by Tasha Raymond

Created on: November 16, 2009   Last Updated: November 18, 2009

Hanukkah is normally referred to by society as the festival of light. This holiday is much more than that. The word Hanukkah means dedication. As in the name of the holiday, it is truly a reminder of dedication more so than the miracle that stands as the overall symbol for the day. To understand the origin of Hanukkah, one must look back into history before the miracle even occurred.

Around two-thousand years ago the Greco-Syrian kings from Damascus had taken over Judea by force. One king in particular, Antionchus Epiphanes had a distaste for the customs of the Jews. Since he saw these conquered people as new Grecian citizens, the felt that they should only honor the Greek gods and not their monotheistic one. He forbade the Jews from praying to their God, practicing their ancient customs, and from studying the Torah, their sacred scripture. He demanded that they pray only to the Greek gods and they would eat the flesh of pigs during the sacrifices, as was Greek custom. To the Jews this act alone was sacrilegious as the Torah does not allow the consumption of pork. Epiphanes added insult to injury when he had an altar to the Greek gods created in the Jewish temple that he had taken over.

As with all periods of persecution, there were those that stood up against the oppressors. Judah Maccabee and his four brothers organized a group resistance to fight back against the Greco-Syrian kings. Their tenacity and strength came from their belief that their God was indeed on their side. That strength was tested, however, when Judah and his band reached Beit Horon. Many of the Maccabees worried as to how they would be able to over-throw an army that was triple the size of their small band. Judah had to convince the Maccabees that their dedication to God and God's word would see them through such an endurance.

Whether through the Jewish God's will or through terrific military planning, the Maccabees held out for three years and eventually drove the Greco-Syrians from Judea. The dedication to their religion drove the Maccabees on long enough that they able to reclaim their Temple and way of life. In order to continue on, though, there was a lot of work to be done to the Temple. The Greco-Syrians had destroyed nearly everything in the building and had left it in utter disarray, but that did not deter the Maccabees.

When the Temple was back in order, the Jews decided that it would be acceptable if they had a celebration in as part of the rededication of the Temple that was to take place on the 25h day of the month Kislev in 164 B.C.E. They found, unfortunately, that the Greco-Syrians had defiled the oil for the Temple's menorah. There was only one vat left, enough for one day. The issue lay in the method of making more: it would take seven days before the next batch of oil was ready to be used at the Temple. The Maccabees decided that their dedication to the ceremony and rededicating the Temple was more important. They used the one vat to light the menorah. As a sign from God, the menorah stayed lit for eight days, long enough for the next batch to be ready.

Throughout the story of Hanukkah, there is dedication shown over and over again. Dedication to a way of life; dedication to religion; dedication to customs; dedication to the Temple; dedication to ceremony; dedication to one's self-purpose. This dedication is something that helps separate the firm believers from those that simply did as they were told by their oppressors. While the menorah staying lit for the eight days can be seen as a miracle, it can also be seen as the Jewish God's dedication to His followers.

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