What Is Chanukah All About?
Chanukah is a eight-day holiday which celebrates the Jewish people defeating the Syrian-Greek armies and reclaiming the Temple in Jerusalem. After cleaning the Temple which was overgrown with vines and weeds, they finished their work on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. As they gathered to light the menorah, however, they could only find one small jar of pure olive oil which would last only one day. To their surprise, however, the oil burned and burned for eight days and nights until they could produce more oil. Thus, the eight-day long Chanukah holiday.
Related Questions
- Chanukah, Celebrated instead of Sukkot: What can you tell me about the Feast of Dedication being celebrated in place of Sukkot by the Maccabees when they rededicated the Temple?
- Chanukah, Nine-Branched Menorah: Why is there a nine-branched menorah used for Chanukah, when there was a seven-branched menorah used in the Temple?
- What is the connection between dairy foods and Chanukah?
