Think of a time when your values, beliefs, or perhaps your national identity was attacked. Maybe the attack was verbal, physical, financial or relational. How did you feel when it happened? How did you respond?
Now imagine that either during or after the attack, someone came along and "fought back" on your behalf, and the wrongs that were done were made right. No doubt you would remember and celebrate that experience for a long time! In essence, that is what the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is about - deliverance from oppression.
In 168BCE, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was seized by Syrian-Greek (Seleucid) soldiers, as ordered by the Seleucid king called Antiochus Epiphanes. Not only was the Temple looted, but all religious services were stopped, effectively bringing Jewish ritual and worship to an end. Approximately one year after stopping Jewish religious practices, Antiochus also sacrificed pigs on the altar (in Judaism, pigs are unclean animals), and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple. Later Jewish writers often simply referred to these events as "the abomination".
Eventually, a Jewish resistance movement grew, led by a priest named Mattathias, and his five sons. After Mattathias died, one of his sons, Judah, took his place as leader and led a violent, and ultimately victorious, revolt against the Seleucid monarchy. The rebels became known as the Maccabees (the "hammers") or the Hasmoneans.
In 165BCE, the temple was restored, cleansed and rededicated, and a new altar was built. The festival of Hanukkah celebrates this rededication, and the festival is often called either the "Festival of Dedication" or the "Festival of Lights". As part of the original rededication, the Jews wanted to relight the menorah (a seven branched candlestick) but found that there was only enough purified oil for one day. Miraculously, however, the oil lasted for eight days until new oil could be prepared.
Those eight days became the basis for both the eight day celebration of Hanukkah, and also the special eight branched hanukkiyah candlestick. Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which this year is December 20, and one new candle is lit each night until all eight are burning. The hanukkiyah has an ninth candle in the middle that is lit each night, called the "attendant".
Although the modern celebration of Hanukkah varies from context to context, almost all Jewish communities participate in lighting the hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel (a spinning top with four Hebrew letters that are an acronym for "a great miracle happened there"), and eating foods fried in oil. In some countries, the tradition of giving gifts is also practiced.
Think again of a time when you experienced freedom from some type of oppression. How have you "remembered" that experience? This season, when you see a Jewish hanakkiyah in your community or in the media, you will have a better understanding of what it represents.
Questions or Comments? Each week, this column will explore issues and questions about religion and spirituality in Prince George and around the world. Please send your questions, comments, or ideas to @wessner (Twitter) or [email protected] (email).
Mark Wessner, PhD, is Lead Pastor at Westwood Church and Continuing Studies Instructor at UNBC
