The Misconstrued Perception Of The Hanukah

If you do not practice the religion of Judaism you might not know the true meaning of Hanukah. I certainly did not, like a lot of other people, I thought it was just the way Jewish people celebrated Christmas. This is a misconstrued perception of the Hanukah (the festival of lighting). Like all traditional celebrations there was a significant event that caused a celebration and Hanukah is no different. Hanukah dates back to around the second century; 165 B.C.E era and is summarized as the spiritual and psychical victory for the Jews against the Greeks.
How Hanukah came to be, the Temple of Jerusalem was overtaken by the Seleucid king of Syria who allowed the Jewish to practice their religion. When the king’s son Antiochus IV gained control
The Jewish people rededicated it as the Second Temple. During the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem, Jewish people entered the Temple of Jerusalem, found the Holy Temple in shambles and desecrated. They found only one jar of pure oil sealed by the high priest, this was only enough to keep the eternal flame lit for one day. It was said to be a miracle that one flame continued to burn for eight nights giving the Jewish people enough time to find more oil. The Maccabees cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated it on the 25th of Kislev. (The Jewish calendar is based on both the solar and lunar calendars, and the dates of the holidays do not change in the Jewish calendar, but vary in the secular
This dedication is honored on the twenty fifth night of Kislev. The celebration begins by the lighting of candles or oil wicks on an eight branched candelabrum (also called menorah) with a ninth spot for the Shamash (the helper candle). The Shamash candle is lit on the first night of Hanukah and continues to be used to light the remaining candles or oil wicks. This is done after sundown every night. After the Shamash is lit and before lighting any other candles on the menorah there are two blessings recited: “Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukah light”. “Blessed art Thou, Lord our God, King of the universe who has performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time”.