During the Second Temple era, the Syrian-Greeks banned Torah study and mitzva observance. They broke into the Temple and desecrated it. The Hasmoneans defeated the Greeks and purified the Temple. (For more details, see sections 2 and 3 below.) Following this, they wanted to light the Menora. Unfortunately, they were able to find only one small container of pure olive oil (closed with the High Priest's seal), with enough oil to only last for one day. However, a miracle took place and the oil lasted for eight days. The following year, the Sages established those eight days as the holiday of Ĥanuka, designated for praising and thanking God for the two miracles – the great military victory and the miraculous oil that lasted for eight days.

There were many other holidays the Sages established to thank God for saving us during that era, including: Nicanor Day on the thirteenth of Adar (when the Jews defeated a large Greek army and killed its commander, Nicanor), and the twenty-fifth of Ĥeshvan (when the Jews conquered Samaria and began to settle it). However, following the destruction of the Second Temple, all these holidays were abolished. Only Ĥanuka remained, thanks to its inspiring mitzva of candle lighting (sections 5 and 6 below).

The intense pressure the Greeks exerted upon the Jews sparked spiritual resistance. Most famously, when the Greeks arrived in the village of Modi’in, with the intention of forcing Mattathias (the son of Yoĥanan the High Priest) to worship idols, Mattathias rose up and killed the Greek officer and his Hellenized Jewish collaborator.

What was different about this was that instead of sanctifying God’s name through dying, like many other pious Jews, Mattathias decided to sanctify God’s name by staying alive and killing the oppressor. In this way, Mattathias and his sons (known as the Hasmoneans) raised the banner of rebellion against the Greeks and Hellenism.

The war was difficult. Mattathias’s son, Judah Maccabee, led the fighters. With courage and skill, the Hasmoneans overcame the Greek forces, and – after two years of fighting – liberated Jerusalem. On the 25th of Kislev, 3596 (164 BCE), they began purifying the Temple and restoring the sacrificial service to its original state. This is when the miracle of the oil took place.

Later, the Greeks returned to the Land of Israel in greater numbers, reconquered Jerusalem, and put Hellenized priests in charge of the Temple. To avoid increasing tension with the Jews, they abolished the evil decrees and allowed the Jews to study Torah and observe the mitzvot. This did not stop the rebellion though. The Hasmoneans continued to fight against the Greeks and Hellenism. The war effort had its ups and downs, but the Hasmoneans had a winning combination of strength, diplomacy, and cunning. Eventually, decades later, they succeeded in gaining political independence and creating a Jewish state. Granted, it was a tributary state of the mighty empires of the ancient world – first the Greeks and then the Romans – but the Land of Israel was ruled by the Jews and for the Jews.

It seems evident that had the Greeks been more patient, Judea would have succumbed to Hellenism, just like the other nations. However, the hand of God (which conceals itself in the historical process) hardened Antiochus’s heart, thus generating the conflict and revealing the Jewish people's faith, self-sacrifice, and courage.

Despite all the Hasmoneans' shortcomings, their victories had immense value. Birthrates rose, Jews immigrated from the Diaspora, and Jewish settlements sprung up throughout the country. The Jewish people, who had suffered destruction and exile, largely rehabilitated themselves. Thanks to the protection afforded by partial political independence, the Land of Israel once again became the Jewish people's national and spiritual center. Houses of Torah study grew and flourished.

In addition, the spiritual foundations of the Oral Torah were laid then, which would enable the Jews to safeguard their faith and Torah through two thousand years of harsh exile. True, the Second Temple would be destroyed, along with all the Hasmoneans’ political achievements. Nevertheless, the study of the Oral Torah has lasted, and will last forever. It was thanks to the self-sacrifice of Mattathias and his sons the Torah was crystalized, and the Jewish people's uniqueness displayed. But the Hasmonean dynasty, with all its problems and complexities, was short-lived, and we do not commemorate it in a particularly celebratory manner.

The miracle of the oil showed that the military victory over the Greeks was not just of short-term political value, but rather a spiritual victory with everlasting impact. For this reason, the Sages mandated our continued celebration of Ĥanuka even after the destruction of the Temple. We do this by lighting candles and praising God for saving us and granting us victory and salvation.

The biggest miracle of all became clear only over the course of time. That is, not only did we succeed in surviving the storm of Hellenism that raged across the civilized world, but that through a long and complicated process, Judaism crushed most of its pagan foundations. The abstract belief in one God, the commitment to moral values, and the aspiration to fix the world – all fundamental principles of the Torah – increasingly spread among the nations of the world. Eventually, directly and indirectly (such as via Christianity and Islam), they became the foundations of all the positive aspects of human culture. Furthermore, even though our exile has lasted for a long time, the light of the Jewish people and its Torah has lasted even longer. It will continue to illuminate the world until we have the privilege of taking pure new oil from the olives of the Land of Israel and using it to light the Menora of our Holy Temple. The world will become filled with the knowledge of God. May this happen speedily in our days. Amen.

It is no coincidence Ĥanuka is celebrated during the bleakest time of year, when nights are longest and the moon does not shine, the darkness is intense, and the winter is bitterly cold. Yet, as the sun sets and darkness begins to envelop the world, Jews light candles. Ĥanuka candles symbolize the power of the Jewish faith to overcome even the deepest darkness. Even in the gloomiest times, when the mightiest empires ruthlessly ruled the world, we did not despair of the lights of Torah and faith. We continued learning and teaching, showing the world that even a small ray of light has the power to light up the night.

Ĥanuka is the celebration of the Oral Torah. This holiday and its mitzva of candle lighting were among the first mitzvot enacted by the Sages, the expounders of the Oral Torah. The mitzva to light the candles expresses the Oral Torah's special light, which has the power to illuminate even the darkest depths. Adding a candle each night (section 8 below) symbolizes adding more and more illumination until we enlighten every single dark place.

During the First Temple era, prophecy abounded among the Jewish people, and they primarily studied the Written Torah, meaning great prophetic revelations. However, after the Temple was destroyed and prophecy ceased, the time came for the Oral Torah to take precedence. While the principles were set in the Written Torah, the Sages of the Oral Torah paved the way for the realization of these principles. Granted, the light of the Written Torah shines brighter – it is compared to the midday sun – while the light of the Oral Torah is compared to that of the moon and the stars. Nevertheless, the Oral Torah can reach the hidden recesses of the soul and light up the dark corners of the world. During the Second Temple era, the foundations were laid for Oral Torah directives, including enactments, safeguards, and customs. This allowed the light of Torah to be drawn down from the eternal world, and allowed us to cope with all the difficulties of the exile.

As we wrote above in the context of brit mila (13:2), the number seven symbolizes this world (created in seven days), while the number eight expresses that which is beyond this world. Accordingly, the eight days of Ĥanuka express our goal to elevate nature, repair the world, and bring it under God’s sovereignty.

The Sages formulated the Al Ha-nisim prayer, which we insert in the Amida and the Grace After Meals on Ĥanuka (and Purim), to thank and praise God for saving the Jewish people.

Men must recite Hallel on all eight days of Ĥanuka during Shaĥarit. While women are not obligated to recite Hallel, a woman who chooses to do so is fulfilling a mitzva.

As we said above (section 1), Ĥanuka was instituted as a holiday of praise and thanksgiving. Nonetheless, unlike Purim, there is no obligation to partake in a festive meal. On Purim, the obligation to eat and drink is because we commemorate our enemies’ attempt to destroy our physical bodies by rejoicing physically. In contrast, we experienced a spiritual victory on Ĥanuka. The Greeks enacted decrees only against Torah study and mitzva observance; someone who complied and conducted himself like a Greek was safe. Therefore, the practices of Ĥanuka focus on the spirit. We thank and praise God for helping us preserve Torah and mitzvot. Even though there is no obligation to have festive meals on Ĥanuka, doing so is fulfilling a mitzva, as long as they include words of Torah that relate to the holiday and its lessons.

There is a custom to eat fried foods on Ĥanuka, such as sufganiyot (fried doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes), to commemorate the miracle of the oil. There is also a custom to eat milk and cheese, in commemoration of another miracle. The Greeks decreed that every bride would be forced to have sexual relations with the local governor on her wedding night. Judith, daughter of Yoĥanan the High Priest, refused to subject herself to this humiliation. Instead, she fed the enemy governor dairy foods, waited until he fell asleep, and killed him, thus bringing salvation to the Jews. Even though this story happened before the Ĥanuka events, Judith’s act of courage would later embolden the Hasmoneans, giving them the strength to rebel against the Greeks.

It is a mitzva for every Jew to light candles at home on each of the eight nights of Ĥanuka, to commemorate the miracle of the oil. This is a way to thank God for leading us to victory over the Greeks, allowing us to liberate Jerusalem, and to purify the Temple.

The core requirement is for one candle to be lit in each home on each night of Ĥanuka. However, people treasure this mitzva so much they wish to go beyond the basic requirement. Accordingly, most follow the custom of lighting one candle on the first night and then adding a candle on each subsequent night. This parallels the miracle, which also grew over time. So, we light one candle on the first night, two on the second, and eight on the eighth. (This number does not include the shamash, which we will explain in the next section.)

One family member can light candles for all household members. Many Sephardim follow this custom, with the father lighting for everyone. Ashkenazim and a minority of Sephardim have each household member light their own menora. A married woman generally does not light, as she and her husband are considered one unit, so his lighting includes her. Nevertheless, a married woman who wishes to light may do so and recite the blessings.

Two blessings are recited each night before lighting: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His mitzvot and commanded us to light Ĥanuka candles,” and “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time.” On the first night, She-heĥeyanu is recited as well. Immediately after reciting the blessings, we light the candles. After that, many sing the traditional Ĥanuka songs Ha-nerot Halalu and Maoz Tzur.

All members of the household should gather together at candle-lighting time to publicize the miracle. This is especially important in families in which one person lights for everyone. If some family members are not at home at candle-lighting time, they should try to participate in the lighting wherever they are, and respond “Amen” to the blessings they hear there. Alternatively, they can call home and listen to their father recite the blessings. However, students living in a dormitory should light for themselves in their dorm room and recite the blessings.

If a person is a guest in someone else’s home and the host’s custom is for one person to light for the household, the guest fulfills the obligation through the host’s lighting. However, if the host’s custom is for everyone to light for themselves, each guest should light their own menora.