The Origins of Hanukkah

It’s coming! The big one! Perhaps the holiday (next to Passover) that impacts our Jewish community, especially our children, the most. It’s a long holiday – 8 days. We light colourful candles for 8 nights and most anticipated (especially by our children) gifts are given!

Celebrations are for families and communities. Be it Christmas, Kwanza, Ramadan or Chanukah, these times become part of our memory, our heritage, our way of life.

So, as Chanukah nears, starting on the evening of December 12 – the 25th of Kislev, we remember and celebrate. But celebrate what?

We begin to light our Chanukiot; we prepare latkes and sufganiot (jelly donuts) and in all likelihood, we give gifts. All great and wonderful.

We tell our children about the oil that miraculously burned for 8 days, the pure oil that remained after the almost 3 year rebellion of our people (the Maccabees) against their oppressors (the Seleucids).

Yet, if we read the version of the story written much closer to the event (II Maccabees 10:1-8), unlike the much later versions in the Talmud written some 500 years after the event, the Book of Maccabees seems to suggest that the 8 day holiday had other origins.

This version of the story was probably written around 120 B.C.E. in Greek. It was designed as a document for the Egyptian Jewish community, trying to urge them to join in the celebration of Hanukkah.

Maccabeus with his men, led by the Lord, recovered the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. He demolished the altars put up by the heathens in the public square and their sacred precincts as well. When they had purified the sanctuary, they constructed another altar; then striking fire from flints, they offered a sacrifice for the first time for two whole years, and restored the incense, the lights, and the Shew Bread….The sanctuary was purified on the twenty-fifth of Kislev….This joyful celebration lasted for 8 days; it was like Sukkot, for they recalled how only a short time before they had kept that festival while living like animals in the mountains, and so they carried lulavim and etrogim, and they chanted hymns (Hallel) to God who had so triumphantly led them to the purification of His Temple. A measure was passed by the public assembly that the entire Jewish people should observe these days every year.

No mention of the miraculous oil burning for 8 days. No mention of miracle. Or perhaps, another miracle is inferred – the miracle of survival. The miracle that we did not assimilate (either through force or choice) into another belief system.

Maybe, the light that continued to burn is the light of Jewish identity. That light we must continue to celebrate. As we stand, with our family, children and grandchildren around our Chanukiot, let’s remember that our ancestors kept the light burning and so should we.

Chag Sameach!

Filed under: Educator's Message

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