HANUKKAH, THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
since generations and history of salvation could have stopped if Abraham had no child from Sarah. Moreover, an important midrash [rabbinical commentary] shows how Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai burst into laughter when he saw the site of the Holy of Holies [Devir] burning at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple. His disciples were scared but he answered: "I laugh because I know from now on that this place will be restored one day".
This hope beyond hope is very comparable with the Christian attitude, which should be sustained among the faithful everywhere since the disciples of Jesus Christ, in Jerusalem, at Emmaeus, did not or could not believe that God had restored the Temple of His Body through death and Resurrection.
According to the Babylonian Talmud there are two ways for lighting the lights, normally using olive oil lamps on a specific candelabra called Hanukkiah having 9 lamps: 8 lamps to be lit every day and the 9th used for lighting the others.
a] The Ashkenazi tradition requires each person of a family to light his own menorah. The Sephardic tradition considers that one should only light one menorah for each household.
b] The very strict observant School of Shammai was very scrupulous and required that eight lights should be lit on the first evening of the festival, thereafter reducing each day the number of the lights. The School of Hillel, followed by all Jews today, required to light one light on the first evening and to add another one each day.
c] The lights are lit from right to left by using a "shamash" [servant, comp. "sames" in Arabic and "shamusha" in Aramaic for "deacon"] because the purpose of these lights is to make known the miracle showing the Light of God.
As for Sukkot [the Feast of the Booths], the Psalms of the Hallel are recited every day [Psalms 111-118]. At Pessah, this is only done on the first and seventh day of the Feast. It should be noted that Jesus went to Gethsemane after having sung the Psalms of the Hallel [Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26].
In the Ashkenazi tradition, "latkes" or potato pancakes are cooked in fried oil. In Israel, according to the Middle-Eastern tradition, people eat a lot of "sufganiyot", deep-fried jelly doughnuts.
Two more informations: children are usually kings and queens and on that festival they are given, according to the Ashkenazi tradition, some "Hanukkah gelt [Hanukkah money]" as a present.
People also play with a dreydl [Yiddish] / savivon [Hebrew], a four-sided top, and on each side a letter is written: N [nun], G [ gimmel], H [he], SH [shin] or P [pe] The Jews were supposed, in times of persecutions, to play and to gamble: These letters mean: "Nes Gadol Hayah SHam/Po" [A great miracle happened there/here].
A link for Christian faithful
The light is present throughout the Bible and the Gospels, since God created first the light of the sun [Shemesh in Hebrew, comp. with "shamash" servant, server].
The Prophet Isaiah wrote: "I, the Lord have called on righteousness, and will hold your hand and will keep you and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house; I am the Lord: that is My Name [Isaiah 42:6-8a, comp. Luke 4:20].
These verses are repeated in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 49:6, 51:4, and in the Holy Gospel of Saint Luke 2:32, the Acts of the Apostles 13:47 and 26:23.
In the Sermon on the Mountain, Jesus says: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candelstick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father Who is in heaven" [Matthew 5:14-16].
Jesus also declares: "I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" [John 8:12 and 9:5].
TO CONTINUE TO PAGE 3 PLEASE PRESS HERE
HOW to contact us?