2019-12-28 Sat

Today on this day in the year 169 BC, The menorah is lit to rededicate the Holy Temple of Jerusalem after two centuries of foreign rule and religious oppression and a seven-year revolt. The menorah burns for eight days without the sufficient fuel needed to do so, birthing the holiday Hanukkah.

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple following Judah Maccabee's victory over the Seleucids. It is the Jewish faith’s eight-day celebration also known as the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev, the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year on the Hebrew calendar.

According to Rabbinic tradition, the victorious Maccabees could only find a small jug of oil that had remained pure and uncontaminated by virtue of a seal, and although it only contained enough oil to sustain the Menorah for one day, it miraculously lasted for eight days, by which time further oil could be procured.

The menorah has been a symbol of Judaism since ancient times and is the emblem on the coat of arms of the modern state of Israel. The menorah symbolized the ideal of universal enlightenment. It also represents the creation in seven days, with the center light representing the Sabbath.

The above shown postal stamps which issued in Israel depict beautiful stone menorah, Tiberias (2nd century) and Easterm European Menorah (18th century).

Image Source: colnect.com