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Home Tips > Tips By Category > Tips you can implement daily Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, which may fall anytime from late November to late December. It celebrates the re-kindling of the Temple menorah at the time of the Maccabee rebellion.
The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each night of the holiday - one on the first night, two on the second, and so on.
Hanukkah, from the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", marks the re-dedication of the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus IV and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil." According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days - which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil.
Hanukkah is also mentioned in the deuterocanonical books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. 1 Maccabees states: "For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. Then Judah and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the rededication...should be observed...every year...for eight days. (1 Mac.4:56-59)" According to 2 Maccabees, "the Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths."
The martyrdom of Hannah and her seven sons has also been linked to Hanukkah. According to the Talmudic story and Book of Maccabees, a Jewish woman named Hannah and her seven sons were tortured and executed by Antiochus' for refusing to bow down to a statue and eat pork, in violation of Jewish law.
Historically, Hanukkah commemorates two events:
- The triumph of Judaism's spiritual values as embodied in the Torah (symbolized by the Menorah, since the Torah is compared to light) over Hellenistic civilization (considered darkness). Under Antiochus IV, Jewish religious practices were outlawed, and Greek religious symbols were forcibly installed in the Second Temple.
- The victory of the Jews over the armies of Antiochus IV. The rebellion, begun by Mattathias Maccabee and continued by Judah Maccabee and his brothers, ended in a resounding victory of the "few against the many" and the rededication of the Second Temple.
Because Judaism as a religion shies away from glorifying military victories, the Hasmoneans later became corrupt, and civil war between Jews is viewed as deplorable, Hanukkah does not formally commemorate these historical events. Instead, it focuses on the Miracle of the Oil and the positive spiritual aspects of the Temple's rededication; The oil becomes a metaphor for the miraculous survival of the Jewish people through millennia of trials and tribulations.
The name "Hanukkah" is interpreted in many ways.
- Some scholars say the word was derived from the Hebrew verb "çðê" meaning "to dedicate." When a new house is built, it is customary to hold a "çðåëú áéú" or dedication ceremony, before moving in. On Hanukkah, the Jews mark the rededication of the House of the Lord.
- Others argue that the name can be broken down into "çðå", from the Hebrew word for encampment, and the Hebrew letters ë"ä, which stand for the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins: Hence, the Jews sat in their camp, i.e., rested from fighting, on the 25th day of Kislev.
- Hanukkah is also the Hebrew acronym for "ç' ðøåú åäìëä ëáéú äìì" meaning "eight candles as determined by House of Hillel". This is a reference to the disagreement between two rabbinical schools of thought - Hillel and the House of Shammai - on the proper way to light Hanukkah candles. Shammai said that eight candles should be lit from the start, and reduced by one candle every night, whereas Hillel argued in favor of starting with one candle and lighting an additional one every night. The custom today is based on Hillel's opinion.
Hanukkah is celebrated by a series of rituals that are performed every day throughout the 8-day holiday. Some are family-based and others are communal. There are special additions to the daily prayer service, and a section is added to the blessing after meals. Hanukkah is not a "Sabbath-like" holiday, and there is no obligation to refrain from activities that are forbidden on the Sabbath, as specified in the Shulkhan Arukh People go to work as usual, but may leave early in order to be home to kindle the lights at nightfall. There is no religious reason for schools to be closed, although, in Israel, schools close for the whole week of Hanukkah.
The primary ritual, according to Jewish law and custom, is to light a single light each night for eight nights. As a universally-practiced "beautification" of the mitzvah, the number of lights lit is increased by one each night. An extra light called a shamash, meaning guard or servant is also lit each night, and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b-23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing - and meditating on - the Hanukkah story. (This differs from Sabbath candles which are meant to be used for illumination). Hence, if one were to need extra illumination on Hanukkah, the shamash candle would be available and one would avoid using the prohibited lights. Some light the shamash candle first and then use it to light the others. So all together, including the shamash, two lights are lit on the first night, three on the second and so on, ending with nine on the last night, for a total of 44.
The lights can be candles or oil lamps. Electric lights are sometimes used and are acceptable in places where open flame is not permitted, such as a hospital room. Most Jewish homes have a special candelabrum or oil lamp holder for Hanukkah, which holds eight lights plus the additional shamash light. In the State of Israel, it is usually called a "chanukkiyah". Ashkenazic Jews (central and east European Jews) mostly call it a "Hanukkah menorah", though chanukkiyah has become more common in Israel. Some Sephardic Jews (west European, Mediterranean and Latin American Jews) simply call it "a hanukkah". By contrast, the Temple menorah, described in Exodus 25:31 ff, which is often used to symbolize Judaism, has six branches plus a central shaft, for a total of seven lamps.
The reason for the Hanukkah lights is not for the "lighting of the house within", but rather for the "illumination of the house without", so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday's miracle. Accordingly lamps are set up at a prominent window or near the door leading to the street. It is customary amongst some Ashkenazim to have a separate menorah for each family member (customs vary), whereas most Sephardim light one chanukkiyah for the whole household. Only when there was danger of anti-semitic persecution were lamps supposed to be hidden from public view, as was the case in Persia under the rule of the Zoroastrians, or in parts of Europe before and during World War II. However, most Hasidic groups, light lamps near an inside doorway, not necessarily in public view. According to this tradition, the lamps are placed on the opposite side from the mezuzah, so that when one passes through the door he is surrounded by the holiness of mitzvoth.
Hanukkah lights should burn for at least one half hour after it gets dark (the custom of the Vilna Gaon - observed by many residents of Jerusalem as the custom of the city, is to light at sundown, although most Hassidim light later, even in Jerusalem. Many Hassidic Rebbes light much later, because they fulfill the obligation of publicising the miracle by the presence of their Hasidim when they kindle the lights.). The standard inexpensive wax candles sold for Hanukkah burn for approximately half an hour, so on most days this requirement can be met by lighting the candles when it is dark out. Friday night presents a problem, however. Candles must be lit before the start of Shabbat and inexpensive Hanukkah candles do not burn long enough to meet the requirement. A simple solution is to use "tea lights" or Sabbath candles, arranging them in a straight line and setting the shamash candle apart and above the rest, or by using the
Typically three blessings (Brachot singular Brachah) are recited during this eight-day festival. On the first night of Hanukkah, Jews recite all three blessings, on all subsequent nights, they recite only the first two. The blessings are said before or after the candles are lit depending on tradition. On the first night of Hanukkah one light (candle, lamp, or electric) is lit on the right side of the Menorah, on the following night a second light is placed to the left of the first and is lit first proceeding from left to right, and so on each night.
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