The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins at nightfall this evening and continues for 8 days, ending at nightfall on Monday 26th December.

Hanukkah remembers the historical events which took place in 167 BCE during the time when Israel was ruled by the Hellenistic Seleucid empire. During this time the Jewish people were suffering severe political and religious persecution. King Antiochus not only murdered the Jewish High Priest, Onias III, he slaughtered 40,000 inhabitants of Jerusalem. All Jewish practices including the observance of the Sabbath were prohibited and the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was dedicated to the Greek god Zeus. The final assault was the slaughter of a pig on the sacrificial altar, desecrating the Temple.

Israel was finally delivered through the actions of a brave and bold leader, Judas Maccabeus, who led a successful revolt until such time as the Temple could finally be purified and its services restored. 

The wonderful miracle of Hanukkah is that a tiny portion of remaining oil for the Temple’s menorah lasted for a full 8 days, enough time to ritually produce a new supply of pure olive oil. 

The Hanukkah menorah is distinctive in that it has 9 candlesticks, instead of the usual 7. Each evening at sunset, a new candle is lit from the center candle (called the shamash or ‘servant lamp’), until all eight candles are lit.

Happily, Antiochus IV Epiphanes failed in his efforts to wipe out Israel and the Jewish people, just as others after him failed, their kingdoms and empires experiencing decline and eventual extinction.

We are also reminded at this time that 2,000 years after the Roman Empire destroyed the 2nd Jewish Temple in 70CE and the majority of the Jewish people were forced out of their homeland and scattered across the globe, the Nation of Israel (together with its ancient Hebrew language) was not only re-born in 1948, but that it continues to thrive, despite the persistent efforts and desires of its modern day enemies.