Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish celebration that honors the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. As the story goes, when the Maccabees drove the Greeks from the Temple, they only found enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days until new oil could be procured. Thus, the lighting of the menorah is now an eight-day tradition to distinguish Hanukkah from other Jewish celebrations.The lit candles of the menorah—one for each night—not only honor the spiritual significance of the holiday, but also represent a physical remembrance of the miracles.
<h2>Reason #1: The Miraculous Story Of Hanukkah</h2>
The story of Hanukkah, and the miracle of the oil burning for eight nights, is the primary reason behind the lighting of the Hanukkah candles. For Jews, the kindling of the candles holds special religious significance in regard to celebrating the Temple rededication. Lighting of the menorah is an important part of this holiday celebration. On each night of the Hanukkah festival, an extra candle is added to the menorah, until all eight candles are lit. This is done to symbolize each of the eight days the rededicated Temple stood illuminated from one day’s worth of oil.
<h2>Reason #2: Incarnating the Light of God</h2>
In keeping with the spiritual background, Hanukkah is sometimes called the “Festival of Light,” as the lights of the menorah represent the eight-days of the miracle of Hanukkah. In addition, the lights reveal the presence of God (Exodus 13:21) and the continuing faith of the Jewish people that He will remain in their midst despite their many challenges. That is why it is customary to sing each night of the festival a blessing over the lights contained in the Hanukkah prayer that states: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.”
<h2>Reason #3: Celebrating and Exalting God</h2>
The lighting of the menorah is also an act of thanksgiving, designed to bring joy to the home, and to celebrate and exalt God for His miracles. Each Hanukkah, Jews around the world mark the holiday by gathering together at night, often in their own homes, to kindle the Hanukkah lights and recite the blessings. After lighting the candles, it’s also traditional to sing Hanukkah songs and eat special holiday foods that are fried in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot.
In summary, the reasons for lighting the Hanukkah candles are multiple and varied, but the underlying root of these purposes is to pay homage to the spiritual miracle of the holiday. By once again kindling the Hanukkah lights, Jews around the world have the opportunity each year to retell the miraculous story of the Maccabees and pay tribute to the miracle of faith and courage under God’s providence.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.