On the holiday of Hanukkah the Maccabees rededicated the ancient Temple after it was desecrated by the Greek Seleucids and the madman Antiochus Epiphanes IV.
The word ḥănukkāh means "dedicate."
The root of the Hebrew word Hanukkah is comprised of the letters chet, nun and kaf:
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| The letter "Chet" |
Chet (ח) - 8 -- In Hebrew, the letter "Chet" (ח) is associated with the concept of a "wall" or "fence" or "separation," (See my blog on this letter.)
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| The letter "Nun" |
Kaf (כ) - 20 -- Kaf is the eleventh letter in the Aleph-Bet, is shaped like hand with an open palm.
Put the meaning of those three letters together and you get the holiday of Hanukkah. (See my blog on Hanukkah.)
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees in the second century BCE. The holiday is also known as the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights.
The holiday lasts 8 days. Eight is a number that represents a "new beginning." Rededication is a new beginning. God started the world over with 8 people. Jewish males enter the Abrahamic covenant on the 8th day. Christians rededicate their lives to Yeshua who rose from the tomb on the eigth day.
What does it mean to rededicate our life? What does it mean to start a new beginning?
Last month I turned 65. On one hand, "Retirement" is something to celebrate and a time we look back. On the otherhand, for life to be meaningful we need to have purpose.
I believe retirement is a time for a new beginning. It is a time to rededicate, or at a bare minimum to refocus our life. It is a time to start new things or to dedicate more time to things which give our life meaning and purpose.
After a life of work, many retiring people chose to focus on their own personal pleasures. Some see retirement as a time to serve others, perhaps volunteering or helping family & friends. Of course, a balanced life is good and so there is no reason one can't do both -- have some fun & enjoyment while also serving others.
I wonder if their is a clue hidden in the holiday of Hanukkah. There are nine candles on the ceremonial candelabrum, but the center candle isn't counted. There are 8 days of Hanukkah. On the Hanukkah menorah the candle that is higher than the other eight candles and is used to light all the others, and yet, is called the "Servant candle."
Either way, my life is entering a new season. I am rededicating my life. I am Hanukkahing my life.
Nehemiah 12:27 (ESV) -- And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
