Happy Hanukkah!
This year Hanukkah beings at sunset, on the twenty-fifth of Kislev of the Jewish lunar calendar, or December first, and ends at sunset on the ninth. We would like to take this moment, to wish joy and hope to all those marking the Festival of Lights, which observes the rededication of the Temple, in Jerusalem, during the Maccabees revolt in 167 B.C.E., against the Syrian ruler Antiochus. He had hoped to destroy Judaism by making it illegal to practice its observance, and during his reign over Israel, defiled the Temple – going so far as to sacrifice swine.
The dreidl which is spun by children in celebration is embossed with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin. These letters are an acronym for “Nes Gadol Haya Sham – A Great Miracle Happened There”
In wanting to cleanse and restore the Temple to its pure state, the Jews needed to burn uncontaminated olive oil. They found only enough oil for one day, but miraculously, the oil burned for eight days. Thus, this miracle is celebrated with the daily lighting of a menorah, commemorating the restoration of the Temple.
