of play and giving.

The Hebrew vocabulary for this topic.

Answer these out loud before you sit down with the rabbis.

1Tell the Chanukkah story historically: Antiochus IV, , the Maccabean revolt, rededication.
2What the is and why the lights increase each night.
3Why the Shabbat massacre changed the ruling about defensive fighting on Shabbat.
4Why Chanukkah is really about religious freedom and Jewish identity.