[ad_1]
What do Jews celebrate through Hanukkah?
By celebrating Hanukkah, Jews remember the miracle that happened to the Jewish people in Jerusalem. The nation then won the battle against Israel’s rulers of the Seleucid Empire, who forbade the Jews to follow traditional customs.
The Seleucids desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, the most important Jewish sanctuary. Antiochus, king of the Seleucids, erected his statue before the entrance of the temple in Jerusalem and tried to force the Jews to bow down before it, and he built an altar to Zeus in the temple and sacrificed pigs there.
Photo by Luke April / 15 minutes / Lighting ceremony of the Great Menorahs in Vilnius in 2016
But the Jews disobeyed. The so-called Maccabean uprising began. The Maccabees were a small group of Jews who resisted foreign rulers by force. The three-year resistance was victorious: the strangers were expelled. This happened in 165 AD pr. Kr.
According to Jewish tradition, before leaving, the Seleucids destroyed and further desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. They poured out most of the oil there to light the temple candle, the menorah.
Upon entering the temple, the Maccabees fixed it and cleaned it. On the occasion of the consecration of the temple, it was decided to organize a festival of light: Hanukkah. But when they began to prepare for the feast, the Maccabees found only an unclaimed oil jar with the High Priest’s seal.
According to Jewish tradition, only that oil could be burned in the temple. This oil was only enough for one day.
The new oil could only be delivered after eight days. However, the candle in the temple was lit. And a miracle happened: the temple menorah burned for eight days.
Therefore, the Hanukkah celebration is celebrated for eight days. And it is associated with light. According to the Talmud, Hanukkah is a symbol of a miracle performed by God, and the emphasis on this day is not on military victory but on the victory of the spirit of Judaism. The word Hanukkah in Hebrew means “renewal.”
What is a Hanukkah candle and how is it different from a menorah?
On the first day of Hanukkah, a nine-pointed chandelier called Hanukkah is lit in a Jewish house.
Scanpix Photo / Chania
On the first day an auxiliary candle called Shamash is placed in the middle of the candlestick, and the first candle, on the second day, an auxiliary candle and two candles, and so on, until on the eighth day all nine flames are lit.
In total, this requires 44 candles. They are placed on Hanukkah from right to left, but burned from left to right to light the newest candle first. New candles are always lit with the Shamash auxiliary candle.
These lit lights recall the miracle of Light made by God when the menorah in the Jerusalem temple burned for 8 days. The Hanukkah lights that were turned on annually reminded Jews traditionally scattered around the world of the past that united them, their spiritual mission, and the hope of returning to their homeland.
Arno Strumila / Photo of 15min / Inflammation of Chanukia in 2019. A moment in Vilnius
Hanukkah is not the same as menorah. Menorahs have seven points and are used as a decorative element not only through Hanukkah, recalling the temple of Jerusalem and the candles lit in it. Hanukkah is a special menorah that is used only during Hanukkah.
Hanukkah in Jewish homes is usually built at the entrance of the house or through the windows so that its light is visible to passersby. And Hanukkah itself is also called the “Festival of Lights.”
For what other customs does Hanukkah exist?
Hanukkah also has its own food customs. The whole family sits at a table every night. Jews often eat oily foods during Hanukkah, especially donuts and potato pancakes, which Jews call “latkis.”
Photo / Scanpix closures
Another important attribute of Hanukkah is the wolf, called dreidel in Yiddish. It is said that when the Seleucids prohibited Torah study in the land of Israel, Torah studies were conducted in secret, pretending to be simply a game of wolves.
Scanpix Photo / Hanukkah Donuts and Popsicle
Although Jews do not usually give gifts through Hanukkah, children are given money or chocolate coins, in Yiddish this type of gift is called Hanukkah is applied.
Is Hanukkah a “Jewish Christmas”?
Hanukkah is often referred to as “Jewish Christmas”, but the name is not exact. The origins of these festivals are completely different and traditionally Jews did not exchange gifts through Hanukkah.
This identification of Hanukkah with Christmas is due to the coincidence of calendars. The dates of Jewish holidays are determined by a special Jewish calendar that is different from the usual one.
Hanukkah begins every year according to this calendar. Kislev on the 25th of the month. Today’s date varies according to our usual calendar each year, but it always occurs between the end of November and the end of December. Sometimes the beginning of Hanukkah even coincides with Christmas or Christmas.
Some Jewish families inherited the tradition of exchanging gifts from those who celebrate Christmas and supplemented Hanukkah with this tradition. This is especially the case for families living in lands where the majority are Christians.
This year, Hanukkah begins on December 10 and the celebration will continue until dawn on December 18. The Hanukkah celebration begins at sunset.
By the way, you’ve probably noticed that many Jewish sports clubs have the name “Maccabi”. This name of the club is given precisely in memory of the bravery of the Maccabees. In interwar Lithuania, there was also a Jewish sports club with the same name. it had 83 divisions joining 4,000 members. The activities of the Lithuanian Makabi resumed in 1989.
Produced according to the Vilnius Gaon State Jewish Museum, the Lithuanian Jewish Community and the BBC.
[ad_2]
