Hanukkah
The Jewish Celebration of Lights
And
it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter. John 10:22
There
was oil enough for the needs of a single day.
A miracle was wrought
and it burned eight days. Talmud B, Shabbat 21b
Hanukkah
is a cheerful Jewish holiday celebrated in December. This joyous
celebration is held the twenty-fifth of Kislev to the third of Tevet
according to the Jewish calendar. As prophesied in the book of
Daniel, the Greeks had control of Jerusalem. Antiochus Epiphanes and
his disdain for the things of the Lord was at the climax of Jewish
suppression. In 165 BC the Jews fought back and gained temporary
victory over the Gentile rulers. The brave Jewish leader Judah
Maccabee (called the Hammer) led a fierce military campaign to
reclaim the temple from the Syrian (Greek) ruler. Upon regaining
control of the temple, the priests began to set in order the
furnishings and prescribed means of worship. One thing they were
required do was to light the large menorah. The temple menorah as
described in the Second Book of Moses (Exodus) was seven feet high
and made of solid gold. The priests then lit the temple menorah. There was only enough oil to light the menorah for a single day.
Tradition explains the oil lasted not just for one day but even for
eight days. The temple menorah had seven lamps as commanded in the
Law of Moses. The home menorah to celebrate Hanukkah usually has
eight lamps or candles. This way there is a distinction from the
seven branched one in the temple. Also the eighth light stands for
this unique event when the oil lasted beyond the one day. Each
candle in the Hanukkah menorah represents one of the eight days the
oil lasted in the temple after the Jewish takeover. There usually is a
small ninth candle in the Hanukkah menorah. This ninth candle is a
servant candle used to light each of the other ones. The lasting oil
also represents the Lord's provision and care for his chosen people,
the Jews.
Hanukkah
means “dedication.” Hanukkah is a feast of dedication and
is a time to remember the rededication of the Jerusalem temple. Light
is the traditional theme of Hanukkah. Menorah is a Hebrew word for
candelabrum. The eight branched candelabrum is called the hannukiyah.
It is traditional not to do work when the menorah candles are lit. It
is also tradition to place the menorah where the lit candles can be
seen from outside the house.
The
books of the Maccabees recounting the history of this Jewish activity
do not mention the miracle of the oil. Josephus, a Jewish historian,
first mentions the Festival of Lights. The Talmud then later also
speaks of this rededicating of the Temple. Josephus and the Talmud
were written after the Temple
was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
This
Jewish holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the happening that the one
small jar of oil lasted the whole eight days; that the Maccabees won
a war for religious freedom for the Jews; and that the Jews have
survived for thousands of years of oppression in many nations around
the world.
In
Israel, Hanukkah is a national holiday. Large menorahs are displayed
on public buildings and in the synagogues. Modin, a town north of
Jerusalem, is the hometown of the Maccabees. A special ceremony is
held in Modin to begin the Hanukkah holiday in memory of the
Maccabees Torch runners go from Modin to Jerusalem. The prime
minister of Israel lights a public menorah with this same torch. The
torch runners then proceed to Mount Zion to take part in a memorial
service for those who died in the Holocaust.
Five
traditions which are part of the Hanukkah celebration in the Jewish
home are: celebrate for eight days; light candles in a menorah; eat
latkes (sufganiyot or jelly doughnuts – or potato cakes); give
small gifts; and play the dreidel game. Children are also involved in
these activities. Some sing the classic Hanukkah song, “Ma’oz
Tsur,” also know as “Rock of Ages.” The Thirteenth
Psalm is read called “A Psalm of David” or “A Song
of Dedication of the Temple.”
The
feast of dedication is associated with Jesus Christ. He went into
the temple at that time (John 10:22-23). Light is the theme of this
festival. Jesus identified himself with light. “Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I
am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life. (John 8:12) The temple menorah stands for the light
which shows access to God. Jesus Christ is like that menorah,
showing and making the way for sinners to have true access to God. The Hanukkah menorah is set in a window or other prominent place for
all to see. May we who have trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour make the
Lord prominent in our lives and let the light of Christ shine from
us.
Jesus
said:
“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever
believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46)
James
Utter 11/2018
Read this article on the author's website here.
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