Daylight Savings time has ended, our clocks have fallen back an hour, and the sun is setting earlier. The winter nights seem longer and darker, but with these changes something exciting comes…candles will begin to glow in windows, one more each night for eight nights. These flames aren’t just decorative; they’re a living testimony to God’s faithfulness, miraculous provision, and the triumph of faith over oppression.
Whether you’re planning to celebrate Hanukkah for the first time or you’ve lit the menorah for years, this Festival of Lights offers truths that speak directly to the heart of what it means to trust God when the world demands compromise!
What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and commemorates the triumph of faith over oppression. Known as the “Festival of Lights” or the “Feast of Dedication,” it honors both a miraculous military victory and the spiritual renewal of God’s people.
The name itself tells the story…”Hanukkah” (חנוכה) is the Hebrew word for “dedication,” referring to the rededication of the Temple after it had been defiled. You might see this word spelled in various ways: Chanukah, Hanukah, and other variations, because of how the Hebrew letters transliterate into English.
The festival occurs on the 25th of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which typically falls in November or December. The timing means Hanukkah often coincides with the darkest time of year, making the symbolism of light pushing back darkness even more powerful!
What is the History of Hanukkah?
The Crisis (167BCE)
More than 2,000 years ago, the land of Israel was part of the Syrian-Greek Empire, dominated by Syrian rulers of the Seleucid dynasty. Antiochus IV, who reigned over Syria beginning in 174 BCE, was a tyrant with a vision for a unified kingdom with common religion and culture. Because of these plans for his kingdom, the Jewish people’s devotion to their God and Torah stood in his way…
Antiochus systematically tried to destroy Jewish identity. He forbade Torah observance, banned circumcision, prohibited keeping the Shabbat, and made practicing Judaism punishable by death. But he didn’t stop there. In an act of supreme blasphemy, he desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem by erecting an altar to Zeus and offering unclean sacrifices on it. For faithful Jews, this wasn’t just political oppression—it was a direct assault on their covenant relationship with God.
The Revolt
In the village of Modi’in, a Jewish priest named Mattathias refused to bow to the king’s demands. When a Greek official tried to force him to offer a pagan sacrifice, Mattathias struck him down and sparked a revolt. He and his five sons—particularly his son Judah, known as Judah Maccabee—led a band of faithful Jews in armed resistance.
A small group of faithful Jews, poorly equipped and vastly outnumbered, stood against the mighty Seleucid army, but against all odds, they defeated the Seleucid forces and reclaimed Jerusalem! In 164 BCE, they cleansed and rededicated the Temple to the worship of the one true God.
The Miracle of the Oil
When the Maccabees prepared to relight the Temple menorah, they needed consecrated olive oil which was specially prepared and sealed by the High Priest. After searching through the destroyed Temple, they found only one small flask of pure oil, just enough to burn for one day. They knew that preparing new consecrated oil would take eight days, but they decided to go ahead and use what they had found.
However, when they lit the menorah with that single flask, something truly miraculous happened…The oil continued burning for eight full days, exactly the time needed to prepare new oil. God provided exactly what His people needed, exactly when they needed it; and this is why Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights.
How Do We Celebrate Hanukkah?
Lighting the Menorah
The centerpiece of Hanukkah celebration is lighting the menorah—specifically, a special nine-branched menorah called a hanukkiah. The eight branches of the hanukkiah (or chanukiah) represent the eight nights of the miracle of the oil, and the ninth—called the shamash, or helper candle—lights all the others.
On the first night, we light one candle (plus the shamash). On the second night, two candles. Continuing each night, adding another light until, on the eighth night, all eight candles blaze together as a bright commemoration of God’s faithfulness.
The shamash is particularly meaningful for the Messianic Jewish community. This helper candle lights all the others but stands apart from them—a beautiful picture of Yeshua, the Light of the World who came to light the way for all of us. If you’d like to know the proper way to light your hanukkiah, we have a detailed guide.
Blessings and Prayers
As with most Jewish candle lighting, the lighting of the hanukkiah candles are accompanied by special blessings:
Blessing #1: Commandment to kindle the Hanukkah light
Ba-ruch at-tah ADONAI e-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha’-o-lam a-sher kid-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-vanu le-had-lik ner shel cha-nuk-kah.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light.
Blessing #2: Remembering the miracles
Ba-ruch at-tah ADONAI e-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha’-o-lam she’-a-sah nis-sim la’-avo-tei-nu ba-ya-mim hahem baze-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.
Those of us who are not Jewish should consider using the following blessing:
Ba-ruch at-tah ADONAI e-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha’-o-lam she’-a-sah nis-sim liv-nei Yisrael, ba-ya-mim hahem baze-man ha-zeh. (…who made miracles for the children of Israel…)
Blessing #3: Shehecheyanu (first night only)
Ba-ruch at-tah ADONAI e-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha’-o-lam she-he-che-yanu ve-ki-ye-manu ve-hig-gi’-anu laze-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
Traditional Foods
We all know that it’s not a festival unless we get to eat, and for Hanukkah we celebrate with fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil!!
- Latkes come from the Ashkenazi (or Northern European diaspora) tradition—crispy, golden pancakes made from grated potatoes, onions, and eggs, typically served with applesauce or sour cream.
- Sufganiyot represent the Sephardic (or Middle Eastern region) tradition—pillowy fried donuts filled with jelly or custard and dusted with powdered sugar.
Discover more about traditional Hanukkah foods and get some creative topping ideas to go on your latkes!
Games and Gifts
The dreidel, a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters, has become synonymous with the Festival of Lights! You’ve probably heard a specific Hanukkah song about dreidels… The letters נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), and ש (Shin) which are on the dreidel stand for “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham”—”A great miracle happened there.”
Many families exchange gifts during Hanukkah, often one per night, and give gelt—coins or chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil. Sometimes gelt is also used to play a fun game of dreidel, to see who can get the most gold chocolate coins.
What is the Significance of Hanukkah?
Just like all of God’s moedim, Hanukkah serves a unique purpose, and is a commemoration of something so special and so important that God wants His children to remember it for all time…
Messianic Significance
While Hanukkah isn’t one of the appointed feasts (moedim) that God established in the Torah, it held value and meaning in Yeshua’s life as we can see in Scripture…
The Son of God, the Light of the World, is walking in the Temple during the Festival of Lights—the festival that commemorates the Temple’s rededication. This is no coincidence. In John 10:30, Yeshua declares, “I and the Father are one.” One can make the connection that He was in the Temple during Hanukkah, declaring Himself to be the ultimate fulfillment of what the Temple represented—God’s presence among His people.
For us as followers of Yeshua, Hanukkah takes on profound meaning:
He is the Light of the World who came into darkness. Yeshua said, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 TLV).
He rededicates us as temples of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Maccabees cleansed and rededicated the physical Temple, Yeshua cleanses and rededicates our hearts to God and the plans He has for us. He brings victory over the powers that oppose God’s purposes. The Maccabees’ victory was against impossible odds, but Yeshua’s victory over sin and death was the ultimate triumph.
A Celebration of Faithfulness
At its core, Hanukkah celebrates God’s faithfulness to His children. He does not abandon His people, even in the darkest times. When it looked like Judaism would be wiped out, God raised up faithful people and gave them victory against impossible odds.
God miraculously provides…That one flask of oil shouldn’t have lasted eight days. A small band of rebels shouldn’t have defeated an army. However, God specializes in providing exactly what His people need in ways that can only be attributed to His power.
God calls us to stand firm when the world demands compromise. The Maccabees chose obedience over conformity, trusting God even when the odds seemed impossible. This is where Hanukkah speaks powerfully to our modern day experience. We live in a world that increasingly demands we compromise core convictions. The Hanukkah story declares: Stand firm. Trust God. He is faithful even when circumstances seem hopeless. This is our reminder.
The Call of Hanukkah
Hanukkah is more than a historical remembrance—it’s a living celebration of God’s faithfulness, His miraculous provision, and the light that no darkness can extinguish.
As we light the candles this year, building night after night until all eight blaze together, we’re not just commemorating what God did. We’re declaring what God does. He is still faithful. He still provides miracles. He still empowers His people to stand firm. His light still shines in dark places.
But here’s the question that this holiday invites us to ask: What needs to be rededicated in our own lives? The Maccabees reclaimed the Temple and rededicated it to God’s purposes. What areas of our hearts have been defiled by the world’s values? Where have we compromised when we should have stood firm?
As you light your hanukkiah this year, let each flame remind you that God’s light can illuminate the darkest areas of your life. Let the growing brightness encourage you that God’s presence in us is meant to increase. Let the miracle of the oil that burns for eight days remind you that God provides beyond what seems possible.
How can we be lights in our own dark times? How can we trust God for miracles when circumstances seem hopeless? How can we stand firm in faith when the world demands we compromise?
The Hanukkah candles burn in windows not just to remind us of an ancient miracle, but to proclaim a present truth—God’s light can never be extinguished. His presence continues to shine. His faithfulness never wavers.
May this Festival of Lights fill your home with warmth, your heart with faith, and your life with the unshakeable confidence that the God who provided for the Maccabees is the same God who provides for us all today.
Chag Hanukkah Sameach—Happy Hanukkah and don’t forget to purchase your tickets for the annual B’rit Hadasha Hanukkah Party on Saturday, December 20th, 2025—it’s going to be a fun night of celebrating!
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