CHANUKAH (Feast of Dedication)
Dec. 21st, 2008

The festival of Chanukah is held in December 21st of this year. On each day of the festival a new candle is lit on the menorah or Chanukiah, a nine branched candlestick. Candles are place into the menorah from right to left, with the center "Shamash" (servant) candle and the right most candle being used the first night. The candles are lit left to right, so the Shamash candle is lit first, then all other candles. It is tradition to light the candles before the festive meal each night.

History:
Hanukah or Chanukah means “dedication”, referring to the rededication of the Temple after a great Jewish military victory in 165 BCE This feast did not originate with Moses, nor is it even mandated in the Bible. It is found in the books of First and Second Macabees in the Apocrypha, the books written in the 400 year “silence” between the Tenach (Old Testament) and B’rit Hadashah (New Testament). God was not silent in these years however. He was still at work fulfilling His promises and preserving His people. Furthermore, there are good Biblical reasons to celebrate this feast. The first is that Yeshua observed this holiday.

How did the tradition of the 8 days and lighting 8 candles begin?
When the victorious Macabees began cleaning up the Temple, they found only one small jar of oil for “ner tamid”...only enough for one day. They sent a messenger for more. Meanwhile, the small amount of oil burned miraculously for 8 days. Another explanation for the 8 day observance is that some Rabbis believe it was a delayed celebration of the fall feast of Sukkot, which also lasts for 8 days.

The shamash or “servant” is the candle used to light the other candles
of the Hanukkah menorah. Yeshua is our shamash...

Matthew 20:28
“...the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many...”

Other traditions:

1. Display your menorah in the window to show God’s miracle to the world.

2. So eat some latkes and donuts! Oil (the symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit) is associated with the Hanukkah miracle. Fry the latkes in oil and don’t think about the calories....think about the miracle!

3. The draydel: The four Hebrew letters mean “a great miracle happened there”. (nes gadol haya sham) Children play a game with the draydel and each letter has an assigned value: nes (nothing), gadol (all), hayah (half), and sham (put in).

For More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah