The Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, will begin at sunset Dec. 18 and be celebrated until Dec. 26. Today we look at the origins and some traditions of the observance.
The dreidel game originally had nothing to do with Hanukkah; it has been played by various people in various languages for many centuries.
According to My Jewish Learning, “the dreidel or sevivon is perhaps the most famous custom associated with Hanukkah. Indeed, various rabbis have tried to find an integral connection between the dreidel and the Hanukkah story; the standard explanation is that the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin, which appear on the dreidel in the Diaspora, stand for nes gadol haya sham – “a great miracle happened there,” while in Israel the dreidel says nun, gimmel, hey, pey, which means “a great miracle happened here.”
There are many symbolic explanations of the names.
Dating back to Ancient Greece
One explanation for dreidels’ connection to Hanukkah is in 175 BC, Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes took control of present-day Syria, Lebanon and Israel and instituted harsh decrees against Jewish life. Students kept a toy similar to a dreidel in their pockets and would quickly take out their spinning tops and some coins and explain that they were just playing games if Greek guards showed up.
Spelling?
Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah? There is no definitive rule. Hanukkah is the most widely used, but Chanukah is often the favorite of traditionalists. By the way, there might be a dozen other ways to spell it. Hanukkah means “dedication.”
Ancient origins
In 167 B.C., the area known today as Israel was occupied by the Seleucid Empire. The empire at its peak stretched from modern Greece to Iran. The empire practiced Greek religion and forbade Judaism. Some Jews converted to the state religion. A rural Jewish priest, Mattathias the Hasmonean, sparked a revolt against the empire. When Mattathias died in 166 B.C., his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee (“the Hammer”), took up the fight.
After two years the Jews had driven the empire out of Jerusalem. Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light its gold menorah, whose seven branches represented wisdom, light and divine inspiration and were meant to be kept burning every night.
During that time there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, but the flames continued for eight nights. This wondrous event inspired the Jews to proclaim a yearly eight-day festival.
Important days
The two most important Jewish holidays are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which celebrate the Jewish New Year and the day of atonement. Other important holidays are Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkoth. Hanukkah is very well known but not a high holy day.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year, the beginning of ten days of penitence or teshuvah culminating on Yom Kippur. Traditionally celebrated with sweet or round foods such as apples and honey, and the blowing of the shofar, a hollowed-out ram’s horn. Jews began year 5783 in September.
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement; a very solemn day devoted to fasting, prayer, and repentance. Observant Jews do not eat, drink (including water), bathe, engage in sexual activity, or wear anything made of leather on this day.
National profile
The American Jewish Population Project’s 2020 survey estimated the Jewish population to be 7.6 million in the U.S. Which is about 2.4% of the nation’s population.
Unlike other demographic groups in the United States, such as those defined by race, ethnicity, or economic status, there are no systematic sources of data at the national level – such as the U.S. census – that can be used to describe the Jewish population. The separation of church and state in the United States prohibits the government from requiring that individuals report their religious affiliation.
Source: Jewish Virtual Library, Chabad.org, Pew Research Center, Brandeis University, Jewish Virtual Library Photos: Wikimedia Commons
