Hanukkah

This Thanksgiving marks the first time since 1888 that the start of Hanukkah has fallen on the same day as this American holiday.  It will not happen again until the year 81056, or 79,043 years from now.

 

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the military victory over 2,300 years ago, between the ultra-Orthodox Maccabees and the Syrian-Greek ruler Antiochus when he commanded that the Jews assimilate and worship the Greek Gods. The Jewish leader of the revolt, Judah Maccabee, waged a guerilla war for two years which ended in an eight-day celebration of their right to worship.

 

At the end of the conflict Judah and his followers cleansed the Second Temple.  At the rededication of this temple they witnessed a miracle.  The menorah on the altar was a gold candelabrum with seven branches representative of knowledge and creation.  These candles are meant to burn each night, however, after the fighting ended there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah's candles burning for a single day, yet they continued to burn for eight nights!  Now, even though the first Book of the Maccabees makes no reference to the miracle, I feel it is a great story to justify proclamation of an annual eight day festival.  Any reason to party!

 

An alternate story, not quite as colorful, is that the eight days celebrates the fall post-harvest holiday of Sukkot that was missed during the fighting.  Ok, that works too.  So we either have an eight day party due to a miracle, or an eight day party to double up on another eight day party that was missed.  Do you get the feeling these folks like to get down and boogie?

 

And then there's the dreidel, or spinning top.  The dreidel has been the brunt of many jokes by Jewish comedians.  I guess if you have the choice of playing dreidel games or watching paint dry, go for the paint.  It turns out the dreidel may not be of Jewish origin but of European, most probably from regions around present day England or Germany. 

 

Regardless, the story of the dreidel deals with Antiochus outlawing the study of the Torah.  Of course, like most religious faithful, the Jews took to their studies in secret.  Jewish children would take their studies out of the towns into the areas where they played.  When the Greek patrols would come by the children quickly hid their texts, pulled out their dreidel and pretended to play a game.  I suppose if the Greek soldiers had played dreidel games they probably would have been more suspicious that children wanted to play it so often, instead of watching paint dry.

 

To all of my Jewish friends and readers, I wish you the happiest of holiday seasons! 

Yehi ratzon milefanecha Ado-nai Eloh-einu veilohei avoseinu shetolicheinu leshalom vesatzideinu leshalom vesadricheinu leshalom vesismecheinu leshalom vesagi’einu limechoz cheftzeinu lechaim ulesimchah uleshalom vesatzileinu mikaf kol oyeiv ve’oreiv velistim vechayos ra’os baderech umikol puraniyos hamisragshos uva’os le’olam vesishlach berachah bechol ma’aseh yadeinu vesitneini lechein ulechesed ulerachamim be’einecha uveinei chol ro’einu vesigmeleinu chasadim tovim vesishma kol tefilaseinu ki Atah shomei’ah tefilas kol peh. Baruch Atah Ado-nai shomei’ah tefilah.