Hanukkah is a time when we remember the victory of the Jewish people in Israel over the Greeks in 167 BC.  At the time,  Antiochus Epiphanes was the Greek ruler and he had erected a statue of Zeus in the Temple in Jerusalem and had desecrated the temple with pig sacrifices as well.

Matiyahu (Mattathias) Maccabee (a Kohen) and his 5 sons led a rebellion, which culminated in a victory for the Jewish people over the idolatrous Greeks.  During the sanctifying of them temple, the menorah was lit and the oil which was only enough for one day, lasted for 8 days.

Many people focus on the oil which lasted for miraculously 8 days.  But we also need to remember the great victory that G-D gave to the Jewish people over the oppressive Greeks.

This important event is written about by Josephus and also in the I and II Maccabees books of the Apocrypha.

The holiday is mentioned in the New Testament, in John 10:22.  In this verse, we find that Yeshua was at Solomon’s porch at the Temple, and it specifically says that it was during the Feast of Dedication.  The word “Hanukkah” in Hebrew means Dedication!  Why don’t we contemplate  dedicating our lives even more to the L-rd and His Plans and His Purposes during this very important holiday!