Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of the Dedication or Festival of Lights, is a Jewish celebration of faith. Some Christians falsely believe it’s the “Jewish Christmas.” The historical cliff note version of the story goes something like this. When the Jews re-entered the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, there was only enough of the special oil to light the Temple menorah and keep it burning for one day. But the oil miraculously burned for eight days while more was being brought from Galilee. That was an eight-day trip there and back! The festival of Hanukkah celebrates this miracle!
Are you curious about the Jewish roots of the Bible and want to partake in the richness of the Old Testament and have fun? This is part one of two explaining how to put Hanukkah on your celebration calendar, enrich your spiritual walk, and your homeschool learning!
Celebrate the meaning behind Hanukkah and how it applies to today
The Hanukkah story can be found in 1 and 2 Maccabees. The story of Hanukkah shows us how to stand firm on God’s truth in the midst of trial and opposition. For today, this is an important message to be embraced.
Celebrating Hanukkah also reminds use that we are the light in the darkness. According to 1 John 1:5-6, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness, the truth does not exist in us.” We are encouraged to be faithful to God and refuse to allow any darkness into our lives. We can do this by reaching out to the lost and showing them that there is a better way both with our words and deeds.
This is also a time of introspection and cleansing. When the Temple was liberated, it had to be cleansed for proper worship. Every area was searched and cleaned. Today we can ask the Lord to search our own hearts and minds for areas of sin or places we are not allowing Him.
Celebrate the light
It wouldn’t be the festival of lights, without lights! A symbol of Hanukkah is the hanukiah. This is a special, nine-branched candelabra used during Hanukkah. The middle branch stands higher than the other eight branches and is called the “shamash” or servant candle. This candle is used to light the other candles.
At sundown for each night of Hanukkah, a new candle is lit. For the first night, one candle is placed on the branch all the way to the right. The servant candle is lit and used to light this first candle. On the next night, another candle is added to the right end of the hanukiah. The servant candle then lights the remaining candles going from left to right with the newest candle lit first. This is repeated each night until the eighth night when all candles are lit.
Celebrate the blessing
After the lighting of the candles, the following blessing is spoken:
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations and who gave us Yeshua our Messiah the Light of the world. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.”
To be continued in Part Two
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