HANUKKAH
Hanukkah is The Festival Of Lights.
Hanukkah is NOT a Sabbath and is NOT a High Holy Day!
HANUKKAH (Chanukah), an 8-day-long Feast / Festival - the first day of which is the Feast Of Dedication - commemorates a miraculous event that occurred after the close of Tanakh, the Hebrew's Holy Scriptures (The Old Testament, in Christian Bibles). It is not a God-established, God-ordained Feast / Festival. Other than one and sometimes two routine, weekly, Saturday Sabbaths within "The Festival Of Lights", there are no special, God-ordained "Holy-Day" Sabbaths during the eight days of HANUKKAH, because it is a tradition-based celebration instituted by men, not by God.
After Shemini Atzeret, the next Holy Day on God's calendar is the next Passover, six months later, in the following Spring. This means that both Simchat Torah and Purim, along with Hanukkah (Chanukah), are NOT Biblical holy days. They are not God-established and they are not God-ordained.
The three High Holy Days established by God are:
1 - The first day of the Feast Of Unleavened Bread (Chag Ha Matzoh) - 15 Nisan - The day after The Passover.
2 - Pentecost (Shavu'ot) - On a Sunday, very late in spring, fifty days from the first Sunday following (after) The Passover.
3 - The first day of the Feast Of Tabernacles (Sukk'ot) - 15 Tishri - Five days after Yom Kippur and fifteen days after Rosh haShanah.
These three God-ordained High Holy Days are Annual High Sabbaths, "Pilgrimage" Sabbaths.
On God's ecclesiastical calendar, there are no OTHER High Holy Days!
About which, see: Ex. 23:14-17 --- Lev. Chapter 23 --- Deu. 16:16
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The following are modern Hebrew "BELIEFS" about Hanukkah (Chanukah).
These are man-made traditions and customs that were not derived from the Hebrew's Holy Scriptures (Torah, Tanakh) but are derived from
the Talmud (Rabbinical commentaries) and have greatly evolved since the time of Yehudah Ha Maccabee.
Hanukkah is the story of a great victory of the Jews over the Syrian-Greeks. In BCE 165, led by the Hasmonean family of Mattathias the High Priest and his youngest son, Judah, the Jews succeeded in evicting the Syrian-Greeks from Israel and restored the Temple.
The name Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word "Khanu" meaning "and they rested," and from the Hebrew date "Kaf Hey" which equals 25. That is why Hebrews celebrate Hanukkah beginning on the 25th of the month of Kislev.
According to the Talmud, after the Temple had been cleaned and the Priests were ready to light the Temple menorah, they could find only one jug of oil that was consecrated (Holy) for Temple use. This was only enough for one day, but it lasted for eight. This is why Hanukkah is eight days long. For eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev Hebrews light the "Hanukia" (Hanukkah Menorah) to celebrate both the victory and the miracle of Hanukkah.
Click Here - For Chanukah Candle Lighting Blessings for each night
In English and transliterated Hebrew
Miracle Of The Oil
In the temple, a menorah was lit every day. The oil used in the menorah was the purest olive oil. The rabbis say the oil was so pure, only the first drop of oil from each olive could be used. Because of the need for strict purity of the oil, it took seven days to make a single batch of oil.
The small jar of oil, that had not been disturbed, lasted for the one day it was expected to last but, then, continued to last for another full week, the proper amount of time it took to make new consecrated (Holy) oil for Temple use.
Hannah And Her Seven Sons
Hanukkah is the story of heroes and bravery. It took great courage to go against the king and not worship idols. It took courage to fight against a powerful enemy and win as the Maccabees did.
One of the most amazing parts of Hanukkah is in the Book of the Maccabees. It is the story of Hannah and her sons. She loved them very much and they were loyal to HaShem (God). They would not do what the king wanted them to do and worship idols.
One day the soldiers came and took Hannah and her sons away. They brought them to the temple where there was an idol of Zeus and ordered them to bow down and worship and say that they accepted Zeus as their god. Hannah and her sons refused.
The soldiers killed her oldest son, hoping that when the others saw this they would worship their idol. But they did not. One after the other they were killed as was Hannah. She died declaring her faith in HaShem (God).
Yehudah haMaccabee
For three years Judah the Maccabee led his followers, those loyal to HaShem (God), against the Syrians. The Syrian Greeks had weapons, the Maccabees did not. The Jews were greatly outnumbered.
They hid in the Judean hills, and attacked whenever they could. Slowly but surely, they wore down the enemies, and retook Jerusalem and cleaned out the temple of the idols and restored it. That is the festival of re-dedication called Hanukkah.
Hanukkah (Chanukah): An 8-day-long celebration NOT commanded in Torah or recorded in Tanakh, but rather a celebration created by men to honor and remember a non-Biblical historical event in Israel's distant past.
Chanukah = Feast of Dedication (Day 1) + Festival of Lights (All 8 days).
Click Here - For MORE Chanukah Candle Lighting Blessings.
In English and transliterated Hebrew
