The Festival of Lights — eight nights of celebration commemorating the miracle of the Temple oil and the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greek empire in 165 BCE. Hanukkah begins on the twenty-fifth of Kislev and, while relatively minor in the Jewish religious calendar, has become one of the most widely recognized Jewish holidays worldwide.
In the second century BCE, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem and outlawed Jewish practice. A small band of Jewish fighters called the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, launched a successful revolt and rededicated the Temple — the word Hanukkah means 'dedication' in Hebrew. When they came to relight the Temple's menorah, they found only enough ritually pure oil for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days — long enough to prepare a fresh supply. The holiday celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, the few over the many, and the preservation of religious freedom. In America, Hanukkah has taken on additional cultural significance as a celebration of Jewish identity in the December holiday season.
The central mitzvah is lighting the Hanukkiah (nine-branched menorah) — one candle the first night, adding one each subsequent night, using the shamash (helper candle) to light the others. The chanukiah is placed in a window to publicize the miracle. Traditional songs including Ma'oz Tzur and Hanerot Halalu are sung. Games with the dreidel (spinning top with Hebrew letters) are played, with the letters standing for 'A great miracle happened there.' Gifts are exchanged, especially in American Jewish communities. Fried foods are central to the celebration.
“This was the dedication of the altar after it was anointed, when the leaders of Israel offered from each leader, one silver platter, one silver bowl, one gold pan.”— Numbers 7:84
Chag Urim Sameach — Happy Festival of Lights