DV Journal

It’s rare that Chanukah and Christmas fall on the same day. Blame it on the calendar. Or calendars.

Christmas is always Dec. 25 under the Georgian calendar, which was begun by Pope Gregory XIII in 1583 (Unless it’s the Orthodox Christian Christmas, observed a few weeks later.) Chanukah jumps around. Some years, it’s early. Some years, like 2024, it’s later.

Why?

DVJournal asked Rav Shai Cherry, the rabbi at Congregation Adath Israel in Elkins Park, to explain.

“Anthropology meets the calendar,” said Cherry. This year the first night of Chanukah begins on Dec. 25—Christmas. The last time it fell on Christmas was 2005. The next time is 2035, then 2054.

“The Jewish calendar is lunar, and the new moon marks the new month,” said Cherry.  “The issue with a lunar calendar, like the Islamic calendar, is that lunar months are roughly 29.5 days. That means over time, any given month will slowly migrate through the Gregorian calendar, which is solar.

“But the holidays on the Jewish calendar are usually connected to harvests, which don’t migrate. So, the rabbis worked out a system whereby a leap month is added to the calendar seven times in every nineteen-year cycle.

“In a leap year, with an extra month added in the spring, the fall and winter holidays seem relatively late.

“That’s why Channukah is ‘late’ this year and coincides with Christmas. Sometimes, with two consecutive non-leap years, Chanukah is ‘early,’ and we get Thanksgivukkah.” Chanukah fell on Thanksgiving in 2013.

“The seventh day of Chanukah always falls on the new moon since Chanukah, an eight-day holiday, begins on the 25th of the month.

“Here’s where anthropology comes in. The end of Chanukah, when we light the most candles, falls on the new moon closest to the winter solstice. What to do during the longest and darkest days of the year? Gather with family and friends and banish the darkness with light!”

Just as Christmas is celebrated with family, friends, and good food, along with brightly lit decorations, Chanukah likewise is shared with loved ones as Jewish people worldwide light the menorah.

But Christmas and Chanukah have different origins—Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian savior, and Chanukah commemorates the Jewish Maccabees’ victory over a much larger Syrian-Greek army after the Jews rebelled against being forced to worship Greek gods in 166 BCE A miracle occurred when a small flask of oil needed to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem lasted eight nights.

“I’m grateful, as a Christian pastor, that Chanukah and Christmas, in 2024 A.D., come together on the same day. Thankful that Jesus was born a Jew and died a Jew and that He provided for us salvation, hope, love and grace to all who will follow him, Yeshua HaMashiach,” said the Rev. Dr. William Devlin, volunteer CEO WidowsAndOrphans.info. “He loves us eternally as we celebrate Chanukah and Christmas.”

Jeffrey Lasday, senior chief of external affairs with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said, “The holiday of Chanukah is a festival of light and hope celebrating the Jewish successful battle for religious freedom, the first recorded battle for religious freedom in history. The Syrian Greeks, rulers of the land of Israel in 164  BCE, had outlawed all Jewish religious practices in the land and had defiled the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. A small band of Jewish guerrilla fighters were able to defeat the overwhelmingly superior Syrian Greek army, rededicate the Temple and enable the Jews to once again practice their religion in their homeland.

“This miracle of the few overcoming the mighty, of light overcoming darkness, of religious freedom triumphing over religious persecution, provides us with the spark, the hope that soon we will be able to bring our hostages home.

“One of the songs sung at Chanukah, ‘Maoz Tzur,’ includes the words: ‘Rock of Ages, let our song praise thy saving power. You, amidst the raging foes were our sheltering tower. Furious, they assailed us, but your armor veiled us. And thy word broke their sword when our own strength failed us.’

“The words remind us that the Jewish people have faced darkness before and, despite the odds, have triumphed,” said Lasday.

On Thursday, Dec. 26, the Jewish Federation will bring together the local community for its Center City Chanukah Celebration at Rittenhouse Square Park at 5 p.m.

The season is upon us, and with that comes a primer on Chanukah so you can be in the “holiday know.” It is common knowledge that Chanukah lasts eight days and that candles are lit each night, with the number lit being the night of the holiday. But that’s just a start. Here is more background to greet the holiday.

The Chanukah Story Itself

Back in 190 BCE, the Greeks occupied Israel and imposed their will. They required that Jews help finance their military through taxes and house their soldiers in their homes. They placed a Zeus statue in the Temple courtyard and banished Jewish observances, including the sabbath and circumcision of newborn boys.

When the Greeks demanded that Jews sacrifice a pig to Greek idols, a line was crossed. In 166 BCE, a group of Hasmoneans led by Mattathias had enough, and violence ensued. Complete chaos broke out, and a war began between the Jews and the Greek army.

Mattathias and his five sons led the Maccabees in guerrilla warfare against a much better-equipped Greek army. After Mattathias was killed, the Maccabees were led by Judah, Mattathias’s son. Their army expanded from 3,000 to 12,000 men, though still significantly smaller than the 50,000-men Greek army.

Through guile, courage, and hit-and-run tactics, the Maccabees eventually defeated the large army, though it took five years. The Jews returned to the Temple and shattered the statue of Zeus. The story goes that, once inside the Temple, the Jews found one small flask of oil to light a flame. After the flame was lit, one night’s worth of oil lasted eight days.

Hence, Chanukah is referred to as the “festival of lights,” and we light candles for eight nights to celebrate the many miracles—both the long-lasting oil and the defeat of the mighty Greek army. There is a ninth candle, referred to as the “shamash,” which lights the candles. Its meaning has been interpreted as a symbol of the power of light over darkness.

Some Chanukah Traditions

Food: Latkes, fried potato pancakes made of shredded potatoes with onions, are eaten. It’s best not to count the carbs or fat grams when enjoying. There are latke variations, including sweet potato, broccoli, zucchini, cottage cheese, and much more. Apple sauce and sour cream typically accompany the latke. One other Chanukah delectable is jelly-filled fried donuts called “sufganiyot”—a kid’s treat.

Dreidel: A betting game is played by spinning a four-sided “dreidel.” Each side has a Hebrew letter to remind us that “A big miracle happened here,” where the first letter of each significant word is displayed. Players settle their bets based on how their dreidel lands. The typical ante includes small coins like pennies and nickels, or better yet, chocolate coins called “gelt.”

Singing: Blessings are said, and songs are sung during candle lighting. It is still my family’s favorite part of the holiday. Some songs are very simple such as “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,” and others are sung in Hebrew, in rounds, and require more knowledge.

Gifts: Probably because of the timing that Chanukah falls near Christmas and Christmas is the ultimate gift-giving holiday, Chanukah has become gift-focused as well. It wasn’t originally viewed as a time to exchange presents; in some homes, there can even be a gift for each night. I won’t opine my thoughts.

Timing: Unlike Christmas, which always falls on December 25, Chanukah falls on the 25th of Kislev, a Jewish calendar month. That was the date that the Jews took control and rededicated their Temple. The use of the Hebrew calendar explains why Chanukah falls on different dates in the Gregorian calendar.

The meaning we give to Chanukah is layered and a personal preference. For some, it is a time to look inward and apply a larger purpose to the “Festival of lights.” Peter, Paul, and Mary proposed their interpretation with their song, Light One Candle. They suggest a universal candle representing justice, hope, and peace.

I was taught to view the holiday through a Jewish lens of history and heritage. This is the 50th year marking the passing of Abraham Joshua Heschel, a great sage and Rabbi who lit our world with love, meaning, and goodness. He shared that for us to do God’s work, we need to recognize the spark of the divine within us and treat fellow humans accordingly.

That would be an excellent takeaway for this holiday of light.

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