Hanukkah

When is Hanukkah?

• Begins 25th day of Kislev
• 9th month in Jewish calendar
• Sunset, Dec. 16 (TONIGHT)
• Festival that lasts 8 days!

What does Hanukkah celebrate?

• Religious Freedom
• Re-dedication 
• Jewish victory over Greek oppressors

The Greeks

• Alexander the Great conquers Judah in 312 BC
• 245 BC - Greek persecution of Jews begins
• 167 BC - King Antiochus IV orders a statue of Zeus to be put in the Temple
• This is NO BUENO (לא טוב if you're speaking Hebrew)

Judah the Hammer and the Maccabees

• Lead a revolt in 167 BC
• Want to practice their religion freely
• Want to control their land again
• Led by Judah the Hammer
• Jews felt their beliefs were worth dying for

“Follow me, all of you who are for God’s law and stand by the Covenant.” (1 Maccabees 2:27)

Maccabees Win!

• Defeat Greeks in 165 BC
• Details found in 1 and 2 Maccabees (OT, ya'll)
• World's first religious war?
• Hanukkah celebrates this victory

Temple is Rededicated.
To celebrate, an oil lamp was lit in the temple. There was only enough oil to burn for one day - but miraculously it burned for eight days.

Early in the morning of the 25th day of the ninth month, which is the month of Kislev…the priests rose and offered sacrifices, as the law directs, on the new alter of the Temple which they had built…it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals…So they celebrated the dedication of the Temple for eight days...(I Maccabees 4:52-56)

Why do Jews use light to Celebrate?
They believe the light shows that God is with them, like when the light lasted for 8 days back in 165 BC.

The Menorah
On each night of Hanukkah, the menorah is lit. The menorah symbolizes the burning light in the temple, as well as marking the eight days of the Hanukkah festival.

Presents

• During Hanukkah, children receive presents each night
• One common gift/game given/played is...

Dreidel
A four-sided spinning top. Each side is engraved with a different Hebrew letter: The letters mean Nes Gadol Haya Sham—"A great miracle happened there"

Latkes
Many traditional Hanukkah foods are cooked in oil, in remembrance of the oil that burned in the temple. Latkes, or potato pancakes are a favorite food at Hanukkah.

Happy Hanukkah!