Thoughts to Nosh On

Hanukkah is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Jewish homes today. We acknowledge this festival when we light the menorah, spin the dreidel, eat latkes, and give gifts. We recount the rabbinic story of the miracle of the oil lasting eight days during the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is a joyous way to celebrate our religious freedom. But is the celebration of Hanukkah Biblical?

On the surface, the answer would have to be a resounding ‘no.’ The books of the Maccabees, which speak of the events we celebrate at Hanukkah, are found the Apocrypha and are not a part of our Biblical Canon. Nowhere else does our Tanaach mention the celebration of Hanukkah... or does it?

In today’s world, the book of Daniel is often mentioned as a harbinger of the End of Days. This argument is difficult for Jews to refute, because though the book is found in our Tanach, it is filled with symbolic visions and dreams, and as a result is rarely read or studied.

According to tradition, Daniel, was a person living in the sixth century B.C.E. who was an interpreter of dreams. The most significant dream he interpreted was of the Hasmonean revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which was to occur four centuries after Daniel.

The reality is the book of Daniel was most likely written during the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV, and hence was written in code to be read clandestinely. During this period of religious oppression, when public celebration of one’s Jewishness was outlawed under the penalty of death, Jews had to turn inwards, studying in secret in order to maintain both their tradition and their lives. More than that, according to the commentary by Judah J. Slotki, "the prediction of this revolt (in the book of Daniel) and its successful conclusion may well have encouraged the Hasmoneans to rise up against the tyrant."

When we celebrate Hanukkah, we celebrate not only our victory over tyranny, we also celebrate the resolve of our ancestors when times were the most bleak. They turned to writers like the author of the book of Daniel who provided them with courage, hope, and strength. Without the resolve of our ancestors, we could not commemorate a pivotal moment in our history in such a festive fashion.

When we light the candles this year, may we also remember all those in our history who had to light them in secret with the hope of one day being redeemed.