reproduced from the Messianic Winter Holiday Helper
Margaret McKee Huey and J.K. McKee
The holiday of Chanukah, or the Festival of Dedication, is full of many customs and traditions which give our celebration great life and depth. During this time of year, we have the awesome opportunity to commemorate the work of God from some 2,200 years ago during the time of the Maccabees. If they had not fought against the Seleucid invaders of Israel, the Jewish people would have either been destroyed through war, or would have disappeared via cultural assimilation. Chanukah, as attested in the historical record, was mandated as a national celebration, so that the community could remember the sacrifice of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem:
“Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev” (1 Maccabees 4:59, RSV).
All Messianic people have the wonderful opportunity to join with their Jewish brothers and sisters, and celebrate in the historical triumphs which are given in the story of the Maccabees. There is much for us to celebrate during this time, as we remember how God inspired a rag-tag army to fight a vastly superior force, and never give up until the goal of victory was achieved. We are to remember how the Maccabees fought off the cultural assimilation which they faced, having required them to deny the Torah and its commandments on threat of death. We are to remember how the Maccabees rededicated the Temple to the God of Israel, restoring the vessels of worship and sacrifices to their rightful places. And, we are also to remember how Antiochus Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who thought he was a god, was ultimately judged by the One True God he was trying to destroy.
As you can imagine, many customs and traditions have developed over the centuries as the Jewish community has remembered Chanukah. We have compiled the following list of elements which are included in traditional observance, followed by some things which we have adapted in our own family observance as Messianic Believers, which we believe will be helpful for you.
Lighting the Menorah
Lighting the menorah is probably the most common custom associated with Chanukah. The Temple menorah or lampstand was one of the most awesome and valuable pieces of worship, as well as one of the most difficult to replace. It is not agreed among Biblical historians whether or not the candelabra which the Maccabees originally lit was the actual Temple menorah, or something makeshift. One ancient source “states that the Hasmoneans could not use the candelabrum in the Temple since the Greeks had defiled it. They, therefore, took seven iron spits, covered them with zinc, and used them as a candelabrum (Scholium to Megillat Ta’anit)” (EJ).[1] Later traditions indicate that “upon entering the Temple, the Hasmoneans discovered that the Greeks had defiled all the oil, except for one cruse, which contained enough oil to keep the candelabrum burning for only one day. A miracle, however, happened and they kindled it for eight days” (EJ).[2] The reason this is regarded as a miracle is that the oil which was used to light the menorah took eight days to be properly consecrated. The Torah did specify how the oil used was to be “clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually” (Exodus 27:20, NASU; cf. Leviticus 24:2), and the prevailing halachah of the day required that it took eight days for this oil to be produced. While some throughout Jewish history,[3] and many people today, brand the miracle of the oil remaining lit for eight days as only a “legend,” the fact of the matter remains that Orthodox Jews, many Conservative Jews, and the vast majority of the Messianic Jewish community today, believe with some degree of faith that it actually happened (b.Shabbat 21b).
While today the chanukia, or nine-branched menorah for Chanukah, is often decorated elaborately, and there are various styles among different Jewish communities over the world, First Century chanukias would not have been as elaborate. “There was in use in talmudic times the Greco-Roman polymixos, a many mouthed lamp which was made of clay, stone, or bronze with eight apertures for wicks fed by a central reservoir on whose surface geometrical or symbolic designs often appear” (EJ).[4] This may have been the model for the first chanukias. There is no uniform design which appears in archaeological or traditional evidence, but it is safe to assume that some kind of miniature candelabrum, either made of metal or clay, was used by Jewish families to commemorate this holiday.
We do know, based on Talmudic evidence, that the practice of kindling lights for Chanukah was present in the Second Temple world of Yeshua. In the First Century B.C.E., prior to the First Coming of Yeshua, there were halachic differences between the Pharisaical schools of Hillel and Shammai over when and how the menorah for Chanukah should be lit. These halachic differences are primarily recorded in the tractates b.Shabbat 21b and b.Shabbat 23a of the Babylonian Talmud. The House of Shammai ruled that one started Chanukah by lighting all eight candles on the first night, and then reduced them on each successive day. The House of Hillel, however, ruled that one candle is lit for the first night, and then one was to be added on each successive day. It was based on the idea that holiness is something which is to steadily increase.[5]
Throughout Jewish history, there have been various ways members of the community have lit the chanukia. While in earlier times, olive oil was preferred to be used to light the chanukia, almost any oil can be used, and today the vast majority of people use candles. Many individual people in Jewish families have their own chanukia to light during Chanukah. Given the presence of women during the Maccabean crisis, it is considered mandatory for females to light the chanukiah (b.Shabbat 23a).[6] The first candle to be lit is the shamash candle, or “servant” candle in the center, which is then used to light the first, second, third, and whatever other candles need to be lit on the respective day(s) of Chanukah.
Today, the custom of lighting the chanukia is usually performed in the early evening. Biblically, as the day begins in the evening (cf. Genesis 1:5), the first night of Chanukah begins at sundown. It is notable that Chanukah is not a high holiday, and thus work is permitted during the eight days, except on the Sabbath. On Shabbat the lighting of the chanukia applies as though one were lighting the Shabbat candles, which is often performed a minimum of eighteen minutes before sundown. While simply lighting Chanukah candles is often viewed as being sufficient enough to remember the holiday, it is customary to allow the Chanukah candles to remain lit a minimum of thirty minutes.[7]
We offer this information to give you a broad perspective regarding the lighting of the Chanukah lights in the modern Jewish community. Some of you, as you light your chanukia, may only be able to leave it lit for a short time. Likewise, some of you might have several chanukias, and have each member of your family—or even added guests for that matter—light their own. (Some may not want to do this because of small children and the added fire hazard!) Some of you may have more traditional chanukias, which are somehow modeled after the Temple menorah, or various other classical designs. Likewise, some of you may prefer the more neo-modern looking chanukias, or the various other non-traditional ones available today. However you choose to kindle the Chanukah lights during the eight days, make your celebration something special to remember! And do recall how at the rededication of the Temple, the Maccabees may have only been using iron bars for a makeshift menorah—especially if your chanukia is not as fancy or elaborate as those of others.
Eating Fried Foods
Feasting is a very important part of celebrating any of the holidays, be they Biblical, extra-Biblical, national Israeli holidays, or otherwise, in the Jewish community. Eating fried foods, in particular, is one of the great traditions surrounding Chanukah. More than anything else, eating fried foods has become a part of Chanukah so that celebrants might remember the miracle of the oil. In more Biblical times, eating foods cooked in olive oil was customary, but in more modern times, with various and diverse cooking oils, one sees a wider variance of fried foods. The Ashkenazic communities in Germany and Central Europe frequently celebrated Chanukah by eating latkes, or potato pancakes fried in oil. Latkes are often garnished with applesauce or sour cream, although modern condiments like ketchup, or even barbeque sauce, are now commonplace when eating them. Sufganiot (sing. sufgania) are special doughnuts fried in oil which are quite popular in the Sephardic community, and in Israel today.
Of course, concerning anyone’s celebration of Chanukah, there are many more popular fried foods, from all over the world, which can be eaten at this time. These may also be eaten in the Jewish community during Chanukah, but are often more localized or regionalized. Some of our personal family “fried favorites” to eat during this time include funnel cakes, beer-battered onion rings, Southern fried chicken (not fried in lard!), and a good British fish-n-chips. Deep fried turkey is also quickly becoming a popular dish in America today. As you commemorate Chanukah with the more customary latkes and sufganiot, you may wish to pull out some of your favorite “fried recipes” which can be enjoyed during this wonderful time.
Eating Cheese and Dairy Foods
An interesting custom which has grown in some segments of the Jewish community includes eating cheese and dairy foods during Chanukah. This tradition seems, in part, to be based on associations between Chanukah and the story of Judith, seen in the Book of Judith in the Apocrypha.[8] Relating the story of Judith to the events of the Maccabees may have been done to help include women in the celebration of Chanukah, and incorporate a story where a woman, Judith, was used in warfare. According to the story, Judith prepared a great feast for the general Holofernes, including cheese. When he was in a drunken stupor, Judith beheaded him and was able to help the Jews he captured escape. Some women in the Jewish community choose not to work during Chanukah in deference to the example of Judith.
Cheese blintzes are a very popular food at almost any holiday time in the Jewish community. These are crepes filled with a sweetened cream cheese or cottage cheese, sometimes also with fruit, and are often deep fried. In modern Israel today, eating pizza is also popular during the Chanukah season. Whether this is specifically because of the custom of eating cheese and dairy products during Chanukah, or simply because of the popularity of pizza, may never be entirely known!
Spinning the Dreidel
Spinning the dreidel became a popular game to play in the Jewish communities of the late Middle Ages, to deter people from playing cards and gambling, which had become the norm in some sectors. The word dreidel is derived from the German verb drehen, meaning “to turn.”[9] Some believe that a form of the dreidel game was played by Jews during the Maccabean era when the Seleucids would inspect them to see if they were studying the Torah. The dreidel was played to make the Seleucids think that the Jews were gambling, instead of talking about the Scriptures among themselves.
A dreidel is a spinning top, based on dice which originally had the letters N, G, H, and S on its four sides, representing the German words nichts (nothing), ganz (all), halb (half), and shtell arein (put in). Jewish communities adapted the dreidel employing the Hebrew letter equivalents nun, gimel, hey, and shin. These four Hebrew letters also make up the acronym nes gadol hayah sham or “a great miracle happened there.” In Israel today the shin is replaced by the letter peh for po, changing the meaning to “a great miracle happened here.” The dreidel game is often played using Chanukah Gelt, candy, or nuts as prizes.
Chanukah Gelt and Giving Presents
It has become customary for Jewish parents to give their children Chanukah Gelt during this time of year. Gelt is the Yiddish word for “money” (Ger. Geld), and the practice of giving money may be partially rooted in the Maccabees minting coins after restoring autonomy to Israel.[10] In Eastern Europe Gelt was often given to children on the fifth night of Chanukah, as an incentive for them to continue in Torah study, which was robbed from the Jews by the decree of Antiochus Epiphanes. In successive generations the custom of giving Gelt to all children was replaced by giving chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, and by giving presents, one per each night of Chanukah, to members of one’s household.
Singing the Maoz Tzur Hymn
One important Chanukah custom followed in the Jewish community is singing the hymn Maoz Tzur, meaning “Rock of Ages.” It is to be a song of thanksgiving to God, as He is thanked for delivering the people of Israel from the Egyptian bondage, through the Babylonian exile, Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews, and ultimately the victory of the Maccabees. An English form of Maoz Tzur was composed by the American Rabbis Marcus Jastrow and Gustav Gottheil in the Nineteenth Century,[11] and is the form which you will often hear on television and radio broadcasts focusing on Chanukah.
Reading the Books of the Maccabees
Perhaps the most important Chanukah custom, aside from lighting the chanukia, is actually sitting down and familiarizing oneself with the story of the Maccabees. First of all, it is important that we in the Messianic community have a firm foundation in Biblical Studies, and that we know the history of the “elongated First Century” from the time of the Maccabees to the end of the First Century C.E. with the composition of the Book of Revelation. We have to understand that the establishment of the Hasmonean kingdom was the last time when Israel was independent until the State of Israel was founded in 1948. Furthermore, the events of the Maccabees can help Bible students understand the position of Judea in the larger world of the First Century B.C.E., as the Roman Republic was expanding in influence and consolidating the Mediterranean basin under its control.
The Books of 1-4 Maccabees, found in the Apocrypha, are historical, yet are filled with important Biblical themes. Readers see the lives of Jewish men and women who are not afraid to die for their faith in the God of Israel. Those faithful to Him have the confidence of knowing that they will be rewarded in the hereafter, and that those tormenting them will be punished severely and eternally by the Almighty. One group of Jews, captured and tortured by the Seleucids, had the following to say in a united voice as they faced certain death:
“Therefore, tyrant, put us to the test; and if you take our lives because of our religion, do not suppose that you can injure us by torturing us. For we, through this severe suffering and endurance, shall have the prize of virtue and shall be with God, for whom we suffer; but you, because of your bloodthirstiness toward us, will deservedly undergo from the divine justice eternal torment by fire” (4 Maccabees 9:7-9, RSV).
These are the kinds of stories which should inspire us as Messianic Believers today to not give into the peer pressures of our worldly society. We should be thankful that we do not presently face the threat of death for worshipping the God of Israel as He requires of His own. Those who lived in the period of the Maccabees did face the threat of death. Messiah followers should be inspired and deeply moved by the story of the Maccabees, as we all should be by any martyrs of the faith, and commit ourselves to standing for the truth of the Lord in whatever situations we may face. As you read the accounts of the Maccabees, never forget their courage and sacrifice for later generations of the people of God, as we are all the spiritual recipients of their actions. Never forget that if they had not stood for the truth against an overwhelming force, that there would have been no Israel, and no Jewish people, for our Messiah Yeshua to have been born into, who is the Light of the whole world.
NOTES
[1] Moshe David Herr, “Ḥanukkah,” in Cecil Roth and Geoffrey Wigoder, eds., Encyclopaedia Judaica (Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House, 1972), 7:1283.
[2] Ibid, 7:1284.
[3] Ibid, 7:1284.
[4] Yitzhak Einhorn, “Ḥanukkah Lamp,” in EJ, 7:1288.
[5] Ronald L. Eisenberg, The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2004), 248.
[6] Ibid., 249.
[7] Ibid., 250.
[8] Ibid., 247.
[9] Ibid., 251.
[10] Ibid., 247.
[11] Ibid., pp 251-252.
