Hanukkah - What is this?

Many of us who grew up in the Christian world, never really heard of Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה sounds like Chanukah but spelled Chanukah/Channuka/Hanukkah). The name, Hanukkah, comes from the Hebrew word for “dedication,” “consecration” or “inauguration.” Growing up, we might have known "a slight something" about it. Maybe we knew it was Jewish but it was really disconnected from most people and not really applicable to our life.

Brief History

In the second century BCE, Antiochus IV controlled Israel and much of the Middle East. He was an evil man who severely and harshly persecuted the Jewish People.

His armies forced Jewish People to worship false gods, stop circumcising their sons, eat unclean foods, ignore the Sabbath and God's Holy Feasts. For those who refused, they were violently and painfully massacred. In the space of three days, there was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In this time, 80,000 were lost, 40,000 meeting a violent death. Antiochus IV took over God's Holy Temple, stole the Holy Temple articles, and desecrated it with prostitution, man-made idols to Zeus, and unholy sacrifices in the Holy of Holies with pigs.

An Israeli named Mattathias Maccabee and his son, Judah, led a revolt against the harsh oppression, subdued the evil armies that far outnumbered them, and regained control of God's Holy Temple.

The faithful Jews proceeded to purify the Temple and set out to rededicate it to the God and to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot which was prohibited under Antiochus' evil reign. Additionally, legend states, that there was not enough oil to keep the Temple menorah burning continuously. For these reasons, Chanukah is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Festival of Dedication.

Hanukkah is the Second Sukkot!

The Second Book of Maccabees explains that the command of celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah and was actually invented as a substitute for celebrating the eight days of Sukkot. It does not mention the “Miracle of Oil” story. This “Second Sukkot” story teaches that when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem, they worked removed the idols and broke apart the altars. They built new altars out of new uncut stones, polished the special holy bowls and tools, put new loaves of challah on the table and hung the curtains. Then they were ready to celebrate. It was winter; Sukkot was long past. King Antiochus, who had forbidden Jews to study Torah or circumcise the male babies, also prohibited Jews from participating in Sukkot celebrations (one of three important pilgrimage holidays). With the Temple holy again, each Maccabee took an etrog and a lulav and made a special, mid-winter celebration of Sukkot. This was the first celebration of Chanukah. Note that Chanukah, like Sukkot, lasts eight days. The message of this “Second Sukkot” account is clear: Judaism is so important that, if necessary, Jews will create new ways to observe our Jewish tradition. (Read more here: www.orami.org) Finally, according to a Midrash the Greeks issued a decree forbidding the Jews to observe the Sukkot festival, and they were unable to bring the sacrificial offerings of Sukkot in the Holy Temple. Hence, Hashem said, “You wanted to abolish the eight days of Sukkot; I will therefore give them an additional festive period of eight days — Chanukah.” Alternatively in the same Midrash, in Leviticus, there is a listing of all the festivals of the year, concluding with Sukkot. This is followed immediately by the verses, “Command the Children of Israel that they take to you pure olive oil, to kindle a lamp continually,” The juxtaposition of Sukkot to olive oil is an indication eight days of Sukkot/Chanukah and the Menorah. (Read more here: www.chabad.org)

^{Leviticus 23:39}“So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruits of the land, you are to keep the Feast of Adonai for seven days. The first day is to be a Shabbat rest, and the eighth day will also be a Shabbat rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you are to take choice fruit of trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and rejoice before Adonai your God for seven days. ⁴¹ You are to celebrate it as a festival to Adonai for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations—you are to celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² You are to live in sukkot for seven days. All the native-born in Israel are to live in sukkot, ⁴³ so that your generations may know that I had Bnei-Yisrael to dwell in sukkot when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.”⁴⁴ So Moses declared to Bnei-Yisrael the moadim of Adonai. ^{Leviticus 24:1} Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: ² “Order Bnei-Yisrael to bring to you pure olive oil, beaten for the light, to keep a lamp burning continually. ³ Outside of the curtain of the Testimony, in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to keep it in order from evening to morning before Adonai continually. It is to be a statute forever throughout your generations. ⁴ He is to keep the lamps in order on the pure gold menorah before Adonai continually.

Is Hanukkah For Christians?

Does this time of Hanukkah have any impact in our non-Jewish lives? Let's see what our Messiah says and then see His association with this day.

^{Matthew 10:38}And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me isn’t worthy of Me.

^{Matthew 9:9} As Yeshua was passing by from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow Me.” And he got up and followed Him.

^{Matthew 23:1} Then Yeshua spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ² saying, “The Torah scholars and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. ³ So whatever they tell you, do and observe.

^{John 14:12}“Amen, amen I tell you, he who puts his trust in Me, the works that I do he will do; and greater than these he will do, because I am going to the Father.

It is very simple, Yeshua asks us to do what He does! He is our Master. He is our Head Teacher and only Rabbi. We are to follow Him in everything. Yeshua was Jewish. He did things in a Jewish way, but He has asked us to follow Him. So if He went walking to the Temple and onto the Colonnade, we would be right next to Him because we were following Him in everything, and there are blessings when we do what He does.

^{John 13:16}“Amen, amen I tell you, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and the one who is sent isn’t greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them!”

^{John 10:22} Then came Hanukkah; it was winter in Jerusalem. ²³ Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon’s Colonnade.²⁴ Then the Judean leaders surrounded Him, saying, “How long will You hold us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us outright!” [TLV]

So, it was winter time and Yeshua was on the temple mound during Hanukkah. If we were with Him, following Him, we would be there too, on Hanukkah.

Interestingly, the Jewish leaders knew this was an important time because Hanukkah was an important historical memorial. The time of Hanukkah represented Jewish freedom from wickedness and worldly oppression against their beliefs. So, it was at this time that the Jewish leaders ask Yeshua if He was the "Anointed One", the new Jewish King, ready to start a "revolt" like that of the Maccabees. They thought He would begin His kingdom and free them from Roman rule!

As Christians, we know that this did not happen and everything is in God's time. We know that Yeshua is coming back as the Lion of Judah, with Power and Might, and He will fully establish His Holy Kingdom on earth. But for now we must wait and eagerly anticipate His soon return!

Hanukkah: Dangerous Past and Future?

Hanukkah highlights a very dangerous time in Jewish history. Although today's celebration focuses on lights, joy, and festivity, the foundation of this time based upon God's redemption from a very dark evil. So, could this very dark evil, the atrocity of Antiochus, repeat in Israel again? Could the same evil spirit be a threat to a Jewish nation today, which was similar to the past? In a surprising twist to Hanukkah past, Yeshua shows us that the dark time of history and the Holy Temple will repeat in the future! In seeming obscure verse, Yeshua comments about Hanukkah, but we have to dig deep to see the dark meaning and fatal impact. Note that Hanukkah occurs in the winter and Antiochus was known as the "Abomination the Makes Desolate"!

^{Matthew 24:15}“So when you see ‘the abomination of desolation,’[b] which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ The one on the roof must not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and the one in the field must not turn back to get his coat. ¹⁹ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your escape will not happen in winter, or on Shabbat. ²¹ For then there will be great trouble,[c] such as has not happened since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. ²² And unless those days were cut short, no one would be delivered. But for the sake of the chosen, those days will be cut short. [TLV]

Did you see it? Look at the highlighted words above. It is clear that history will repeat, that the perverted spirit of Antiochus will be preset again in the Temple in Jerusalem. Yeshua is highlighting that it will take place at or near Hanukkah in the future. Now, we will go to the prophecy in Daniel with which Yeshua was referring to help illuminate this message further.

^{Daniel 12:8} Now I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, ‘My Lord, what will be the outcome of these things?’ ⁹ Then he said: “Go your way, Daniel. For the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly. None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand. ¹¹ “From the time that the daily burnt offering is taken away, and abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. ¹² Happy is the one who keeps waiting, and reaches the 1,335 days. [f] 13 But you, go your way till the end. You will rest and then at the end of days you will arise to receive your portion.”

As a follower of Yeshua, as a Christian, may you have a wonderful Hanukkah and celebrate a special time of Light and Dedication, just as He did. With wisdom, may you prepare yourselves and your family for the future.