How does Hanukkah commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple?
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid forces of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 164 BCE.12
After Antiochus desecrated the Temple by dedicating it to the Greek god Zeus, the Maccabeesâled by Judas Maccabeusâreclaimed the site. Judas ordered the purification and restoration of the Temple, which included installing and dedicating a new altar on Kislev 25. To mark this event, he proclaimed an eight-day celebration of the Temple's rededication.12
While the historical accounts in the Books of the Maccabees focus on the restoration of Jewish worship, later tradition recorded in the Babylonian Talmud emphasizes a miracle: a single dayâs supply of consecrated oil miraculously burned for eight days until more could be obtained. This event established the precedent for the festival's eight-day duration and the custom of lighting the menorah to publicize the miracle.23