Hanukkah sameach, Old American Lady and to all our Jewish lurkers! May the miracle of light shine every day.
I’m only Jewish by association: first, because I’ve family members who converted to Judaism for marriage. And second, because Jesus was a Jew. When I was young, I wondered why Passover was mentioned so many times in the Bible, but we never celebrated it like Christmas or Easter.
But I do know this much about Hanukkah: the candelabrum or menorah used in the Hanukkah has nine candles instead of the usual seven which is used as the emblem of the state of Israel. The Israeli passport has a seven-branched menorah.
source: Israelbiblicalstudies.com
The nine candles of Hanukkah are to commemorate the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after Judah the Maccabee drove the Seleucid army out of their land.
If you know about the story of David and Goliath, then Judah and his men are like the underdog David going up against the giant war machinery of the Seleucid empire. The Seleucids were Macedonian Greeks and their empire stretched from Thrace (currently, Bulgaria) in Europe, down to Anatolia (currently, Turkey) and to Syria in the Middle East.
Around 150 BC, a crazy Seleucid emperor named Antiochus IV began persecuting the Jews and imposing the Hellenistic culture and religion onto a largely resistant Jewish people. For example, he decreed a statue of Zeus placed in the holy Temple and rededicated the Temple to Zeus. He also ordered shrines to be built for the other gods. Naturally, the Jews revolted. It’s in their Mosaic law that they shall have no other gods and no graven images or idols before their one God, Yahweh. But to Antiochus IV, the Jewish god was an intolerant deity, unlike the Greek deities, and should be rooted out completely if the Jewish people were to be assimilated into the Greek society. Ironic, right? Antiochus was himself intolerant of a god he considered intolerant.
It took Judah and his men a few years to take back Jerusalem from the Seleucids but when they did, they immediately replaced the altar and RE-rededicated the Temple to Yahweh. This dedication is called “Hanukkah.”
The “miracle” of the lights that’s commonly associated with Hanukkah occurred when they were about to light the menorah in the Temple. They discovered that there was only a one-day supply of olive oil. Miraculously, that single jar of oil lasted for eight days — or until the new oil could be brought in and purified.
That’s why for Hanukkah, the Jewish people celebrate by lighting nine candles (eight candles to represent the eight days, plus one candle to light the others) instead of the usual seven on a menorah.
Well. this constitutes our BOD’s info-session for the day. 🙂
For me, who’s non-Jewish, the message I derive from this holiday is twofold:
One, a little thing can go a long way. A little oil, a little light, a little kindness, a little understanding, a little courage, a little patience, a little love, a little virtue. Just like a little army of dedicated men, little things can grow to achieve great feats. (lol. And if I may add a little conceit here, a little group of BODers can, too. Thank y’all for everything you do.)
Two, be brave to stand up for what is just and right. Hanukkah happened because a small group of people believed that their cause was right, and fought for it despite all odds. I believe that, in mysterious ways, God works for the good of those who love Him.
Happy Hanukkah!
Transferring @Welmaris’ post here.–pm3
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Wishing @OAL and others a Happy Hanukkah!
Transferring @Fern’s post here. -pm3
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Yes, Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it. So early this year!
Transferring @Cleopatra’s post here. –pm3
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Dear @OAL and to all those who celebrate it! Happy Hanukkah!
Transferring @GB’s post here. –pm3
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Ah thanks for the reminder. Hannukah is not on my radar in this part of the world.
✨ 🎁 🎈 🛍️ 🍎 ✨ Happy Hannukah @OAL and all who celebrate it! ✨ 🎁 🎈 🛍️ 🍎 ✨
Thank you @pkml3 for the information and for transferring our greetings!
That was a well summarised, informative and inspiring post. The little oil reminds me of the one Light at Easter Vigil, and how it is shared and grows. May our little lights shine brightly, even if we’re just chatting about dramas!
Happy Hannukah to all who celebrate it!
Such a beautiful and faith-affirming story of the origins of Hannukah- thank you for sharing it, @packmule3.
Happy Hanukkah to @AOL and those who celebrate it!!!
I like your message of Hanukkah @PM3. Little good things can make a huge difference. I needed to hear that today so thank you!
Happy Hanukkah, everyone!
Thanks to @PM3 for the informative post on the origins of this holiday.
Happy Hanukkah Everyone!!
Thank you @pm3 for the info. Thank you to you and all the BODs. You are all amazing and I’m very thankful to have found you all.
Thank you @packmule3, this is very well said. My family is a hodge podge of nationalities and religions, so I’ve had occasion to celebrate a lot of traditions. I have close friends who also come from many ethnicities. It makes my life very rich. One of my best friends is an ex religious who gave me the honor of attending the reunion of her old order at Marymount College. It was so memorable because these women truly embodied all that was sacred and beautiful in Catholicism. I was taken with the care they took of the elderly and infirm nuns. Apart from the babies and young children I was the only person there who didn’t take communion. My friend may have left the order but teaches kids in her parish, volunteers at a hospice and is an ecumenical minister. At this time of year I am thankful for acceptance and understanding and following the golden rule.
And post 9/11, I remember the uncertainty. @packmule3, you did what the experts were advising. I’m happy you didn’t have to use it. It is so weird that these challenges occur and that we are made to respond. I pray that we will see a time when these actions become unnecessary.
Thank you for the insights into the beginnings of Hanukkah. I would never have known. 🍪🍪🍪. Happy Hanukkah for the Jews amongst us.
Happy Hanukkah to everyone in this lovely community! Thank you our Queen Bee Packmule3 for sharing the history and what Hanukkah means to you and your word of encouragement for us.
Life is hard, and this community has been a beacon of light…my comfort and safe space where I am encouraged and inspired to continue to make a difference in our corner of the world.
I’ve been intentionally sharing one or two stories with my students every day, and I will be sharing about the history of Hanukah with my kids at school.
“To be brave and to stand up for what you believe is right,” and “God works for the good of those who love Him”–such powerful and needed words for me today.
Thank you, everyone!
Lovely to hear from you @Hatlady! I hope your Hanukkah is going great!
@GB, greetings from Taipei! 🙂 Hope all is well in your corner of the world!
I teach at a faith-based school, so I am thankful I am free to share the history and true meanings of many holidays, especially the ones that have their roots in the Christian faith.
Before I only focused on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Mother’s Day, but now I will add Hanukkah to the list. (We also celebrate Asian/Taiwanese holidays as well, and I also try to share about their history and traditions and well.)
Blessings to you and your family!
Hi @HatLady, The more holidays, the merrier. Looking forward to Lunar New Year. I grew up just
outside of Manhattan’s original Chinatown(now NYC has more than six primarily Chinese neighborhoods in three of the five boroughs). If you were to look at my email address book, I would say at least one third of my contacts are Chinese American. And your good wishes coming from Taipei are very welcome. I hope that your country stays independent given China’s Saber rattling. You are in my prayers. On a fun note, I also am into Taiwanese dramas now that I have Viki.
Tonight is the last night of Chanukah(there are many English spellings, inc,Inc, Hanukkah). To be honest I am actually eating soup dumplings (Shanghai food) and lo mein. Given how I grew up, this is comfort food. And my husband and I had a slow burn office romance because we went from lunch buddies to marriage over meals in Chinatown.
And because we Jews don’t celebrate Cbristmas(unless we have intermarriage relatives or good friends inviting us), the American Jewish traditions on Christmas Day, Eve and during the season is to work these holidays in order for our Christian colleagues to take the time off and on Christmas Day to eat Chinese food and go to the movies.
So from my increasingly more Asiancity(also has large populations of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Tibetans, Nepalese, Burmese, Sri Lankans and lots of Hallal food trucks as well as Uighyrs), I send good wishes for peace, health, wealth and happiness to you and all of our BODs.
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