Faith And Reason 360

Like winter holidays of many other religions, including Christians’ Advent, Hanukkah emphasizes light during the darkest part of the year. The main Hanukkah observances are lighting a menorah (a ceremonial candelabra), spinning a top called a dreidel in a game of chance, and eating fried foods (to symbolize the oil in the story). Hanukkah is an 8-day long Jewish festive holiday that commemorates an improbable victory, some 22 centuries ago, by the Maccabees, a band of Jewish guerilla fighters seeking to reclaim their land, their Temple, and their sovereignty from the oppressive rule of the Syrian Greek Empire. The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication,” and it refers to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem which took place after the Maccabees’ victory in 164 BCE. Once the Maccabees had restored the Temple and re-purified it, the traditional story says that they sought to relight a lamp known as the “eternal flame.” But, according to story, only one day’s worth of consecrated olive oil could be found, and i