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Overview: Hanukkah History Hanukkah is one
of the few Jewish holidays not mentioned in the Bible. The story of how
Hanukkah came to be is contained in the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are
not part of the Jewish canon of the Hebrew Bible.
 These books tell
the story of the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish fighters who liberated the
Since they were
unable to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot at its proper time in early autumn,
the victorious Maccabees decided that Sukkot should be celebrated once they
rededicated the About 250 years
after these events, the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote
his account of the origins of the holiday. Josephus referred to the holiday
as the Festival of Lights and not as Hanukkah. Josephus seems to be connecting
the newfound liberty that resulted from the events with the image of light,
and the holiday is still often referred to by the title Josephus gave it. By the early
rabbinic period about a century later--at the time that the Mishnah (the
first compilation of oral rabbinic law included in the Talmud) was
redacted--the holiday had become known by the name of Hanukkah
(“Dedication”). However, the Mishnah does not give us any details concerning
the rules and customs associated with the holiday. It is in the Gemara
(a commentary on the Mishnah) of the Babylonian Talmud that we are given more
details and can clearly see the development of both the holiday and the
stories associated with it. The discussion of Hanukkah is mentioned in
Tractate Shabbat. Only three lines are devoted to the events of
Hanukkah while three pages detail when, where, and how the Hanukkah lights
should be lit. Completed
approximately 600 years after the events of the Maccabees, the Talmud
contains the extant version of the famous story of the miraculous jar of oil
that burned for eight days. The Talmud relates this stories in the context of
a discussion about the fact that fasting and grieving are not allowed on
Hanukkah. In order to understand why the observance of Hanukkah is so
important, the Rabbis recount the story of the miraculous jar of oil. Perhaps the Amoraim--the
sages of the Talmud--were retelling an old oral legend in order to associate
the holiday with what they believed to be a blatant, supernatural miracle. Although
the seemingly miraculous victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks was
certainly part of the holiday narrative, this event still lies within the
natural human realm. The Rabbis may have felt this to be insufficient
justification for the holiday’s gaining the legal stature that would prohibit
fasting and include the saying of certain festival prayers. Therefore the
story of a supernatural event centering on the oil--a miracle--would
unquestionably answer any concerns about the legitimacy of celebrating the
holiday. Hanukkah gained
new meaning with the rise of Zionism. As the early pioneers in
Hanukkah began
to find new expression in the years leading up to the founding of the modern
state of
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http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Hanukkah/TO_Hanukkah_History.htm
