Hanukkah

The term Hanukkah literally means dedication in Hebrew. The holiday is a commemoration of the "Miracle of the Oil." As the story goes, after the Maccabees victory over the Seleucid Empire there was a rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. But there was only enough consecrated oil to last for a single day. Unbelievably, the oil burned for eight days, which is how long it took to prepare new oil. They considered this a miracle.

There are, however, varying versions of the story of Hanukkah. Many scholars argue that, historically, Hanukkah was a commemoration of the military victory over the armies of Antiochus IV who attempted to assimilate the Jews away from Judaism.

But since modern Judaism does not commemorate military victories, Hanukkah is seen as a celebration of the spiritual aspect of the Temple of Jerusalem's rededication. Thus the holiday is a celebration of triumph over a millennia of trials and tribulations. Click on the articles below to find out more about Hanukkah.