Hanukkah- 8 Crazy Nights

Is Hanukkah just for the Jews?
Did you realize that Jesus our messiah celebrated Hanukkah?! Of course he did he was a Jewish Rabbi! John 10:22 states, Then came the feast of dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem. And Yeshua (Jesus) was walking around in the temple." The same temple in which the celebration was started from!!! How awesome would that be! So what exactly is this celebration all about? (Information taken from Wikipedia)

Years ago the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE, Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus be erected in the Temple (THE HOLY TEMPLE!). He banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.

Antiochus's actions proved to be a major miscalculation as they were massively disobeyed and provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons led a rebellion against Antiochus. Many people died in this massive revolt, giving their lives up but refusing to dishonor their Heavenly Father or their bodies by bowing down to false idols. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated.
After recovering Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah (one of Mattathias' sons) 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 (Old Testament) , olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. But there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. And this is where the eight nights come from. Celebrating the miracle of light!

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights on a nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, lighting one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of 9 branches. An extra light called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, "attendant" is also lit each night for the purpose of lighting the others, and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The "shamash" symbolically supplies light that may be used.

What about the top thingys?!? The dreidel is a four-sided top and gelt (coins, or in modern times often chocolate coins) are used for a game to help teach children about Chanukah. According to legend, the dreidel was used to trick enemy soldiers: when a group of Jews studying Torah heard a knock at the door, they quickly hid their scrolls and books and pretended to be gambling.

And what about presents? There's no reason why you have to give any presents but there's also no reason not to. Some families like to give one present for each night of the Holiday some don't give any gifts.

So again I ask is this holiday just for the Jewish??? I don't think it is. Anyone who wants to celebrate our Precious Heavenly Father doing a Miracle and reclaiming his temple back is welcome to celebrate this fun filled 8 night festival!!! December 2 this Thursday is the first night of Hanukkah, so light a candle and celebrate the RE-dedication of the YHWH's Holy Temple.




The actual account is written about in the Book of Maccabees. If you care to read about it I added the account down below.


First Book of Maccabees Chapter 4:36-60

36 Then Judas, and his brethren said: Behold our enemies are discomfited: let us go up now to cleanse the holy places and to repair them. 37And all the army assembled together, and they went up into mount Sion.38 And they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burnt, and shrubs growing up in the courts as in a forest, or on the mountains, and the chambers joining to the temple thrown down.
39And they rent their garments, and made great lamentation, and put ashes on their heads:40And they fell face down to the ground on their faces, and they sounded with the trumpets of alarm, and they cried towards heaven.41 Then Judas appointed men to fight against them that were in the castle, till they had cleansed the holy places.42
And he chose priests without blemish, whose will was set upon the law of God:43
And they cleansed the holy places, and took away the stones that had been defiled into an unclean place.44And he considered about the altar of holocausts that had been profaned, what he should do with it. 45 And a good counsel came into their minds, to pull it down: lest it should be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles had defiled it; so they threw it down. 46 And they laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, till there should come a prophet, and give answer concerning them. 47 Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former: 48 And they built up the holy places, and the things that were within the temple: and they sanctified the temple, and the courts.
49 And they made new holy vessels, and brought in the candlestick, and the altar of incense, and the table into the temple.
50 And they put incense upon the altar, and lighted up the lamps that were upon the candlestick, and they gave light in the temple.
51 And they set the loaves upon the table, and hung up the veils, and finished all the works that they had begun to make
52 And they arose before the morning on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month (which is the month of Casleu) in the hundred and forty-eighth year.
53 And they offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of holocausts which they had made.
54 According to the time, and according to the day wherein the heathens had defiled it, in the same was it dedicated anew with canticles, and harps, and lutes, and cymbals.
55 And all the people fell upon their faces, and adored, and blessed up to heaven, him that had prospered them.
56 And they kept the dedication of the altar eight days, and they offered holocausts with joy, and sacrifices of salvation, and of praise.
57 And they adorned the front of the temple with crowns of gold, and escutcheons, and they renewed the gates, and the chambers, and hanged doors upon them.
58 And there was exceeding great joy among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was turned away.
59And Judas, and his brethren, and all the church of Israel decreed, that the day of the dedication of the altar should be kept in its season from year to year for eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month of Casleu, with joy and gladness.
60 They built up also at that time mount Sion, with high walls, and strong towers round about, lest the Gentiles should at any time come, and tread it down as they did before.