On the Third Night of Chanukah: We Offer Reflections from MSI Press Author Shannon Gonyou



 

We thank Shannon Gonyou, author of Since Sinai, for the following post:

As winter settles in, the days get shorter and the nights grow colder and darker.  Winter coats come out of storage and moods begin to darken in tandem with the sky.  Against this bleak early-winter backdrop, myriad cultures feature a holiday or festival that largely centers the concept of light or brightness. For Judaism, that holiday is Hanukkah.  Dates for Hanukkah are set using the Hebrew calendar, which is lunar rather than solar, so the eight nights that it occupies around December shift around each year.  We celebrate the holiday by lighting one candle each night in our hanukkiah (commonly called a menorah) until we have nine candles— one for each night plus the “helper candle” used to light the others— glowing bright against the darkened winter sky. 

Hanukkah celebrates a historical event rather than a Biblical one.  The world Hanukkah means “dedication.”  According to legend, during the Second Temple period, Jews rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in what is known as the Maccabean Revolt.  When the Jews re-took the Temple, there was only enough untainted oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a day, but it lasted eight nights— a miracle.  Over time, the focus of the event shifted from the bloody military victory to the quiet miracle of the candles. 

In addition to lighting candles after sunset each night, Jews celebrate Hanukkah by frying traditional foods in oil, making platters of potato latkes for dinner and jelly donuts called sufganiyot for dessert. Jews also make or play with dreidels, which are stamped with Hebrew letters symbolizing that “a miracle happened there.” Fun fact: if you live in Israel, the dreidel will actually have letters representing a different sentence, “a miracle happened HERE.” 

Chag sameach to all celebrating. Have a beautiful Hanukkah and warm, bright winter! 





For more posts by and about Shannon and her book, click HERE.












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