Chanukah, is the eight day holiday that Jewish people celebrate, anywhere between November 28th and December 26th. The reason for this fluctuation is because the Jewish calendar is primarily based on the lunar cycle, and its dates change in respect to their calendar systems. The holiday always falls on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Kislev. This day, this year it is on December 22nd 2019. The year of the Jewish calendar is 5780.
On each night of the holiday a candle on the nine-branched menorah is lit. The first evening one light plus an attendant candle, on the second night we kindle two lights plus the shamash (attendant candle)and this continues for eight nights when all the lights are ablaze with light.
The holiday is a celebration of two miracles. The 2nd century victory of a greatly outnumbered and out-armed army of the Jews, known as the "Maccabees", over the mighty Greek army that occupied the Holy Land. The rebellion was in response to the Greek attempt to force a Hellenistic G-dless lifestyle on the Jewish inhabitants of Israel.
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When the Maccabees liberated the Temple from the hands of the invaders, they found only a small cruse of pure and undefiled olive oil fit for fueling the Menorah. The problem was, it was sufficient to light the Menorah only for one day, and it would take eight days to produce new pure oil. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days and nights until new oil was available to light the Sabbath Menorah.
Menorahs come in many shapes and sizes, and even now people use electric candles to prevent any potential accidents.
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On the first evening of the holiday a pray is recited thanking G-D who has kept us alive, and preserved, and enabled us to reach this season. With each candle we light we continue to give thanks for each day.
As a child, we were given small gifts on each day; a candy bar, a nickel, a hair barrette, or a special dessert with our meals. This practice has mostly disappeared as the years have.
This is a joyous holiday to welcome the season of harvest with music and children's game playing.
It seems at this time in our lives we can all use a bright light.
