Study Sheet – Hanukkah

1. Historical Event

Hanukkah ("dedication") commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee (Yehudah haMaccabi), over the Seleucid Empire of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (164 BCE). The Greeks had desecrated the Temple and outlawed the practice of Judaism.

After recapturing the Temple, the Maccabees found a single cruse of pure oil bearing the High Priest's seal, enough for only one day — it miraculously burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared.

Dates: 25 Kislev to 2 (or 3) Tevet. An 8-day festival.

2. Status of the Holiday

Hanukkah is NOT a Yom Tov: it is a rabbinic holiday (not biblical). There is no prohibition on work. Daily life continues normally. No fasting and no eulogies are delivered.

The primary mitzvah: lighting the hanukkiah.

3. The Hanukkiah and Lighting

The hanukkiah has eight branches plus the shamash (helper candle used to light the others). Not to be confused with the menorah (seven branches, Temple).

Beit Hillel vs. Beit Shammai

• Beit Shammai: 8 candles on the first night, decreasing (days remaining)
• Beit Hillel: 1 candle on the first night, increasing (days passed)

Halakhah follows Beit Hillel: we increase — ma'alin bakodesh (we ascend in holiness, never descend). A symbol of Jewish optimism.

Arrangement: candles are placed from right to left (adding one on the left each night). They are lit from left to right (newest first).

Timing: after sunset (some at nightfall). The lights must burn for at least 30 minutes. On Friday evening: light before Shabbat candles (minimum burn time 1.5 hours).

Placement: at a window visible from the street, or at the entrance (left side, facing the mezuzot on the right), between 27 and 80 cm from the floor. Purpose: pirsumei nissa (publicizing the miracle).

Saturday night (end of Shabbat): at synagogue: Hanukkah then Havdalah. At home: Havdalah then Hanukkah.

4. Traditional Foods

Foods fried in oil are eaten in memory of the miracle:

• Latkes / levivot (potato pancakes, Ashkenazic tradition)
• Sufganiyot (jelly donuts, Israeli tradition)
• Dairy products (in memory of Judith, who fed cheese to an enemy general before killing him)

5. Liturgy and Prayers

Full Hallel for all eight days.

Al HaNissim ("For the miracles"): a passage added to the Amidah (2nd blessing) and to the Birkat Hamazon. It recounts the Maccabees' victory and the miracle of the oil.

After lighting, the hymn Ma'oz Tzur ("Rock of My Salvation") is sung.

6. The Sevivon (Dreidel)

A spinning top with four faces bearing the letters:

• Nun, Gimel, Hey, Shin
• Initials of "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" (A great miracle happened there)
• In Israel: Nun, Gimel, Hey, Pey → "Nes Gadol Hayah Po" (A great miracle happened here)

According to tradition, children would play with the dreidel under Greek rule to disguise their Torah study.

7. The Link to Judith

Tradition connects Hanukkah to the story of Judith, who fed cheese to an enemy general (Holofernes), plied him with wine, and beheaded him, saving her town. This story partly explains the custom of eating dairy products and illustrates individual courage in the face of oppression.

Key Takeaways – Summary