Happy Hanukkah!
John TG
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest.
The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning "to dedicate". On Hanukkah, the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple.
Story
Judea was part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt until 200 BCE when King Antiochus III the Great of Syria defeated King Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt at the Battle of Panium. Judea became at that moment part of the Seleucid Empire of Syria. King Antiochus III the Great wanting to conciliate his new Jewish subjects guaranteed their right to "live according to their ancestral customs" and to continue to practice their religion in the Temple of Jerusalem. However in 175 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus III invaded Judea, ostensibly at the request of the sons of Tobias. The Tobiads, who led the Hellenizing Jewish faction in Jerusalem, were expelled to Syria around 170 BCE when the high priest Onias and his pro-Egyptian faction wrested control from them. The exiled Tobiads lobbied Antiochus IV Epiphanes to recapture Jerusalem.
When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple (the sacrifice of pigs to the Greek gods was standard ritual practice in the Ancient Greek religion).
Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattityahu, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. According to the Talmud, unadulterated and undefiled pure olive oil with the seal of the kohen gadol (high priest) was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. The story goes that one flask was found with only enough oil to burn for one day, yet it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.
Happy Hanukkah
Comments
Happy Hanukkah \o/
Falten altres connotacions economico-militars i la intervencio final de Roma, pero la part religiosa de l'oli per a 1 dias es molt bonica.
Happy Hanukkah 🙂
Happy Hanuka le kulam
VoTed
Happy Hanukkah 🙂 o7
Happy Hanukkah : )
Didn't knew the story. Happy Hanukkah! 🙂
Feliç diada o hanukkah com li vullgau dir 😃
Now that's an interesting language. Is that Catalan? (Judging by your flag in the avatar) 🙂
Efectivament es català 😃 Del pais valencia concretament, aqui hi hague una epoca on, abans de la deshonrosa expulsio, hi havia molts jueus.
Happy Hanukkah 🙂
Happy Hannukah 🙂
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Hanukkah o/
Happy Hanukkah o/
Happy Hanukkah \o/
με 110% θα βγεις!
v
H.H.!
happy hanukkah to all citizen of eisrael.
it's my first hanukka her and I hope I will be in more hanukkah in eisrael!!!
happy hanuka 🙂
Happy Hanukkah!
HH o7
Happy Hanukkah
hag sameach! 🙂
Happy Hannukah Cap'n John!
Happy Hanukkah
\o/ Happy Hanukkah \o/
fuck maccabai!
Are there any presents I could sponge? Anyway, happy Hanukkah o/
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
I made you out of clay
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
With Dreidel I shall play
(Courtney Cox, I love you)
Happy Hanukkah! 😁))))
Happy Hanukkah
fuck maccabai.
100% Antiochus.
LOL, I love Tsahi 😃
חנוכה שמחה
Lichtige Chanukah
Happy Hanukkah all!
With Peace and Love From Iran 🙂
Happy Hanukkah
do not know anything about israel life but, always good to learn new things
Happy Hanukkah
voted
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUCNAnp2QAI
While I am a gentile by birth, I'm proud and honored to be friends with my Jewish cousins (in real life also).
V
Happy Hanukkah \o/