Hanukkah: The Feast of Dedication

BY RICHARD SISON | 2017

INTRODUCTION
Ḥanukkah is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication.
The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "חנך", meaning “to dedicate". On Hanukkah, the Maccabean Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple.   The name can be broken down into חנו כה, "[they] rested [on the] twenty-fifth", referring to the fact that the Jews ceased fighting on the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins.

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