CHANUKAH . . . DID YOU KNOW –

According to 2 Maccabees, Chanukah (Dedication) is presented as a belated observance of Sukkot (Tabernacles/Booths).  The people of Israel had been unable to celebrate the Feast of Booths at its appointed time due to the persecution and desecration of the Temple under Antiochus IV. After the Temple was cleansed and rededicated, the people celebrated for eight days “as the feast of booths,” carrying leafy branches and offering praise, intentionally echoing the rites of Sukkot (2 Maccabees 10:6–8). The text explicitly states that this extended celebration was instituted because they had missed Sukkot while hiding in the mountains and wilderness like beasts, and so Chanukah functioned as a delayed festival of restoration—reclaiming joy, worship, and thanksgiving to God in the renewed sanctuary, much as Sukkot celebrates God’s provision and His Presence dwelling among His people.

As followers of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus the Christ, we recognize and celebrate in every season the cleansing and dedication of this earthly temple of flesh (1 Cor 3:16) by and through the shed Blood and broken Body of Messiah on the cross – The One Who is the Light and Life of Mankind. (John 1:4)

HAPPY CHANUKAH