I was recently asked why the holiday of Hannukah does not appear in the Hebrew Bible. There are many theories and a great deal of scholarly discourse on this question. The discussion mainly revolves around the question of why the books of Maccabees I and II do not appear in the canon of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, these books originally appeared in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Bible prepared by the Jews of Alexandria. The Septuagint, including Maccabees I and II was eventually adopted by the nascent Christian community. Once these books became part of the Christian canon, they essentially became lost to the Jewish community for many centuries.

Today, Maccabees I and II are an excellent source of historical information about the Jewish community and its collision with Antiochus Epiphanes the IV and Greek culture. Just because they are not included within the Jewish canon does not mean that they cannot shed enormous light on a crucial moment in Jewish history.

Not all Jewish holidays find their roots in the Hebrew Bible and Hannukah is one of them. We learn about Hannukah from the Talmud, the books of the Maccabees and other ancient Jewish texts. Although it is not on the same religious level as the Days of Awe (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) and the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot), it is a holiday that speaks deeply to Jews today.

If you are planning to be in Israel during the holiday of Hannukah I would suggest that you take a walk through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City at sundown during one of the eight nights. You'll notice that in a number of homes, a niche has been built into the wall outside the front door for placing a Hannukah menorah (hannukiyah). After the candles have been lit, they are placed in this niche in order to be seen visibly by those passing by. Why is this done?

The purpose of the ritual of lighting Chanukah candles is pirsumei neisa, which means to make known the miracle of Hanukkah. In other words, this custom is designed to let others know that with the help of God, a cruse of oil lasted longer than expected, and there was a victory of the few against the many.

After walking through the Jewish Quarter, I would recommend that you descend to the Kotel Plaza to see the enormous menorah lit on top of the Western Wall. The combination of the lights and the menorah makes for a breathtaking scene.

After the candles are blessed and lit, the following words are sung to a traditional Hannukah melody. They summarize important aspects of the meaning of the festival of lights:

We kindle these lights to commemorate the miracles, wonder, triumphs and victories which You performed through Your holy priests for our ancestors in those days, in this season. These lights are sacred for all eight days of Hannukah. It is forbidden to make any use of them except to look at them in order to praise your great name for Your miracles, wonders and triumphs.

May we all be illuminated by the light of God as Jews around the world celebrate the Festival of Lights. Happy Hanukkah!

Rabbi David Ebstein