Prayers, Worship and Lessons of Chanukah
by Paul J. Rico, paulrico@hotmail.com
Yahshua celebrated Chanukah, The Feast of Dedication– John 10:22-39. The Hebrew word for “dedication” is Chanukah. As evidenced by the above passage, visiting the Temple in Jerusalem during Chanukah, Y’Shua followed the custom of the land of Israel in the celebration of the Festival of Lights also called the Feast of Dedication that is Chanukah. This mention becomes the only Biblical mention of the holiday since it originated after the OT Scriptures had been already finished and closed.
The Menorah (Hebrew for Lamp) that was in the Temple had seven candles or branches, but a Chanukiah (a Chanukah Menorah) has nine candles or branches, two more than the one in the temple
Lighting of the Chanukiah Menorah- Shamas (servant candle, usually centered and slightly higher than the other eight candles) is a picture of Messiah He is the Light of the World.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 1:4-5 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 3:20-21 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Candles are to be lit from right to left as the person lighting looks at the Chanukiah Menorah.
Blessings and Prayers
1. Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ho-olom A-sher Ki-de-sho-nu Be-mitz-vo-sov Ve-tzi-vo-nu Le-had-lik Ner Cha-nu-kah.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us by His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Chanukah.
2. Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ho-olom She’o-so Ni-sim La-avo-sei-nu Ba-yo-mim Ho-heim Bi-z’man Ha-zeh.
Blessed are you, L-rd our G-d, king of the universe, who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.
The following blessing is said only on the first evening (or the first time one kindles the lights this Chanukah).
3. Bo-ruch A-toh Ado-noi E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ho-olom She-heche-yo-nu Ve-ki-yi-mo-nu Ve-higi-o-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has kept us alive and has preserved us, to reach this season.
After kindling the lights recite:
We kindle these lights (to commemorate) the saving acts, miracles and wonders which You have performed for our forefathers, in those days at this time, through Your holy Kohanim (priests). Throughout the eight days of Chanukah, these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make use of them, but only to look at them, in order to offer thanks and praise to Your great name for Your miracles, for Your wonders and for Your salvations.
Short History of False Religion- Pagan fertility religions began before the tower of Babel, Nimrod the great warrior and hunter claimed to be god, while his wife Semiramis became known as the queen of heaven (Jer 7:18, 44:15-30, Rev 17:5). When Nimrod died at 40, Semiramis claimed he ascended to the Sun, becoming the Sun god and the source of all life. He then (supposedly) impregnated her with his sperm carried on a sunbeam resulting in their son Tammuz, who was born on the winter solstice the shortest day of the year, which was Dec 25. Tammuz, the miraculously born son (which is a counterfeit of the Virgin birth of Yahshua) died while out hunting wild boar. Semiramis wept for 40 days (Ezk 8:14-15), one day for each year of her husband’s life (which was later called lent) and Tammuz came back to life (which is a counterfeit for the resurrection of Messiah). Tammuz then killed the wild boar that had killed him (counterfeit for Messiah’s victory over Satan) and they went home in victory for a “sun” day ham dinner. The names change from time and place, language and country, but it’s always the same mother and son “fertility sun god” worship.
Egypt- Semiramis is called Isis and her son Osiris. They erected obelisks as monument to Ra the sun god’s erect penis, similar to the Washington monument in Washington DC, you see it gives new meaning to the “father” of our country.
India- Semiramis is called Isi and her son is called Iswara.
Asia- Semiramis is called Cybele and her son is called Deoius.
Greece- Semiramis is called Aphrodite and he son is Eros, the sun god (Nimrod) is Zeus.
A Lesson of Chanukah: When translating the holy name of the Hebrew God “YHWH” to the Greek language they take the “Y” add “Zeus” and contract it to “Iesous” translate that into English and you get “Jesus”. Which is why Messianic Jews who believe that “Yahshua is the Messiah” prefer to use the Hebrew “Yahshua”, “Y’Shua” or “Yeshua” (transliteration from Hebrew to English isn’t an exact science, thus you also have several spelling for Chanukah, Channukkah, Hannukah, Hanukah, etc) instead of the compromised English name “Jesus” even though most people are referring to the same person when using either name. We realize that most of the time people using English Jesus intend no disrespect.
Rome- Semiramis is called Venus and her son Cupid, the sun god is Jupiter.
A Lesson of Chanukah: Question: If you celebrate St Valentines Day, does that make you a pagan or a believer in the God of the Bible? We should note that how we live proves what we are, not how good we lie. How good we lie might fool other people even ourselves but not HaShem. Pagan worship makes your worship unacceptable to HaShem.
Assyria- Semiramis is called Ishtar and her son is Bacchus. Ishtar is the naked fertility sex cult goddess who was supposed to have turned a bird into an egg laying rabbit. These eggs were dipped into the blood of sacrificed babies on the altar of Ishtar. (Now where was that I heard about coloring of eggs?) Where did those sacrificed infants come from? The priests of Ishtar would rape and impregnate virgins on the alter of Ishtar in a sunrise worship service as an act of worship to the sun god. The infants of that sex act would be the sacrifices of next year’s service when they were newborns at Dec 25 and three months old at Ishtar. Transliterate Ishtar to English and you have Easter. This is a word never found in the original language manuscripts of the Scriptures. It is found only in the KJV as a mistranslation of the word Passover. Ishtar (Easter) is the day when all good pagans get up for a “sunrise” service to worship the sun god who is the source of all life and afterward they all go home for a colored Easter egg hunt and a ham dinner in commemoration of the battle of Tamez (son of Nimrod) with the wild boar who wounded him. All of this is a perfect counterfeit of the truth and as such is given for a reason to not believe the truth of Scripture by those unbelievers who suppose the truth was based on the counterfeit lie instead of the lie being based on the truth. But the reason for Chanukah, was the victory in the conflict between those who believed the lie and those who believed in the truth of Scripture and the God of Creation, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God who sent HIS Messiah Yahshua to save HIS people from their sins.
A Lesson of Chanukah: YAHSHUA THE MESSIAH NEVER, NEVER, NEVER WORSHIPED IN THE PAGAN FERTILITY SEX CULT EASTER OR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS. Chanukah, Passover and all the other Levitical feasts are the holy days that were always celebrated by Yahshua, all of his followers and indeed, all of Israel who were faithful to The Lord God, Master of the Universe and His Holy Scriptures. Deut 18:9-14
Short History of God’s people: God has always called a small group of people to be His own to glorify Himself. HaShem created this world with good and evil in balance. We sometimes wonder why evil exist, but without it our free will to choose evil over good or good over evil couldn’t exist either. When we choose what is good righteous and holy responding to God in love we glorify HaShem. It’s HIS purpose in the world to Glorify Himself through our lives. He does this by giving us a choice to accept HIM by faith and love HIM or to reject and hate HIM. The situation has always been a choice to believe God and HIS plan or to choose against HIM accepting man’s religions that are inspired by Satan. And if a person decides to follow paganism, hating HaShem, then HaShem honors that choice, never forcing anyone to believe in Him.
Matt 7:13-15 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
A Lesson of Chanukah: Examples of Faith (see Hebrews chapter 11 for a more complete list):
Abraham- physically crossed the Tigerus- Euphrates river system to be called a Hebrew. He spiritually crossed over from paganism to worship the Living God of the Universe.
Gen 15:6 And Abraham believed in the LORD; and the LORD counted it to him for righteousness.
The teaching of Torah has always been that if a person wants righteousness, they must have faith in God and His provision of Messiah. If someone wants rewards and blessing they must be obedient and comply with HaShem’s instructions for daily living. Faith=righteousness, obedience=rewards and blessing, disobedience=curse and the consequences of sin which are many.
Moses and Children of Israel
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Heb 11:28 Through faith he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Heb 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry [land]: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
David the Shepherd Boy- (King David) who stood up to the Giant Goliath
3 Children of Israel in Fiery Furnace Dan 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Story of Hanukkah Traditional Orthodox Story, DISCLAIMER: as New Covenant believers we accept only the Holy Scriptures as the standard for what we believe, and since the miracle of the oil during the first Chanukah isn’t verified by Scripture, there remains an open question as to it’s historicity. Nevertheless this excerpt is provided as a sample of this recommended reading.
A Small Cruse of Oil by Dr. Nissan Mindel
Twenty-two centuries ago, the land of Israel was part of the Hellenist Syrian Empire, dominated by the rulers of the Seleucid dynasty.
Antiochus III, who reigned from 222 to 186 BCE, had waged war with King Ptolemy of Egypt over the possession of the Land of Israel. Antiochus III was victorious and the Land of Israel was annexed to his empire. At the beginning of his reign he was favorably disposed toward the Jews and accorded them some privileges. Later on, however, when he was defeated by the Romans and compelled to pay heavy taxes, the burden fell upon the various peoples of his empire who were forced to furnish the gold that was required of him by the Romans. When Antiochus died, his son Seleucus IV took over, and further oppressed the Jews.
Added to the troubles from the outside were the grave perils that threatened Judaism from within. The influence of the Hellenists was increasing. Yochanan, the Kohen Gadol (“high priest”), foresaw the danger to Judaism from the penetration of paganism, and opposed the attempts on the part of the Jewish Hellenists to introduce Greek and Syrian customs into the land. The Hellenists hated him. One of them told the King’s commissioner that in the treasury of the Temple there was a great deal of wealth.
The wealth in the treasury consisted of the contributions of “half a shekel” made by all adult Jews annually. That was given for the purpose of the sacrifices on the altar, as well as for maintaining and improving the Temple building. Another part of the treasury consisted of orphans’ funds, which were deposited for them until they became of age. Seleucus needed money in order to pay the Romans. He sent his minister Helyodros to take the money from the treasury of the Temple. In vain did Yochanan beg him not to do it. Helyodros entered the gate of the Temple. But suddenly, he became pale with fright. The next moment he fainted and fell to the ground. After Helyodros came to, he did not dare enter again.
The Madman A short time later, Seleucus was killed and his brother Antiochus IV began his reign over Syria (174 BCE). He was a tyrant of a rash and impetuous nature, contemptuous of religion and of the feelings of others. He was called “Epiphanes,” meaning “the gods’ beloved.” Several of the Syrian rulers received similar titles. But a historian of his time, Polebius, gave him the epithet Epimanes (“madman”), a title more suitable to the character of this harsh and cruel king.
Desiring to unify his kingdom through the medium of a common religion and culture, Antiochus tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by suppressing all the Jewish Laws. He removed the righteous High Priest, Yochanan, from the Temple in Jerusalem, and in his place installed Yochanan’s brother Joshua, who preferred to call himself by the Greek name of Jason. For he was a member of the Hellenist party, and he used his high office to spread more and more of the Greek customs among the priesthood.
Joshua or Jason was later replaced by another man, Menelaus, who had promised the king that he would bring in more money than Jason did. When Yochanan, the former High Priest, protested against the spread of the Hellenists’ influence in the Holy Temple, the ruling High Priest hired murderers to assassinate him.
Antiochus was at that time engaged in a successful war against Egypt. But messengers from Rome arrived and commanded him to stop the war, and he had to yield. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a rumor spread that a serious accident had befallen Antiochus. Thinking that he was dead, the people rebelled against Menelaus. The treacherous High Priest fled together with his friends.
The Martyrs Antiochus returned from Egypt enraged by Roman interference with his ambitions. When he heard what had taken place in Jerusalem, he ordered his army to fall upon the Jews. Thousands of Jews were killed. Antiochus then enacted a series of harsh decrees against the Jews. Jewish worship was forbidden; the scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned. Sabbath rest, circumcision and the dietary laws were prohibited under penalty of death. One of the respected elders of that generation, Rabbi Eliezer, a man of 90, was ordered by the servants of Antiochus to eat pork so that others would do the same. When he refused, they suggested to him that he pick up the meat to his lips to appear to be eating. But Rabbi Eliezer refused to do even that and was put to death.
There were thousands of others who likewise sacrificed their lives. The famous story of Hannah and her seven children happened at that time.
Antiochus’s men went from town to town and from village to village to force the inhabitants to worship pagan gods. Only one refuge area remained and that was the hills of Judea, where faithful Jews hid in caves. But even there did the Syrians pursue the faithful Jews, and many died a martyr’s death.
Mattityahu One day, the henchmen of Antiochus arrived in the village of Modin where Yochanan’s son, the old priest Mattityahu, lived with his five sons — Simon, Elazar, Judah, Yochanan, and Jonathan. The Syrian officer built an altar in the marketplace of the village and demanded that Mattityahu offer sacrifices to the Greek gods. Mattityahu replied, “I, my sons and my brothers are determined to remain loyal to the covenant which our G-d made with our ancestors!”
Thereupon, a Hellenistic Jew approached the altar to offer a sacrifice. Mattityahu grabbed his sword and killed him, and his sons and friends fell upon the Syrian officers and men. They killed many of them and chased the rest away. They then destroyed the altar.
Mattityahu knew that Antiochus would be enraged when he heard what had happened. He would certainly send an expedition to punish him and his followers. Mattityahu, therefore, left the village of Modin and fled together with his sons and friends to the hills of Judea.
Many loyal and courageous Jews joined them, rallying under Mattityahu’s battle cry, “All who faithful to G-d, follow me!” They formed legions and from time to time they left their hiding places to fall upon enemy detachments and outposts, and to destroy the pagan altars that were built by order of Antiochus.
The Maccabees Before his death, Mattityahu called his sons together and urged them to continue to fight in defense of G-d’s Torah. He asked them to follow the counsel of their brother, Simon the Wise. In waging warfare, he said, their leader should be Judah the Strong. Judah was called “Maccabee,” a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words inscribed on his banner, Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem, “Who is like unto Thee amongst the mighty, O G-d.”
Antiochus sent his general Apolonius to wipe out Judah and his followers, the Maccabees. Though greater in number and equipment than their adversaries, the Syrians were defeated by the Maccabees. Antiochus sent out another expedition which also was defeated. He realized that only by sending a powerful army could he hope to defeat Judah and his brave fighting men.
An army consisting of more than 40,000 men swept the land under the leadership of two commanders, Nicanor and Gorgiash. When Judah and his brothers heard of that, they exclaimed: “Let us fight unto death in defense of our souls and our Temple!” The people assembled in Mitzpah, where Samuel, the prophet of old, had offered prayers to G-d. After a series of battles the war was won.
The Miracle Now the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate it. They entered the Temple and cleared it of the idols placed there by the Syrian invaders. Judah and his followers built a new altar, which he dedicated on the 25th of the month of Kislev, in the year 3622 from creation (139 BCE).
The golden Menorah had been stolen by the Syrians. Lacking the means to replace it, the Maccabees now made one of cheaper metal. But there was no pure, sacred olive oil to light it with, for everything had been defiled by the enemy. Finally, they found a small cruse of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the High Priest Yochanan. It was sufficient to light only for one day. By a miracle of G-d, it continued to burn for eight days, until new oil could be obtained, demonstrating to all that G-d had again taken His people under His protection. In commemoration, our sages established these eight days as the annual festival of lights, Chanukah.
Excerpted from The Complete Story of Chanukah by Dr Nissan Mindel, published by Kehot (recommended reading)
For the Assembly of Believers in Messiah:
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (NASB) 14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.
The command of the Apostles and Elders for the Gentiles for minimum requirements included only four things to comply initially and the fifth item to continue learning by studying Torah every Sabbath in order to continue growing in Holiness.
Acts 15:19-21 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols (i.e. things sacrificed to idols, i.e. swine, pigs, pork), and [from] fornication (sun god fertility sex cult worship), and [from] things strangled (pagan sacrifices were strangled), and [from] blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day
A Lesson of Chanukah: Note: That three of the initial five requirements pertained to keeping Biblical Kosher dietary laws, which separated those who choose to believe in the true God Creator of the Universe as opposed to the pagan sun god fertility sex cult worship. We are to be different from the pagans of the world in every aspect of our lives in order to glorify God with our lives. This applies to all who are believers in Messiah regardless whether we are saved Gentiles or saved Jews Besides the four negative commands of to abstain from pollutions of idols, fornication, things strangled and from eating blood, there is a positive command that most people reading this seem to miss and that is to study Torah every Shabbat once a person has trusted in Messiah. Not doing the evil pagan things is of little value if we don’t replace those evil practices with those thing that are good and holy and righteous!!! Those four negative commands were only the minimum requirements for being accepted into the fellowship of believers, after that new believers were expected to grow and mature spiritually, learning to live by Torah and reflect the HOLINESS of HaShem to the lost world looking at us.
1 Cor 3:16-17, 6:19-20 Believers body is the temple of Ruach HaKodesh
Deut 14:2 For thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that [are] upon the earth.
Tts 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1Pe 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
A Lesson of Chanukah: The lesson of Chanukah is that the Temple of the Rauch HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) is to be rededicated to HaShem and not be a temple defiled by paganism and unacceptable worship. What is that Temple? It is the body of the believer.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NASB) 16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NASB) 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
A Lesson of Chanukah: Therefore glorify God in your body. Rededicate yourself to HaShem today and every year on Chanukah.
If someone has children, turn off the electronic sewage (TV) and for each night of Chunakah, light a Chanukiah Menorah and as the candles burn down teach them to play driedel with penny candies or dried fruit. Whomever wins gets to eat two pieces of candy while the “losers” get only one peice of candy. Have family devotions, prayer and read a chapter of the Bible before bedtime. Good times and good family memories that will last a lifetime.
Dreidel, the Chanukah Game
During the war with the Greeks, Jews were under the pagan Greek rule and were forbidden to study Torah. A rabbi would hold class in the streets and should a Greek soldier come upon them and ask what they were doing, the Dreidel game was in the center of the group. They were playing a harmless game not doing the forbidden when the soldiers appeared. As soon as the soldiers were gone it was back to the study of the Holy Scripture and discussions of Theology. The dreidel game helped watered the thirst for the Holy Scriptures and truth concerning HaShem.
Dreidel is a game of chance and very easy to play so young children can participate. In our family we light the Chanukiah and then play dreidel. It’s a fun Jewish tradition and the memories will last a lifetime. Children will always remember this sweet time with parents, grandparents and siblings. We suggest that you buy a large bag of penny candies, but dried fruit, raisins, chocolate Chanukah coins or pennies can also do. We don’t care for using pennies or other money as then it becomes less a family game and more about gambling.
Make a kitty a pile of candy say 10 pieces, then also give each player 10 pieces to play with. Spin the dreidel (a four sided spinning top) and it will eventually fall on one of its four sides with the following Hebrew letters, one letter to a side. Each family member spins the dreidel in turn, taking or giving the kitty depending on how the dreidel falls.
Nun: nothing, no exchange
Gimel: take all of the kitty
Hay: take half of the kitty
Shin: put one piece into the kitty
Once a player has lost all of their pieces (penny candy), they’re out and they get one piece to eat and they quit playing. The last player standing has won and gets to eat two pieces of the penny candy.
Happy Chanukah to everyone.
