Happy Hanukkah To Our Jewish Friends & Neighbors

Happy Hanukkah To Our Jewish Friends & Neighbors! 

"Hanukkah," which has several other spellings, perhaps the most common of which is "Chanukah," is an eight day festival season that commemorates the recapture of Jerusalem from the Greek led Seleucid Empire in the Second Century B.C. (B.C.E.). With the retaking of the city, Greek laws and customs were done away with and Jewish religious tradition and manner of worship were restored; that is, re"dedicated" (see Word History, below) in the center of Jewish religious life, the holy Second Temple.   

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Hanukkah-This is a transliteration of Hebrew, which goes back to the Hebrew verb "khanakh/chanakh," which meant "to dedicate;" thus also, "to designate for holy commitment;" thus also, "(of people) to lead to holy commitment;" thus also, "to teach (to)." The use of the noun for the "Jewish festival commemorating the recapture of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple in the 2nd Century BC" seems to be from the late 1800s.