Hanukkah

Summary. Hanukkah runs from the 25th of Kislev through the 2nd or 3rd of Tevet. It commemorates the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Greek empire in the 2nd century BCE, and the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days when only one day's worth was at hand. The central mitzvah is the lighting of the Hanukkiah (the nine-branched candelabrum): one light on the first night, an additional light each night after, plus the shamash (servant light). Other practices include the eating of fried foods (commemorating the oil), the recitation of Hallel, the addition of Al Hanissim in the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon, and the playing of dreidel.

The Historical Hanukkah

In 167 BCE, the Seleucid Greek emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlawed Jewish practice and desecrated the Beit HaMikdash. The priestly Hasmonean family, Mattityahu and his five sons (Yehudah "Maccabeus" prominent among them), led a revolt. By 164 BCE the Temple was retaken and rededicated. The Books of Maccabees I and II tell the story. They sit in the Apocrypha rather than the Jewish canon, but historians read them extensively. The eight-day festival of dedication (chanukah means, literally, "dedication") was established to commemorate the victory.

The Miracle of the Oil

The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) provides the famous "miracle of the oil" account. On rededicating the Temple, only one cruse of pure olive oil was found, bearing the seal of the High Priest, enough to fuel the Temple menorah for a single day. By a miracle it burned for eight days, until new oil could be pressed and consecrated. The Sages established the eight-day festival to commemorate it. (The Books of Maccabees themselves do not contain this story. It appears first in the Talmud, several centuries later.)

The Hanukkiah

See the Going Deeper chapter on the Hanukkiah for the detailed treatment. At minimum, the mitzvah is to light one Hanukkiah per household. The Talmud sets out two further tiers: the mehadrin kindle a light for each member of the household, and the mehadrin min hamehadrin change the number of lights nightly. Later authorities divide over what that second tier means in practice. Standard Ashkenazi practice has each person light a full Hanukkiah of their own. The custom in many Sephardi communities is that the household lights one ascending Hanukkiah. The Hillel/Shammai debate behind it is preserved in Talmud Shabbat 21b, with Hillel's ascending count prevailing. Light after nightfall, in a window or doorway, with the recitation of the blessings.

Al Hanissim

Throughout Hanukkah, an insertion is added to the Modim (thanksgiving) blessing of the Amidah and to the Birkat Hamazon: Al Hanissim ("For the miracles"), recounting the deliverance and the dedication. The same liturgical insertion is added on Purim. Note the phrasing: "in those days, at this time." The miracle is not only past. It is ongoing in our remembrance.

Customs of the Home

Fried foods — latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), other fried items. The oil-frying commemorates the miracle of the oil.

Dreidel — a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters nun, gimel, heh, shin (in Israel: nun, gimel, heh, peh), said to stand for "nes gadol haya sham/poh" ("a great miracle happened there/here").

Gelt — small amounts of money (or chocolate coins) given to children. Some sources connect to the Hasmonean coins; others to the medieval practice of teachers' fees.

Singing — Maoz Tzur ("Rock of Ages") is the standard Ashkenazi after-lighting song; HaNerot Halalu the universal text.

Where Denominations Diverge

Universal across all denominations, though the ethnic minhagim differ in the details. Standard Ashkenazi practice is for every individual to light a Hanukkiah of their own. Many Sephardi communities light a single Hanukkiah for the whole household, so the night's count can be read at a glance. Ashkenazim kindle the shamash first and light the rest from it. The Sephardi custom is to kindle the night's lights from a separate candle and light the shamash last. Communities differ on timing too: many, including Chabad, light shortly after sunset, while others wait until nightfall. Chabad's outreach has been particularly impactful in establishing public Hanukkah celebrations, those large outdoor menorot in city squares worldwide. Reform observance is essentially identical to Orthodox in the home rituals, though Reform congregations often hold a Hanukkah party rather than a full liturgical observance. The dates, the 25th of Kislev to the 2nd or 3rd of Tevet, are identical across all communities.

Sources

Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b–24a — the canonical Hanukkah passage.

Megillat Antiochus - an Aramaic retelling of the Hasmonean victory composed in the talmudic period (scholars place it between the first and fifth centuries CE), copied into medieval prayer books, read publicly on Hanukkah in some medieval communities, and still part of the liturgy among some Yemenite Jews.

Books of Maccabees I and II (Apocrypha; preserved in Christian canon).

Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Chanukah.

Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 670–685.

Shabbat 21.b (Steinsaltz Talmud portal, with Rashi and Tosafot) — Steinsaltz Center.

16 Menorah Facts Every Jew Should Know — Chabad.org.

Why Don’t We Read a Scroll on Hanukkah? Responsa in a Moment: Volume 5, Issue No. 1, November 2010 — Schechter Institute.

What is a Dreidel & How to Play It? — Aish.

Further Reading

Yitz Greenberg, The Jewish Way — Hanukkah chapter.

Philip Goodman, The Hanukkah Anthology.

Hayim Soloveitchik, "Catastrophe and Halakhic Creativity: Ashkenaz – 1096, 1242, 1306, 1298," Jewish History 12:1.