History of Hanukkah
The events that inspired the holiday of Hanukkah occurred during a particularly turbulent phase in Jewish history. Around 200 BC, Judea, also known as the Land of Israel, came under the control of Antiochus III, the Seleucid king of Israel. Syria, which allowed the Jews who lived there to continue to practice their religion. His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, was less benevolent: ancient sources say he banned the Jewish religion and ordered Jews to worship greek gods. In 168 BC his soldiers descended on Jerusalemmassacring thousands of people and desecrating the city’s Holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing pigs within its sacred walls.
Did you know? The story of Hanukkah does not appear in the Torah because the events that inspired the holiday occurred after it was written. It is, however, mentioned in the New Testament, in which Jesus attends a “Feast of Dedication.”
Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a full-scale rebellion broke out against Antiochus and the Seleucid monarchy. When Matthathias died in 166 BC. AD, his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabeus (“the Hammer”), took the helm; Within two years, the Jews succeeded in driving the Syrians from Jerusalem, relying largely on guerrilla tactics. Judah called his disciples to clean the Second Temple, rebuild its altar, and light its menorah – the golden candelabra whose seven branches represented knowledge and creation and were meant to remain lit each night.
The “miracle” of Hanukkah
According to the Talmud, one of the most central texts in Judaism, Judah Maccabee and the other Jews who participated in the rededication of the Second Temple witnessed what they believed to be a miracle. Although there was only enough uncontaminated olive oil to fuel the menorah candles for a single day, the flames continued to flicker for eight nights, giving them time to obtain more. news. This wonderful event inspired Jewish sages to proclaim an annual eight-day festival. (The first Book of Maccabees tells another version of the story, describing an eight-day celebration that followed the rededication, but making no reference to the miracle of the oil.)
Other Interpretations of the Hanukkah Story
Some modern historians offer a radically different interpretation of the Hanukkah tale. According to them, Jerusalem under Antiochus IV had erupted into civil war between two camps of Jews: those who had assimilated into the dominant culture around them, adopting Greek and Syrian customs; and those who were determined to impose Jewish laws and traditions, even by force. The traditionalists eventually prevailed, and the Hasmonean dynasty, led by Judah’s brother Maccabeus and his descendants, took control of the land of Israel Seleucids and maintain an independent Jewish kingdom for more than a century.
Jewish scholars have also suggested that the first Hanukkah may have been a late celebration of Sukkot, which Jews did not have the chance to observe during the Maccabean Revolt. Sukkot, one of the most important holidays in the Jewish religion, includes seven days of feasting, prayers and festivities.
Hanukkah Decorations and Traditions
The celebration of Hanukkah centers around the lighting of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as Hanukkah. On each of the eight nights of the holiday, another candle is added to the menorah after sunset; the ninth candle, called shamash (“helper”), is used to light the others. Jews typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window to remind others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.
In another allusion to the miracle of Hanukkah, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes (called latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular in many Jewish homes. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided dreidels called dreidels and exchanging gifts. In recent decades, particularly in North America, Hanukkah has become a major commercial phenomenon, largely because it approximates or overlaps with Christmas. From a religious perspective, however, it is a relatively minor holiday that places no restrictions on work, school attendance, or other activities.
