Hanukkah,
which means “dedication,” is the festival that commemorates the
purification and rededication of the Temple following the defilement
caused by the Greeks during their occupation of that holy place. Today,
the holiday reminds Jews to rededicate themselves to stand against
forces that would destroy Judaism and to keep alive the flame of Jewish
religion, culture, and peoplehood so that it may be passed on to the
next generation.
Originally, the eight-day holiday was intended to parallel the eight-day festival of Sukkot. The Books of the Maccabees made no mention of the legend concerning a small jar of oil that unexpectedly lasted for eight days. Only centuries after the Maccabees’ defeat of the Syrians did the story of the jar of oil, which has come to be a part of Hanukkah, appear in the Talmud.
When the Maccabees entered the Temple and began to reclaim it from the Greeks, they immediately relit the ner tamid (eternal light), which burned constantly in the Temple and has a parallel in our synagogues to this day. In the Temple, they found a single jar of oil, which was sufficient for only one day. The messenger who was sent to secure additional oil took eight days to complete his mission, and miraculously, the single jar of oil continued to burn until his return. The rabbis of the Talmud attributed the eight days of Hanukkah to the miracle of this single jar of oil.
A family celebrates Hanukkah by lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, making latkes, exchanging gifts, and recalling the heroism of the Maccabees.Celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights with the menorah you love the most.
Menorahs
Originally, the eight-day holiday was intended to parallel the eight-day festival of Sukkot. The Books of the Maccabees made no mention of the legend concerning a small jar of oil that unexpectedly lasted for eight days. Only centuries after the Maccabees’ defeat of the Syrians did the story of the jar of oil, which has come to be a part of Hanukkah, appear in the Talmud.
When the Maccabees entered the Temple and began to reclaim it from the Greeks, they immediately relit the ner tamid (eternal light), which burned constantly in the Temple and has a parallel in our synagogues to this day. In the Temple, they found a single jar of oil, which was sufficient for only one day. The messenger who was sent to secure additional oil took eight days to complete his mission, and miraculously, the single jar of oil continued to burn until his return. The rabbis of the Talmud attributed the eight days of Hanukkah to the miracle of this single jar of oil.
A family celebrates Hanukkah by lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, making latkes, exchanging gifts, and recalling the heroism of the Maccabees.Celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah and the Festival of Lights with the menorah you love the most.
Menorahs
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