Hanukkah, one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays, spans eight nights, from December 25 to January 2.
This year, the first night of Hanukkah coincided with Christmas for the first time since 2005. Rabbi Jonathan Hecht of Temple Har Shalom in Park City, Utah, explained how the Hebrew calendar — a combination of lunar and solar elements — differs from the Gregorian calendar.
“We follow the Hebrew months or lunar months, which means every year there's 11 days shorter than a solar year,” said Rabbi Hecht. “So every couple of years we add an adjustment, which is another month around March.”
This adjustment causes Jewish holidays to shift on the calendar. However, Hanukkah always falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev.
Rabbi Hecht says Hanukkah is considered a "minor" Jewish holiday compared to major observances like Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, and is not directly mentioned in the Bible.
However, it often receives more attention and is widely celebrated due to its proximity to major holidays like Christmas and Kwanzaa.
“It has become an important holiday because we're all swept up in the winter festivals that we all are observing at this time,” explained Rabbi Hecht.
The story of Hanukkah, found in the rabbinic writings of the Talmud, celebrates a miracle that occurred during the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after it was reclaimed from the Seleucid Greeks. When the Jewish people went to light the menorah, they found only a small jar of oil, enough to last for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days. Hanukkah is referred to as the Festival of Lights.
“These days of December, for all of us, are when the light is getting less and less as we approach the winter solstice. And I think that's one of the most important messages of the holiday,” said Rabbi Hecht. “And that is that as the world is getting darker, we add more light. One candle each night, an additional candle. So we have something we can do, even as the world is getting darker, we can add light by lighting another candle against that darkness," said Rabbi Hecht.
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This story was shared with KSUT via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, KSUT.