The symbols of Hanukkah
- Albert Benhamou
- 15 hours ago
- 9 min read
In 2025, the annual festival of Hanukkah begins at nightfall on Sunday December 14th. It is eagerly awaited by Jewish children around the world because it is the Festival of Lights, which lasts eight days. During this time, they receive small surprise gifts each evening after lighting the lights (candles or oil lamps). We won't dwell on the history of this festival here, as you can find explanations online, but rather focus on its symbols.
Hebrew date of the festival
The festival falls on the Hebrew date of the 25th of Kislev (in the Gregorian calendar, this usually falls in December). The month of Kislev is the month in which Noah and his family emerged from the Ark after the Flood and were finally able to recover from this great humanitarian catastrophe. But the festival of Hanukkah is also linked to a "rest", that of the war of the Jews against Greek domination in the land of Israel in 164 BC (to read more about thes times in Jewish history, click here). The very word Hanukkah evokes this point: it is written חנוכה, which breaks down into חנו (meaning "they rested") and כה (the numerical value of כה is 25, like the 25th of Kislev). In other words, they rested on the 25th.
It should also be noted that the month of Kislev is the 9th month of the Hebrew calendar, and this number 9 has a specific connotation with Hanukkah, as explained it what follows.
Meaning of the word Hanukkah
The root of the word Hanukkah has two meanings: consecration and education. Consecration is evident because, after the Maccabees' victory over the Hellenizing Greeks, the Temple in Jerusalem (which had been defiled by these pagans) could be purified and consecrated again for divine service: this was therefore a consecration. And education? It is represented in the word Hanukkah (חנוכה) which contains the root H"N"C (ח"נ"כ) which gives us the word 'Hinou'ch (חינוך), meaning education. We can understand here a hidden link between consecration to the divine and education for humanity: humanity's role is to educate future generations so that this consecration is perpetuated. For Jews, this holiday is primarily a celebration of remembrance, which must also be perpetuated through children, hence the gifts and songs that accompany them during the daily ceremonies for the eight days (regarding the number 8 and the Jewish symbolism of numbers, click here).
The revolt of the Maccabeans
The Maccabeans' victory was against the Hellenistic culture of assimilation that ancient Greece sought to impose on the people of Israel, forever erasing their religious distinctiveness derived from the commandments of the Torah.
The word for Greece is Yavan, written יון, which, if these three letters are rearranged, also gives נוי, meaning beauty for the eyes, the superficiality of beauty, therefore materialistism. This is what Hellenistic culture had to offer: beauty of the body (the Olympic games), beauty of architectural forms, beauty of art, etc. The numerical value of the word Greece (יון) is 66: in Jewish symbolism, 66 is twice 6, the number 6 representing materialism (for the Jewish symbolism of numbers, click here), thus a doubled materialism, like an emphasis. For Christians, it's even worse because the number 6 is the source of Evil, which gives rise to the symbol of the devil, namely 666.
This victory of the Jews against the Greeks had been prophesied by Zechariah, who lived in Judea some 400 years before the events:
"I will arise your sons, Zion, against your sons, Yavan." וְעוֹרַרְתִּי בָנַיִךְ צִיּוֹן, עַל-בָּנַיִךְ יָוָן (Zechariah 9:13)
Now, what do we notice in this verse (in Hebrew)? The word Zion is written ציון, which also includes the word Yavan (יון) (Greece) as צ-יון. The difference between the two words Zion and Yavan lies in the Hebrew letter tsadik (צ), which refers to divine justice (the word tsadik, in fact, means "righteous" in Hebrew). In a sense, divine justice will prevail over Yavan, Greece: this is what Zechariah's prophecy expresses, for it is clear that the inexperienced peasants of the land of Israel at that time could not stand a chance against the Greek army, which had conquered the entire ancient world, including the Persian and Egyptian empires. Thus, the hand of God, by arising the sons of Zion, suddenly emboldened, was necessary to defeat this elite army.
Numerically speaking, we saw that the word Yavan (Greece) has a numerical value of 66, but the word Zion (which includes it) has a value of 90 (צ) + 66 (יון), that is, 156. However, 156 has the particularity of being the numerical value 26 x 6, where 26 is the numerical value of the name of God (the Tetragrammaton) and 6 is the value of the material world. So here too, we can see that God exerts influence over the material world through the symbolism of this festival of Hanukkah. Moreover, we find the number of God, 26, in the very word Hanukkah. Indeed, in Hebrew, Hanukkah is written חנוכה, each letter of which has a numerical value: 8, 50, 6, 20, 5. Now, one of the rules of numerology is to take into account the "small number" of a word, that is, to add the units digit and not the tens or hundreds digits. Therefore, the "small number" of Hanukkah is 8 + 5 + 6 + 2 + 5 = 26! In fact, the presence of God is found everywhere in the symbols of this festival, and this is not surprising because, as Zechariah prophesied, it is God himself who will arise the children of Zion against the children of Yavan. God is the strategist of this existential war. Moreover, the numerical value of Hanukkah (its complete number) is 8 + 50 + 6 + 20 + 5 = 89. Now, since God is present as a hidden strategist in this war, we can add Him, meaning His number, to that of the festival: God is One, so we add 1 to the number 89, which gives 90. And 90 is the numerical value of the Hebrew letter tsadik צ which is a symbol of the Righteous and which is assimilated in the word Zion ציון as we saw above.
Why do we light candles during Hanukkah?
It is to commemorate a miracle that occurred during the purification and re-consecration of the Temple. The divine service requires lighting the seven-branched great menorah (chandelier) that dated back to the time of Moses and the Hebrews in the desert. This menorah was placed inside the Sanctuary, so only the special priests (the Kohanim) could see it, as they were the only ones allowed to enter the Sanctuary. This menorah had seven branches, six of which were lit daily by the Kohanim, while the seventh light was considered "perpetual" because it never went out, thus marking the divine presence in the Sanctuary. However, the Greeks desecrated the Temple, notably by sacrificing to their pagan gods on the Temple altar. The great menorah had then extinguished itself, as the divine service had effectively ceased. When the Maccabees liberated Jerusalem and wanted to restart the divine services, they brought all the Sanctuary utensils out onto the Temple courtyard while the interior of the Sanctuary was purified using very specific procedures. The menorah lights were thus temporarily lit in the courtyard in full view of the people. But they found only one vial of special olive oil reserved for this purpose. They sent an escort to northern Israel, to Gamla on the Golan Heights, where the special pure olive oil was produced for the Temple. Travel time: four days each way, for a total of eight days. What to do during this time? On the first day, the high priest lit the menorah with the found vial, thinking it would only last one day. But, miraculously, the next day the lights had not burned out, and the menorah continued to be illuminated for the entire eight-day period. This miracle was witnessed by all the people of Jerusalem because the menorah was temporarily located in the courtyard. Thus, to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jews created a menorah different from the great menorah (the seven-branched one): it is hanukkiyah with a nine-branched Hanukkah menorah, with eight branches representing the eight days of the miracle plus one branch to act as the "guardian," similar to the seventh branch of the Temple menorah which features the "perpetual" light in addition to the six other lights. In Hebrew, this "guardian" is called the shamash (שמש), which also means the Sun, a symbol of "perpetual" light. Those who visit the Tomb of David on Mount Zion can see a hanukkiyah in the entrance hall. And, of course, every Jewish home has one to celebrate this annual holiday.
The reason the emblem of the State of Israel was chosen to be the Temple menorah (with seven branches) is precisely because of the festival of Hanukkah. For Hanukkah is the festival of the renewal of the Jewish independence (at the time, against the Seleucid Greeks), symbolized precisely by the miracle, visible to all the people, of the menorah lights burning for eight days. Since the time of the Maccabean Revolt, the menorah has always symbolized the renewal of Jewish independence. It is therefore logical that, after 2,000 years, the new State of Israel would adopt this same two-thousand-year-old symbol.
How many lights are there in total?
On the first day, we light the shamash and the first candle. On the second day, the shamash and the second candle, and so on until the eighth day, when the shamash and all eight candles are lit. Therefore, over the eight days of the festival, 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 44 candles are lit. Now, 44 has the numerical value of the word dam (דם), which means blood. This is because the festival of Hanukkah commemorates a war that cost lives, thus shedding blood, as in any war, but it was a necessary sacrifice to ensure the triumph of the Righteous (צ), that is, divine justice through the sons of Zion.
Meaning of Yavan
The word Yavan (יון) is written with three letters that descend in a downward movement (reading from right to left in Hebrew): the yod (י) which has the number 10 represents the divine (for the Jewish symbolism of numbers, click here), then the vav (ו) which represents materialism and therefore the abandonment of divinity, and finally the final nun (ן) which signifies downfall because of its downward shape (instead of the normal nun נ which symbolizes miracle). The word Yavan can in fact be read as yaven (because voyels don't actually exist as letters in Hebrew) which is found in the following single biblical verse:
"I am sinking in the mire (yaven) of the deep." (Psalm 69:3)
We thus see a correlation in the Bible between Yavan (Greece) and the progressive fall from God (the letter yod), through the materialism offered by Hellenism (the letter vav), to the depths of the abyss (the letter final nun). This was precisely the condition of the Jews, teetering on the brink of assimilation into Hellenistic culture, before the Maccabean Revolt. This verse, like the rest of Psalm 69, can be considered a premonition by David (author of the Psalms) of what would befall the children of Zion during the Hellenistic period. And that is why it was necessary to transform the final nun of downfall into a normal nun of miracle (in Hebrew, miracle is called ness נס). David then becomes the advocate for the people of Israel, continuing with a plea to God:
"Draw near to my soul and deliver it; because of my enemies, deliver me from danger." (Psalm 69:19)
For only divine intervention could deliver the Jews from this abyss. And David concludes the psalm with these most prophetic words:
For God will come to the aid of Zion; He will rebuild the cities of Judah. People will settle in them and take possession of them. The descendants of His servants [the patriarchs and the prophets] will inherit them; those who love His name will dwell in them. (Psalm 69:36-37)
The last verse of this prophesy means that those who don't understand God cannot understand Zion, meaning the land of Israel and its perpertual miracle that keeps it alive.
What sites to visit in Israel during Hanukkah?
Of course, Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, including the Western Wall (Kotel) and the Davidson Center (an archaeological site showcasing the remains and excavations of the Temple Mount), the Temple Institute where the tools and procedures of the divine service are explained, the model of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum, and many other places that a certified tour guide can show you in Jerusalem.
Outside of Jerusalem, you can follow the Maccabees' trail through Judea: several sites around Modi'in where the war began, including Umm el-Umdan ruins of the ancient Second Temple-era synagogue (one of only seven synagogues remaining in Israel from this period, this one probably being the oldest), the site of the Maccabees' tombs (pass the tourist site by heading north, you arrive at the place called "Tomb of Mattathias Maccabee", near Khorbat haGardi, which is the historical site of these tombs, on the edge of the Palestinian town of El-Midieh described by the archaeologist Clermont-Ganneau as the ancient village of Modi'in).
Also in this region, you can visit Tel Gezer and Emmaus, where the massive Seleucid Greek army gathered before their third (and ultimately unsuccessful) campaign against Judas Maccabeus: this campaign ended with the Battle of Emmaus. And if you travel to Beth-El in Samaria, you can admire Mount Baal HaZor from afar, at the foot of which Judas Maccabeus fought his final battle and lost his life. Finally, much further north, in the ancient cemetery of Safed, you will find the traditional tomb of Anna and her seven sons, martyred during the Greek religious persecution of the Jewish people (their story is recounted in 2 Maccabees 6:12-17).
So many historical sites and so little time, you might say! A single trip to Israel is clearly not enough for those interested in Bible, History, and Archaeology.
All that remains is for me to wish a happy Hanukkah 5786 to everyone who has taken the time to read this blog.
Albert Benhamou
Private Tour Guide, certified by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism
17 Kislev 5786, 7 December 2025 -
