by Nan C Avery

Created on: November 18, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

Hanukkah is a time of excitement and history. Visualize, for a moment, how a small force of Maccabean soldier-Jews fought and smite a powerful enemy. Think how the faithful Jews felt when the Syrians and their own Jewish brothers had desecrated the Temple.

The Syrians shocked that this rag tag group of farmers, led by Judah, achieved such a victory. The Judeans marched through the silent streets of Jerusalem. Along the way, from the poor section to the rich section, all was quiet. In front of the Temple and homes were low, small concrete slabs that the Hellenist Jews used for sacrifice of animals to the pagan gods. Now the invading group of Judeans began to call for vengeance on the Syrians and the Jews who had renounced their beliefs and heritage.

The Judean soldiers wanted to stay in Jerusalem instead of marching to Acra. Although Judah did not agree, he did not say anything.

The Judeans wanted to clean the Temple and so they began working to cleanse it of the unnatural defiling that had occurred. There had been a pagan idol left so they took it outside the Temple and stomped on it until it was fine dust. They took all the stones out of the Temple because they were desecrate. They rebuilt everything in the Temple so that it would be pure and holy again.

They worked for weeks. Everything was kosher and ready to open. They wanted to rededicate the Temple. They decided to do so on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. The people rejoiced. They chose the priest from the soldier-priests to officiate. The soldier-priests went in the Temple chambers and discovered some old and unused iron stakes (unused is the key word - they had not been desecrated). They used the irons to make a crude menorah. They had also found a cruse of oil. This oil became symbolic. It showed that the Lord had indeed heard their prayers. He had kept his promise. The celebration was glorious There was singing, dancing, and a recited poem that the Levites had created: "I extol You, O Lord, for you have lifted me up, and not let my enemies rejoice over me."

Thus ends the first Hanukkah.

After Judah and his two sons, Jonathan and Simon died, problems among the Jews arose. New problems crept up as the Jewish families got farther away from actual war that had taken place for the Jews to survive. Think of it as trying to understand what Americans went through during the Civil War. (You can understand it but have very little sympathy for the warrior. Today we can feel emotion towards the soldiers who have gone to Iraq, The conflict in Jerusalem must have left their citizens feel the same sorrow we feel today when our soldiers fight for a cause.

The little insignificant differences between orthodox Jews and the traditional Jews began to show. Orthodox Jews felt the festival should be held in the Temple.

The traditional felt it should be held in the home since it was not a religious celebration. The settlement was to change it into a family festival. The sacraments, songs, and poems brought families together.

The longer they went without the celebration, the less they knew about Hanukkah'ssignificance. They decided after 100 years of non-festival, to celebrate again. The families cherish it as adults and children celebrate today.

Thus begins the second Hanukkah.

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