Hanukkah – Then and Now

Jewish people around the world are celebrating Hanukkah, a remembrance of miracles that God demonstrated on behalf of the Jewish nation more than 2,000 years ago. The commemoration of Hanukkah, this year, takes on even greater significance due to the abject, unimaginable evil that took place in Israel on October 7 when the nation was attacked and its people were slaughtered, kidnapped, and raped. 

The story of Hanukkah begins in Israel a long time ago. The country was called Judea at that time and the Jews who lived there did not rule their land. However, while Judea was ruled by different kings, the Jews lived there as they always had. The farmers planted and harvested. The shepherds watched their sheep and on the Jewish feast days, they went to the Temple in Jerusalem. 

They lived in peace until a Greek King – Antiochus – ruled Judea. He wanted the Jews to take Greek names, read Greek books and play Greek sports. He practiced the Greek religion which believed in many gods and worshiped images of these gods. He tried to make the Jews become like Greeks. He wanted to destroy the Jewish religion, so he did not allow the Jews to keep the laws of the Torah, such as observing the Sabbath. He put Greek idols in the Temple and put out the ‘Ner Tamid’ – the eternal light that burned in the Temple and symbolized the Presence of God. He commanded that pigs be sacrificed as offerings to the Greek gods in the towns and in the Temple. Anyone who refused to obey was killed. So were Jews who lit Sabbath candles or studied Torah, the Jewish law. The king’s soldiers went throughout Judea and forced the Jews to bow and worship Greek idols. 

Yet many Jews began to rebel. The Jews had to fight a great battle against Antiochus and his armies but they were few against many. How could they win?

In Modin, a town near Jerusalem, a Jewish priest, Mattathias, and his sons refused to sacrifice to the Greek gods and pulled down the altar to the god Zeus. Mattahias refused to worship the idols and he led a fight against the Greeks. He threw down the idol and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, our God, follow me!” His five sons and many other Jews followed him. 

When Mattathias died, his son, Judah, became their leader. Judah was called the Maccabee, the hammer. The people who fought with him were called Maccabees. Antiochus sent his best generals and large armies to fight them. They came with bows, arrows, swords, and horses. After the battle, they planned to capture the Jews and sell them as slaves. But that never happened. 

The Maccabees surprised the armies of Antiochus. They caught them in a narrow pass between two mountains. From the tops and sides of the mountains, the Jews fought their enemies down below. The Jews were outnumbered but they prevailed.

Judah led them into Jerusalem where they began cleansing the Temple. They removed the images of the Greek gods and put an end to pig sacrifices to make the Temple holy once more. The Temple was overgrown with thorns and weeds. It was filled with garbage. When the Jews first saw it, they cried. They wanted to cleanse the Temple. They built a new altar, new gates, and new doors. When the time came to light the eternal light that burned continuously in the Temple they searched for oil. They found oil in a small jar, but it was only enough to burn for one day. But the oil in that small jar burned and burned until more oil could be prepared. The oil which was enough for one day burned for eight days and the eternal flame did not go out.

On the 25th day of Kislev on the Jewish calendar, the Temple again became the “House of God.” The Jews celebrated. They prayed and sang for eight days. Then Judah declared that every year, on the 25th of Kislev, an eight- day holiday would begin. The holiday is called Hanukkah which means dedication.

Since that time, Jews throughout the world have celebrated Hanukkah. They celebrate the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. 

As Israel and Jewish people around the world are faced with horrific evil once again, Hanukkah is a powerful reminder that God will help Jewish people and the nation of Israel in its darkest hour.