December brings with it the joyous holiday of Hanukkah. The focus is on children, candle lighting, gifts, gelt (the real and chocolate kinds) and a miracle. As with every Jewish holiday, there is more to it than that. The holiday is about the struggle against the assimilation of Jews into the Greek world. It is about a war, possibly the first guerrilla war, against a mighty foe. It is about a love of and loyalty to Judaism stronger than the strongest army.

In the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great conquered the Near East. After his death, his empire was split apart and the area that is now Israel was ruled over by the Seleucid (Syrian) dynasty. In 167 BCE, the king, Antiochus Epiphanes wanted to hellenize the entire region. Sabbath observance, kashrut and circumcision were outlawed on pain of death. Statues of Greek gods and of Antiochus were installed in the Temple in Jerusalem and the slaughter of pigs was instituted.

Some Jews were attracted by Greek pursuits - the cult of the body, the gymnasium, the study of Greek philosophy. Wanting to participate in the naked games that took place in the gymnasium, some Jewish men tried to reverse their circumcision so that their Jewish heritage would no longer be visible.

Some Jews resisted hellenization and died as a result. The Seleucid Greeks came to the town of Modi'in, set up an altar and demanded that the Jews sacrifice a pig. Mattithias, a priest and the head of the Hasmonean clan, was so infuriated when he saw a fellow Jew proceed to do so that he killed the man. He and his five sons resisted the Greeks. They retreated to the mountains and carried out a guerrilla offensive against the Greeks and their Jewish sympathizers. Leadership was passed to Judah Maccabee, one of the sons. Because of good strategy, daring, bravery and knowledge of the terrain, Antiochus was defeated. However, the struggle didn't bring real independence. There was still a Seleucid garrison in Jerusalem and Judea was still under Seleucid rule. Thus the period of freedom won was rather short-lived.

Judah and his followers finally liberated most of Jerusalem and reclaimed the Temple. He cleared the statues out of the sanctuary, cleaned it and rededicated it to the ancient Jewish rituals.

This story is well documented but not in Hebrew scripture. It appears in Maccabees I and II of the apocrypha (hidden writings) in the Catholic bible. It is one of the few Jewish holidays that aren't biblically based. The story is one of military struggle and victory. God isn't mentioned. And the 8-day holiday celebrated after the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem was probably Sukkot.

Now about that miracle. As later members of the Hasmonean dynasty were hellenized, they probably persecuted Jews. So the Rabbis of the Talmudic period chose to avoid emphasis on the Maccabees' exploits. And since the early part of the Talmud was written under Roman rule, the Rabbis may have decided to play down the idea of rebellion so as not to anger their rulers. They paid little attention to the war and victory. However, it was important to them that God play some part in this very important event. The Rabbis, therefore, invented the story of the oil, which says that only enough pure oil for one day was found to burn in the Temple lampstand. Through God's intervention it lasted for eight days!

Hanukkah, which means dedication, has always been a popular though minor holiday. In this country, because the holiday usually coincides with Christmas, it is one of the most celebrated Jewish holidays. Here it has become a time of gift giving but not in Israel. There the stress is on military victory by an underdog. Some say that the real villain is not Antiochus but hellenized Jews who wanted to form a Greek city-state.

The rituals of the holiday involve lighting candles in a hanukkiah for 8 nights. The candles should be placed in a window so that passersby may see them. Children play the dreidle game for coins or candy with a top that has the Hebrew letters standing for 'Nes gadol haya sham.' - A great miracle happened there (meaning Israel). We eat foods such as potato pancakes and doughnuts, which are cooked in oil. We gather with friends to celebrate and exchange gifts.

The story of Hanukkah is about the miracle of faith. They had the faith to fight though they knew they were outnumbered. They had the faith to rededicate the Temple in the face of continuing Seleucid Greek rule. They had the faith to light the lampstand though they knew there was only enough oil for one day. Their faith remained strong when confronted by persecution and darkness.

©Marty Wertlieb

Candle Blessings

Blessings for Chanukah
Candles are lit after dark. It is traditional to place the candles in a window where they can be seen from the street. Begin placing candles from the right side of the chanukiah, and light candles with the Shamash, or servant candle from the left or last candle added. On Friday evening, light them before the Shabbat candles. Saturday, light them after Havdalah.

Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech haOlam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah.

Blessed are you, Source of Light, our God, the sovereign of all worlds, who had made us holy with your mitzvot and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.

Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu Melech haOlam sheh-asah nisim l’avotenu ba-yamim ha-hem, baz’man hazeh.

Blessed are you, the Redeemer, our God, who did miracles for our ancestors in those days at this season.

first night only add the third blessing - the Shehecheyanu:

Baruch atah Adonai Elohenu melech haOlam sheh-hecheyanu v’kiymanu v’higiyanu laz’man hazeh.

Blessed are you, Eternal One our God, the sovereign of all worlds, who gave us life, and kept us strong, and brought us to this time.

Special Thoughts for Each Night of Chanukah (to read and discuss before lighting candles)

1. Our rabbis taught: One must place the Chanukah lamp by the door of one's house on the outside; if one dwells in an upper floor, one places it at the window nearest the street. (Shabbat 21b) Rashi explains: Because we want others to see the candles in order to publicize the miracle.

2. "Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt, but all the Israelites had light in their homes." (Exodus 10:22-23)

3. "God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:4)

4. "Light is sown for the righteous." (Psalm 87:11)

5. "In Your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:10)

6. "Fashioner of light and creator of evil, I the Eternal, do all these things." (Isaiah 45:7)

7. The school of Shammai teaches: On the first day eight lights are lit and thereafter gradually reduced; but the school of Hillel argues: On the first day one candle is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased. Hillel's reason is that we increase sanctity but do not decrease." (Shabbat 21b)

8. "We are not allowed to use the candles; we are only allowed to look at them, in order to thank and praise Your great Name on account of Your miracles."

More nice little quotes:

"Let your fine oil pour through the eight branches of the menorah and your goodness flow toward every living thing, so that all may drink from the river of light." - Rabbi Yakov bar Nachman

"We are the candle lit by a spark from God. Toward the heavens our bright flame reaches, adding light to the world around us. So fragile this flame!" - Lawrence Kushner

"As roots seek the source of their sustenance, as branches soar toward the life-giving light, so do we rooted in blessing, reach upward in faith and deed to become a blessing." - Delores Wilkenfeld

Playing Dreidel

The game of dreidel is not found anywhere in the Books of the Macabbees. Instead, it derives from a medieval German custom. The Jewish community authorities there forbade Jews from gambling, except during the eight days of Chanukah. Because the victory represented beating the odds, games of chance and strategy were considered appropriate. Dreidel is simply a Jewish variation on a medieval German dice game. How about getting family and friends together this year to play dreidel, chess, checkers, Othello, Stratego, backgammon, and more, while enjoying those latkes?

Rules of Dreidel:
Nuts, gelt, coins, marbles, or any other “money” is distributed among players. All players ante up a few coins to the kitty. Players then take turns spinning the dreidel.

Nun		Player gets nothing
Gimel		Player gets the whole kitty, and everyone antes up again
Hay		Player gets half
Shin		Player puts in a shekel or two