Christian – The Pilgrim Homestead

Hanukkah, also called the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish holiday set aside to commemorate the rededication of the temple of the LORD in the 2^nd century BC. Hanukkah is actually considered to be a minor holiday on the Jewish calendar, however it’s become very popular as it falls close to Xmas-time each year.

The Syrian-Greek Emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism, a crime punishable by death.

He desecrated the Holy Temple by having an altar to Zeus placed there and had pigs sacrificed.

A rebellion of the Jews, led by the Maccabees (a Jewish priest and his five sons) miraculously managed to defeat their oppressors and rededicate their Temple.

…So the story goes, after the temple was cleaned up and purified they needed olive oil to fuel the light of the menorah but there was only enough for one night. The miracle was it lasted for a full eight nights!

On Hanukkah, Jews celebrate their religious freedom and the great miracle that occurred at the rededication of the Holy Temple! It’s celebrated for eight nights to honor the miracles that occurred at that time.

How do we celebrate Hanukkah? Every community and family has their unique Hanukkah traditions, but there are some traditions that are practically universal. This includes:

Lighting of the Menorah- There is a candle used for lighting the other candles called the Shamash, which has a special place on the menorah. Blessings are said as the candles are being lit. On the first night the first candle on the right is lit. On the second night add a candle to the left of the first candle that was lit on the first night. Light the second candle first. Followed by the light which was lit on the previous night. Each night after an additional candle is added. On the eighth night all eight candles will be lit.

Spinning the Dreidel- The most popular game to play during Hanukkah is dreidel (similar to a top). The dreidel has four sides with Hebrew letters on each side: Nun, Gimel, Hay, and Shin.

Eating fried foods- Potato latkes and doughnuts are the most popular!

When?- On the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah is celebrated on the 25^th of Kislev.

Happy Hanukkah!

It’s time for another celebration!

For those of you that don’t know, Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage ‘Holy Days’ referenced in the Bible. It’s also known as Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

A sukkot is a hut-like structure that the Israelites lived in during their 40 years of wandering through the wilderness, after their exodus from Egypt. Sukkot simply means ‘temporary dwelling’.

We celebrate by constructing our own sukkot. The festival lasts for seven days. During which we spend much of our time outside in our sukkot. We try to cook our meals and eat them in our sukkot during the weeklong event.

We use this celebration as another way to educate our children and reflect on the time when God lead His people through the wilderness. Talk about a History lesson!

This joyous celebration is a reminder of God’s deliverance, protection, provision, and faithfulness.

This is important not only for Jews but for Christians as well. Jesus not only celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles, He used it as the occasion to reveal His nature and His mission.

…And the Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us… (John 1:14 NKJV)

In celebrating the Biblical feasts like Jesus and His disciples did, we as Christians can get a better understanding of the Jewish life that Jesus lived while he was here on Earth as man.

In the New Testament, Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles and spoke these words on the last day of the Feast: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”(John 7:37-38 NKJV)

The next morning while the torches were still burning Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”(John 8:12 NKJV)

Sukkot points to the truth that our lives rest on the redemption which is in

Jesus Christ and His forgiveness of our sin.

Happy Sukkot!