Hebrew Voices #237 – Hanukkah – Rebellion Against the Name

Excellent discussion once again Nehemia. I had an ‘enlightenment’ while listening that the “seekers of smooth things” in both Isaiah and the Dead Sea Scrolls are the same people who are the hellenizers or lovers of all things greek. It is the people who in our modern age comply in order to not cause waves. “Just wear the mask”, just comply, don’t stand up for the torah for what Yehovah asks, just go along to get along. I do not want to be in that group. Thank you again for an excellent teaching.

Thank you for this interesting teaching. I am a Christian Zionist and I always questioned in my mind why the lighting of the candles was a command from G-d. I knew I never read that in the Bible anywhere. I appreciate you clarifying that. I respect your love for the pure word of G-d and for so many deep insights into the word over the years. Blessings!

I celebrate Hanukkah because YAH saved the Jewish who rever Him, His name, and His set apart temple. YAH saved them from the Greek pagan peoples, and the date is significant because I come from (out of) celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25th, and after I began to follow Yahshua, I quit those pagan mangled holidays and now celebrate the Feasts of Yah. Although Hanukkah isn’t a commanded feast, it is significant to my new found belief.

Not only is Hannukah a story of salvation, it is a story about courage.

If that Jewish army hadn’t defeated that Greek army, there may not have been Yahshua today.

By celebrating YAH’s Feasts, I can plainly see that Yahshua was conceived at Hanukkah and born at Sukkot. I see that Yashua though Hanukkah important enough to teach about it during Hanukkah.

You are the light of the world. (See Matthew Chapter 5)

We, as believers, need to be that light to the world which is in darkness.

You miss a lot of Hanukkah insights.
Is there some way to get in touch. Much of it is mathematical and insightful into Scripture (e.g. Haggai 2) and to the process of creation.

As a Christian, I am very interested in learning anything I can learn about the Old Testament and why Jews do what they do. I agree with most of your explanations so very much. If God doesn’t command it, then don’t say he does. Christian churches have so many of their own traditions that are not Biblical either.

I don’t think that the berachot used in kindling the Chanukah lamp refer to the specific miracle of the oil. The text of the blessing simply refers to the fact that HaShem “wrought miracles for our forefathers in former days, at this season”. The process of rededication lasted eight days according to the norms of the Torah, and so, logically, in commemorating this rededication we use a lampstand that is permitted and yet reminds us of the Temple menorah. This is the eight-branched chanukiah, as a seven branched menorah is not permitted to be copied. So even set aside the specific question of the oil miracle, the traditional observance of Chanukah makes much sense.