Chanukah celebrates a Rabbinic story in which the Jewish Maccabees, victorious over the Assyrian-Greek army, regain the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the year 164 B.C. As the Jews prepare to relight the seven-candle candelabra, called a menorah, that decorated the Holy Temple, they notice that the vial of oil they found would last only one day. A miracle occurs, and the oil lasts eight days.
As Chanukah is usually celebrated in December when the days are shortest, much of the holiday focuses on increasing the light. Thus, we celebrate with a nine-candle candelabra, called a menorah or a chanukiah. Eight candles represent the days of the holiday; the ninth is a helper or lighter candle, called a shamash. The first night, we use the shamash to light one candle. As we look at the chanukiah, we place the first night’s candle to the far right. Each subsequent night we add one candle to the left, using the shamash to light them, starting with the newest candle added.
While we light the candles, we recite or sing two blessings:
Baruch atah, adonai eloheinu, melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik neir shel chanukah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, sovereign of the universe, who hallows us with mitzvot, and commands us to kindle the lights of Chanukah.
Baruch atah, adonai eloheinu, melech ha-olam, she-asah nisim la-avoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz’man hazeh.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, sovereign of the universe, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in days of old at this season.
On the first night, we include one additional blessing:
Baruch atah, adonai eloheinu, melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higianu laz’man hazeh.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, sovereign of the universe, for giving us life, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this season.
One final note about the Chanukah candles: We kindle the lights because of the main miracle God performed for our ancestors. (The miracle is the victory by the small band of Jews over the large Assyrian-Greek army.) During these eight days of Chanukah, the lights are considered to be sacred. We are not to use them, but rather to gaze upon them and enjoy them, so that their glow may rouse us to give thanks for God’s wondrous act of deliverance.
(Robin Nafshi is rabbi at Temple Beth Jacob in Concord.)