A festival of light
THE STORY OF CHANUKAH, the Jewish holiday that begins Thursday evening (Dec. 10), that most American Jews probably know, goes like this: During the taking back of the Jewish temple from Greco-Syrian invaders, oil that was supposed to last just one night ended up lasting eight. Therefore, it was a miracle, and to celebrate, a menorah is lit for eight nights, and foods cooked in oil are eaten.
But truthfully the full Chanukah story is much longer and, as with so many of the stories behind religious holidays, it’s hard to corroborate the story with nonreligious evidence.
The problem is that we don’t have really good sources for what happened in the 170s BCE in Judea, and the sources we do have are not only unclear but also contradictory.
We are informed by the books of the First and Second Maccabees, in detail, the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem and the lighting of the menorah, after the Maccabees successfully led a revolt against the invaders who had captured the temple, and installed graven images, forbidden to Jews. ( These books are not part of the canonized Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) used by modern Jews, though the Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider them part of the Old Testament.)
Regardless of what actually happened, the way it is celebrated and commemorated, with its message of the triumph of good over evil, it is a morality tale that resonates, especially in these equally fraught times.
Although a relatively minor holiday in religious terms, Chanukah has attained major cultural significance in North America among secular Jews as a Jewish alternative to Christmas and is often celebrated as enthusiastically, with the consumerist spending frenzy included in the mix. Hopefully this year, this too will give way to a more sustainable shift in the collective perspective on the true meaning of such celebrations.
Chanukah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar (a lunar calendar of 13 months), which may occur at any time from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by lighting the candles of a candelabrum with nine branches, called a menorah (or chanukiah). One branch is typically placed above or below the others and its candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called the shamash (Hebrew for “attendant”).
Each night, one additional candle is lit by the shamash until all eight candles are lit together on the final night of the festival. Since the 1970s, the worldwide Chabad Hasidic movement has initiated public menorah lightings in open public places in many countries, which has brought the holiday to the attention of more people, including non-Jews. In Taos, Chabad of Taos continues the tradition. Rabbi Kaminetsky said “We are planning on a drive-through car menorah parade through town at 5:30 Monday night, Dec 14th. We are also distributing and offering Chanukah Boxes with all your Chanukah needs for sale!”
Nonetheless it is a domestic, familial occasion, not a synagogue-going one. The holiday requires little cultural or liturgical knowledge on the part of its celebrants.
Chanukah, although in essence a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, is also known as the Festival of Lights. This is a universal theme at the root of most religious holidays at this time of year, no matter the creed, when the days grow shorter and the nights longer.
Symbolically the holiday offers hope regarding the imminent return of light and a totally impractical belief in miracles – something we can all relate to at this moment in time.