Guest Column: Hannukkah Brings Light and Transformation to Dark Days

By Cara Cohn

Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its destruction by the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE. The eight-night festival of Chanukah is also known as the Festival of Lights and takes place in December, the time of year when the days are shortest in the northern hemisphere.

The Chanukah Blessings

Recited this year December 20th-27th at sundown
•Each night •

1. Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha’olam, asher kidshanu bemitzvotav, vetzivanu, lehadleek ner, shel chanukah.

(Blessed are You the Force that rules all of existence, who sanctifies us by giving us a way of life directed by holy commandments and commanded us to light the lights of Chanukah.)

2. Baruch atahAdonai,EloheynuMelech ha’olam, she’asah nisim la’avoteynu, bayamim hahem, bazman hazeh.

(Blessed are you, the Force that rules the universe, who made possible miracles for our ancestors, in those days, and also makes the same possible for us in our own times.)

•Add on the first night •

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech ha’olam, shehechiyanu, vekee-imanu, veheeg-iyanu, lazman hazeh.

(Blessed are you, the Force that rules the universe,who has kept us in life, made us flourish,and made it possible for us to reach this happy occasion.)

A Bit of History

When Alexander the Great died at the end of the fourth century BCE, his empire was split and Judea was fought over by the Seleucids in Syria, and the Ptolemies in Egypt. For the next 150 years, these two kingdoms sought to claim  Judea as part of their empire. Although the battle was largely military, there was an important ideological dimension. Alexander had introduced the Jews to Hellenistic Greek culture—its philosophy, its literature, and its impressive technology and power.

Some Jews, primarily those who lived in and around the larger cities, saw an opportunity to join this larger world by establishing political and economic relationships with others in the Hellenistic empire. They were drawn by a society that saw reality in terms of what could be directly experienced by the senses. On the other hand, the vast majority of the Jewish people at this time were small, independent farmers who lived on the land. They bore the brunt of the oppressive taxes imposed first by the Greeks, and then, by the Seleucids and Ptolemies.

In the early part of the second century Seleucid Antiochus IV ascended the throne imposing Hellenistic culture by force. He ordered the Temple in Jerusalem to make sacrifices to Greek gods and forbade the practice of Judaism. A revolt or resistance of any kind seemed futile. The loss would not only be in lives, but in the faith that there was a single Divine force governing the Universe who made freedom from oppression possible. It was under the leadership of a country priest named Mattathais and his five sons, of whom Judah became the most famous, known as “the hammer” or Maccabee, that a tiny group of farmers led a rebellion in the name of that Divine force.

These Maccabees understood the Jewish notion that every human being had a right to be treated with respect and decency. They believed the central power of the universe was a power that rejected the reality of oppression. Their Torah, the 5 Books of Moses, told the tale of their origins in a slave rebellion against another imperialist power thought to be invincible— Pharoah in Egypt.

Armed with these stories, the Maccabees and their followers used guerrilla tactics to win the first national liberation struggle in recorded history. In 165 BCE they reclaimed Jerusalem, purified the Temple and rekindled the eternal flame within the structure and within themselves.

Today’s Relevance

The real miracle was this: a critical mass of people came to recognize that there was a Force in the world that made the transformation of what is, to what ought to be, possible. This is hopeful. There is hope for us now  in our own times, WE are the light in a dark place. Through us we can illuminate the way forward.

The Ritual

Each night of Chanukah candles are lit starting with the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others.  The first night one candle is lit by the shamash. Then each night one additional candle is lit for a total of eight nights.The tradition is to sing,dance, play dreidel, eat potato pancakes and jelly donuts (both made with oil). and rejoice in freedom and liberation.