How does Hanukkah relate to us today?
September 17th, 2009 | 
Author: Elaine P…is for Poetry asked:
Is it just another excuse for receiving gifts?
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I agree with the others who mentioned assimilation.
Jews were called by Yahweh to be a separate and peculiar people. Throughout the millenia their enemies have sought to destroy them. And when they could not be outright murdered, cultural influences pressured them to conform to the societies in which they found themselves exiled or enslaved. That stripped away those customs which made them distinctively Jewish, in essence eliminating them without having to shed blood.
Hanukkah today is not just a remembrance of the rededication of the (second) temple, it is a time we can ask ourselves if we are still a distinct people, set apart to Yahweh to serve Him, or if we have succumbed to cultural influences that water down our faith in Him and our faithfulness to Him and His ways.
The real meaning is not gifts or even food. It is reflecting on a God who miraculously intervened on behalf of His people and rededicating ourselves to Him.
The coolest thing about Hanukkah (other than the variety of ways it can be spelled) is that it celebrates history—not the events of history, but the miracle of history itself.
See, there are a lot of holidays in the Jewish calendar, and most of them commemorate something really cool that God has done or something really awful that people have done. Historically, there’s a bit of both in Hanukkah.
Hanukkah contextualized in a nutshell: Jews assimilating to Greek culture vs. Jews fighting for tradition. Basically, there’s a civil war going on, with Jews fighting one another, and it ends with a military victory for the traditionalists, so yay for that, but that still means Jews were fighting Jews, and that’s no good.
Today at Hanukkah, we don’t talk much about the civil war. We focus on the candles. Hanukkah means “dedication,” and once Jewish tradition was returning to the temple, it needed to be cleaned and re-dedicated to God. They had one day’s worth of light, but eight days worth of mess. Nevertheless, the oil needed for the light held for the work.
Revealed light is important for any religion, and Judaism is no exception. In spite of the bloodshed, there are cool things happening historically: God bringing victory and light. But then the miracles continue.
Hanukkah isn’t a very substantial holiday on the Jewish calendar, but because it’s in December, it tends to get a lot of press, and God has stepped up to the plate making me wonder if it ought to be a bit more significant. The miracle of the contemporary holiday is what we don’t remember in our Hanukkah prayers and rituals. The days aren’t about remembering Jews fighting one another. We don’t even reflect too much on God’s victory over our human fallacies that led to war. How wonderful of him to let us learn the lessons to be learned about assimilation and fighting one another and then inspire us to move on to the party where we celebrate his light when everything should be dark. Today’s Hanukkah celebrations of light are also annual reminders about the miracle of God’s control over history. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.” – Zechariah 4:6. Who wouldn’t want to be Jewish with a God like that?
While all these answers have been very good, I want to answer your question about how it relates to today. While there is the custom of giving gifts. Chanukkah is really about continuing the Jewish faith, primarily through the children, as demonstrated by the Dreidel games and festive atmosphere. Some say it is the redidication of the Holy Temple, but that was destroyed in 70 C.E. and we have actually been mourning that loss. The REAL miracle of this holiday is that the JEws people survived persecution and continue till this day to do just that.
As we all know the current world and political situation, we can understand the importance of instilling in out children a love for Judaism and how important it is to keep an identity no matter what tyrant comes to power.
It relates to us because there are still tyrants out there (e.g. the psycho in Iran) who would still oppress us. Thats’s why holidays like Chanukah and Purim are more important than ever.
“The Hanukkah holiday is an old one. It honors the struggle of ancient Jews to restore the Temple of Jerusalem.
Long ago, Judea was ruled by the Syrian king Antiochus, who said that Jews should give up worshipping Yahweh and worship the Greek gods instead.
The Jews didn’t like this. They refused to abandon Yahweh. They decided to do something about it.
A man named Judah Maccabee got a group of people together to fight back. These people got more people to join, and they soon had an army.
They fought back. For three years, the Jews battled the Syrians for control of Judea. Finally, the Jews won.
They cleaned the Temple of Jerusalem, removing all Greek symbols and restoring the Jewish symbols. The job was finished on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. This is the day Hanukkah is celebrated. The day varies in the Western calendar.
To help celebrate, Judah and his followers lit an oil lamp. The supply of oil was very low, but this lamp stayed lit for eight days.
To honor this extraordinary event, Jews today celebrate the Eight Days of Hanukkah and call it the “Festival of Lights.” They light a special eight-candle device called a menorah.
People today give each other gifts, make special foods, have special dinners, and remember their ancestors, who fought to take their temple back. ”
that’s the strory of Hunukkah =]
so no, it is not another excuse for receiving gifts.
No not at all.
Its the miracle of oil that burned for 8 days when it wasnt supposed to last that long ( to put it simply)
You should go on google and look up the story behind Hanukkah its actually very interesting.
No-not exactly.Hanukkah is about dedication.it is a Jewish holiday.They celebrate it with good food and exchanging gifts.it is fun for all ages.it is celebrated because Jews dedicate themselves through faith and action to the pursuit of high religious and human ideals.Judaism os very strong.Hanukkah is a very important holiday to the Jews.