Chanukah Lights Origin

Question

Someone told me that Chanukah as we celebrate it today (with lights) only began after the Christians began celebrating xmas.

Is this true?’

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    No. Chanukah was celebrated with lights and lamps well beforehand. The mitzvah to light Chanukah lights was instituted right after the miracle of Chanukah, some 200 years before any possibility of Christianity.

    The Chanukah miracle happened during the time of Second Temple, well before its destruction by ancient Rome and the resulting long exile.

    The idea that a whole new set of mitzvahs were instituted by the Rabbis, together with blessings, simply to counterbalance a pagan festival, is incomprehensible to me. In any event, if whoever told you could furnish you with some proofs, I would be fascinated to see them.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team