The illumination of a mystery – and the first flickering of understanding

Menorahs – Hanukah's answer to winter darkness, lighting the sky over the ancient lands of the Hebrews, the holy Torah, the Star of David… all the way to today's Jerusalem skyline.  Called the Festival of Lights with its myriad menorahs illuminating this centuries-old tradition, it may have been invented just for those of us who love candlelight.

Maybe . . . maybe. . . . . . .

Okay, okay – maybe not.  Or is it Hanukah with one k?  And hey, what the heck is a "Torah"?

Yes, that was a sad, audible sigh you just heard from the "enlightened" side of the world.  It's true:  most of us without a Jewish heritage don't have any idea what Hanukah is all about, and wouldn't recognize a menorah if it was monogrammed on our baseball caps.  But let's change all that in time for this year's holiday season:  let the non-Jewish of the world learn a little about a Jewish tradition.

Hanukah, sometimes called Chanuka, is also called the Festival of Lights.  It's celebrated on different days each year, like the Christian Easter holiday.  Because it rotates according to the Hebrew calendar, its eight days of celebration (more on that later) fall anywhere from late November to late December.  And yes – that's eight full days of celebration – eight!  In a row!  How did Hanukah get to be eight days long?  Well, it began a really long time ago with a storyline too familiar to the Jewish people:  persecution and war.  The Jews were ruled by the Syrian king then, who decided to outlaw traditional Jewish practices – he actually banned Judaism in Judah.  In the ensuing days the temple was looted, Jews were massacred and a different alter was erected in the Temple in Jerusalem.

But the Jews weren't going to take this.  One of the Jewish priests and his sons mounted and led a revolt against the Syrians, and the war began.  It took them two years, but they won their temple back and the right to worship as they chose.  Now here comes the really cool part:  as they prepared the new Jewish alter in the Temple, they lit the traditional menorah (you've got it: it's a light!) with the little bit of oil they had left – just enough for one day and one night.  But that was really bad, you see, because tradition required the Temple menorah to burn through each and every night without going out.  And it took eight days to prepare more oil (hold it, hold it).

Things looked bad, real bad.  But they lit the menorah anyway, trusting they were doing the right thing.  The few drops of oil in the menorah lit the Temple and new alter that day, and that night . . . and for eight more days and nights!

The Jewish leaders declared a holiday to celebrate this miracle.  Today candles are used in place of oil, and each year on the first day of celebration one candle is lit, then another candle is lit each day until on the eighth day all eight are lit.

Now, you have to understand the significance of the number eight.  According to the Torah (their book of knowledge, the one that holds their truths and beliefs), it took seven days to create the world.  The number eight is one number after seven, and to them it represents the Infinite or God (with a capital G).

But wait, menorahs have nine candles.  Here's why:  that ninth candle is the "workhorse," sometimes called the servant light.  It’s only job is to light the other candles, and it's placed at a different height than the other eight.  This servant candle allows the other eight candles to fulfill their sole responsibility:  to illuminate the reason for the celebration.  So on the first day two candles are lit, three are lit on the second day . . . and nine on the eighth.  That's the story in a nutshell.  Today the eight days of Hanukah, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated around the world.

And now you know why the menorah is such an important part of this holiday, so next time you see a menorah you'll understand a little more, and maybe you'll light a candle yourself….

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