The
eight-day festival of Hanukkah begins each year on the 25th day of the
lunar month of Kislev, which in 2005 corresponds to the evening of
December 25th. Hanukkah (vfubj)
means “dedication,” thus the Feast of Hanukkah is called the Feast of
Dedication. It is a thoroughly Jewish festival, which commemorates an
important Jewish victory over tyranny. Except for its mention in the
book of John, it is not a biblical festival; unlike the other
festivals, Hanukkah is not an appointed time (moed)
from the Torah. Instead, the celebration of Hanukkah began after the
last book of the Hebrew Scriptures had been completed. By the time of
the days of the Apostles, however, it was a long established tradition.
The events that Hanukkah commemorates occurred some 160 years before
the birth of the Savior.
The Hanukkah Revolution
The story behind
the festival of Hanukkah is found in the apocryphal book of 1
Maccabees. Therein the story is told of how Judah Maccabee and his
heroic band of freedom fighters overthrew the tyrannical Seleucid
forces that had subdued Judea and defiled the Jerusalem Temple. In
addition to defiling the Temple, the wicked Seleucid King, Antiochus
Epiphanes, forbade the observance of Torah. Circumcision, Sabbaths,
Festivals, Kashrut, and the study of Torah were all explicitly
forbidden. Anyone keeping Torah was punished by death.
While all Israel
was turning away from the Torah, the priest Mattathias, father of the
Maccabees, said, “Whosoever is zealous of the Torah, and maintaineth
the covenant, let him follow me” (1 Maccabees 2:27-28). The Maccabees
launched a great revolution.
After recapturing
Jerusalem, Judah Maccabee and his followers purified and rededicated
the Temple. The altar that had been defiled with pagan sacrifices was
dismantled and a new one was built. The menorah, the altar for incense,
the table of the bread of the presence, and the curtain before the Holy
of Holies were all replaced. The war was not over, but Jerusalem was
set free, the Temple was rededicated, and the Torah was upheld.
An Eight-Day Celebration
When their work
was complete, they established the 25th day of Kislev as the date for
the rededication of the Temple because that date was the anniversary of
the day on which the Temple had been defiled three years before.
To
celebrate the restoration of God’s holy Temple, all Jerusalem rejoiced
for eight days, and Judah Maccabee declared that future generations
should rejoice annually during those eight days to remember the
miracles of the Temple’s dedication. Again, Hanukkah means “dedication.”
The story
of Hanukkah is the story of light growing in the darkness. Wherever
there are people of Torah, there is also darkness trying to snuff them
out. History proves it repeatedly. Nevertheless, the miracle of
Hanukkah is that light is not diminished; instead, it grows. The story
of Hanukkah is the story of a war between two worldviews, those of
Hellenism and of Torah. Hellenism is the language of (ancient Greek)
humanism, philosophy, cosmology, and relativism. Torah is the language
of theism, mitzvoth, deeds, and revelation.
The Modern Revolution
Given that
Hanukkah is a specifically Jewish festival, and that its celebration is
not a mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah, why would Christian believers celebrate
it? Obviously, Jewish believers may have a cultural affinity for the
festival, but is there any real biblical significance? Is there any
reason non-Jews might want to incorporate the celebration of Hanukkah
into their homes? There is a reason, and it’s not just cultural.
Hanukkah has biblical significance.
The
significance of Hanukkah for believers in the Hebrew Roots movement is
profound. When we celebrate Hanukkah, we are not just celebrating a
victory that happened in the past, but one that will happen in the future,
and one that is happening right now.
The Body of
Messiah is likened unto a Temple. Individually and corporately, we are
the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Like the holy Temple of Jerusalem in the
days of the Maccabees, we have been defiled as well. Even in the days
of Paul, the “mystery of Torah-lessness” (lawlessness) was at work among the
believers For the mystery of iniquity [lawlessness] doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7). If that was true among believers in the first century, how
much more so now!
As one studies
the history of religion and the world, a disturbing pattern emerges. In
every generation, there is a systematic assault on Torah, and on the
people who choose to live by it. Thus, it says in the Passover
Haggadah, “In every generation they rise up against us to destroy us!”
It is true, and never has it been more true than in our own
generations, which have seen the events of the Holocaust, Stalin’s
purges, and even now the rising Muslim hatred for Jews. Our days are
certainly no exception to the rule.
However, when we
sanctify the Sabbath day, we have joined the Hanukkah revolution. We
are in defiance of the Mystery of Torah-lessness. When we choose to eat
biblically, we have joined the revolution. When we choose to learn and
live the Word, God’s Torah, we are part of the revolution. How does it
feel to be a Maccabee?
Festival of Light
Hanukkah is the
Festival of Light. Yeshua told His disciples, I am the light of
the world. On another occasion He told them, You are the light
of the world… Let your light shine before men in such a way that they
may see your good works (mitzvot), and glorify your Father who is in
heaven (Matthew 5:16). In the same way, it is traditional to place the
Hanukkah menorah in a window so that its light radiates outward and
illuminates the darkness of the outside world. So may it be with us.
The celebration
of Hanukkah is relevant and important for all Torah-keeping believers.
It is the story of tenacious zeal for Torah, devotion to God’s
covenant, and the will to stand up for what is right and holy.
Therefore, we at
First Fruits of Zion pray that this Hanukkah season will find the light
of the Gospel burning ever brighter within you. May the flame of Heaven
ignite your heart for Torah, Mitzvot, and devotion to Him. May the
light of Yeshua pour forth from within each one of us as we set about
to illuminate the darkness.
We wish a very Happy Hanukkah to you and yours.
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