Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication and is a Jewish holiday lasting for eight days beginning with the 25th day of Kislev of the Hebrew calendar. The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem which occurred during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire which took place in the 2nd century BC.
Hanukkah lasts for eight days and nights. Number eight is particularly symbolic in the Hanukkah tradition as it refers to the number of days the oil lasted in the Temple. The Talmud states that during the revolt all oil destined to the Temple had been profaned. The Maccabeans found only one untouched container, but which was only sufficient to keep the menorah of the Temple lit for just a day. The menorah was lit and surprisingly, the oil lasted for eight days instead of one, just the necessary amount of time for the new Temple oil to be pressed.
Hanukkah is celebrated by the lighting of the branches of a menorah – one for every night of Hanukkah, until the eighth night, when the whole menorah is completely lit. The menorah has eight branches along with another branch which is usually placed higher than the rest and is always lit for practical household use. The menorah’s branches serve only to be lit during Hanukkah and the use of their light other than for meditating on the significance of the holiday is forbidden.
The name of the holiday – ”Hanukkah” derives from a Hebrew verb, which means ”to dedicate” and contains a direct reference to the events which occurred in the 2nd century BC. At the time, the Maccabean forces managed to obtain control of Jerusalem and thus rededicated the Temple. Another interpretation of the name is that of ”they rested on the 25th”, which refers to the fact that fighting was stopped on the 25th day of Kislev, the day which has been ever since considered the beginning day of the holiday.
Another element worth mentioning about Hanukkah is the dispute regarding the manner of lighting the menorah, a dispute which took place between the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai. Thus, the House of Hillel argued in favor of lighting a candle each night until the eighth night when all should be lit. However, the House of Shammai suggested that it was better to light all candles in the first night and then decrease one by one each night, until the eighth night. Jewish law used the suggestions of the House of Hillel and this is how the menorah is lit nowadays.
