Hanukkah: the Festival of Lights חֲנֻכָּה
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish festival that begins on the 25th of Kislev, usually in December. Each evening a light is added to the menorah (hanukkiah), recalling the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the small jar of oil that burned for eight days.
Also spelled Chanukah · the Festival of Lights · חנוכה · 25 Kislev – 2 or 3 Tevet
What is Hanukkah?
In the second century BCE the land of Israel was ruled by the Seleucid Greek kingdom. Its king, Antiochus IV, outlawed Shabbat, circumcision and the study of Torah, and the Temple in Jerusalem was turned into a place of idol worship. A priestly family from Modi’in – Mattathias and his sons, led by Judah the Maccabee – started a revolt. Against far larger armies they recaptured Jerusalem, purified the Temple and rededicated its altar. The Hebrew word chanukah means “dedication”.
The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) adds what happened inside the Temple: only one sealed jar of pure olive oil was found, enough to light the menorah for a single day, yet it burned for eight days until new oil could be prepared. A year later the Sages fixed these eight days as days of praise and thanksgiving. Hanukkah is therefore a rabbinic festival: it is not mentioned in the Five Books of Moses, and work is permitted, but its lights are a full obligation for every Jewish home.
Two themes run through the festival. The military victory is remembered in the Al HaNissim prayer, which thanks God for delivering “the many into the hands of the few”. The miracle of the oil is remembered with light: the candles are meant to be seen from outside – the Talmud calls this pirsumei nisa, publicizing the miracle – which is why the menorah is placed at a door or window and why Hanukkah has become one of the most visible Jewish festivals.
How Hanukkah is observed
Lighting the menorah – step by step
- Prepare a menorah with eight lights in a straight row at one height, plus a ninth, the shamash (helper), set apart – higher or to the side. Olive oil with cotton wicks is the preferred choice; candles are fully acceptable. Each light must burn at least half an hour after nightfall.
- Place it at the door facing the street, on the left side as you enter (opposite the mezuzah), or in a window that can be seen from outside. Where neither is possible, light inside the home, ideally where the family will see it.
- Light at the right time: many light at nightfall (about 20–30 minutes after sunset), others shortly after sunset; check the times for your city below. If you could not light on time, you may still light with the blessings while members of the household are awake.
- Light the shamash first, then hold it while reciting the blessings: on the first night three blessings (lehadlik ner Chanukah, she’asa nissim, shehecheyanu), on the other nights the first two.
- Count the candles: one on the first night, two on the second, up to eight. Set them up from right to left, but light from left to right – always starting with the newest candle, the one added that night.
- After lighting, many say Haneirot Halalu, and Ashkenazim sing Ma’oz Tzur. Do not use the light of the Hanukkah candles for reading or work – the shamash is there for that. Stay near the lights for a while; it is customary for women not to do housework during the first half hour.
Friday and Saturday night
On Friday afternoon the Hanukkah lights are lit before the Shabbat candles, because once Shabbat candles are lit Shabbat has begun. Use larger candles or more oil so that they burn until half an hour after nightfall – about an hour and a half in total. Minchah is ideally prayed beforehand.
On Saturday night the menorah is lit only after Shabbat ends. In the synagogue it is lit before Havdalah; at home some light first and then make Havdalah, others make Havdalah first – follow your family’s custom.
In the prayers
- Al HaNissim (“For the miracles”) is added to the Amidah and to Birkat HaMazon on all eight days. If it was forgotten, the prayer is not repeated.
- The full Hallel (Psalms 113–118) is said every morning of Hanukkah.
- A short Torah reading from Numbers 7 – the offerings brought by the tribal princes at the dedication of the Tabernacle – is read each day.
- Tachanun and eulogies are omitted; fasting on Hanukkah is not allowed.
Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs
- How many menorahs? According to the Shulchan Aruch, followed by Sephardim, one menorah is lit for the whole household. The Rema records the Ashkenazi custom that every member of the family lights his or her own – children included – with the menorahs set apart so the number of lights stays clear.
- The blessing: most Ashkenazi siddurim read lehadlik ner shel Chanukah, most Sephardi ones lehadlik ner Chanukah. Both are correct for their communities.
- After lighting, Ashkenazim sing Ma’oz Tzur; many Sephardi and Mizrahi families sing Psalm 30 (Mizmor Shir Chanukat HaBayit) and other piyyutim.
- In the synagogue a menorah is lit with the blessings between Minchah and Maariv, a custom kept in both traditions to publicize the miracle in public.
- Many North African communities mark Rosh Chodesh Tevet, which falls during Hanukkah, as Chag HaBanot – a festival honoring daughters, women and the heroine Judith.
How to play dreidel
The dreidel (in Hebrew sevivon) is a four-sided spinning top. Its letters – nun, gimel, hei, shin – stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, “a great miracle happened there”. In Israel the last letter is a pei, for Po: “a great miracle happened here”.
- Give every player the same number of tokens – chocolate coins, nuts, raisins or buttons.
- Everyone puts one token into the middle (the pot).
- Players take turns spinning the dreidel once.
- Nun (נ): nothing happens. Gimel (ג): take the whole pot. Hei (ה): take half of the pot (round up if the pot is odd). Shin (ש) – or pei (פ): put one token into the pot.
- Whenever the pot is empty, or has a single token left, everyone puts in one more.
- A player with no tokens left is out; the game ends when one player has everything – or when the latkes are ready.
Why oil: latkes, sufganiyot and other foods
Because the miracle was about oil, Jews everywhere eat foods fried in oil on Hanukkah. Ashkenazi kitchens are known for latkes – fried potato pancakes (older recipes used cheese) – while in Israel the symbol of the season is the sufganiyah, a deep-fried doughnut filled with jam. Sephardi and North African families make sfenj, bimuelos and other fried dough sweets.
The Rema (Orach Chayim 670:2) mentions a custom of eating dairy foods on Hanukkah, recalling Judith, who according to tradition fed cheese to an enemy general before overcoming him. Festive meals during Hanukkah are not obligatory, but the Sages encourage meals that include songs of praise.
Hanukkah gelt – coins given to children – began as a way to reward Torah learning and to give charity; today chocolate coins are part of the dreidel game.
Hanukkah dates 2025–2028
Dates follow the Diaspora schedule. Jewish days begin at sundown: a holiday starts in the evening before its first day and ends at nightfall.
| Year | Begins | Ends | Hebrew date | In Israel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 · Hanukkah 2025 | Sundown, Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Nightfall, Monday, December 22, 2025 | 25 Kislev 5786 – 2 Tevet 5786 | Same |
| 2026 · Hanukkah 2026 | Sundown, Friday, December 4, 2026 | Nightfall, Saturday, December 12, 2026 | 25 Kislev 5787 – 2 Tevet 5787 | Same |
| 2027 · Hanukkah 2027 | Sundown, Friday, December 24, 2027 | Nightfall, Saturday, January 1, 2028 | 25 Kislev 5788 – 2 Tevet 5788 | Same |
| 2028 · Hanukkah 2028 | Sundown, Tuesday, December 12, 2028 | Nightfall, Wednesday, December 20, 2028 | 25 Kislev 5789 – 2 Tevet 5789 | Same |
Israel and the Diaspora
Hanukkah falls on the same dates in Israel and the Diaspora – it is a rabbinic festival without a second day of Yom Tov. Only the lighting times differ from city to city.
Candle-lighting times
Candle-lighting and havdalah times for Shabbat and Yom Tov in 94 cities, computed for your location: Shabbat & holiday candle-lighting times
Related prayers
- Chanukah Candle Blessings הדלקת נרות חנוכה
- Shabbat Candle Blessing הדלקת נרות שבת
- Havdalah הבדלה
Greetings
- Chanukah Sameach (חנוכה שמח) – Happy Hanukkah – the most common greeting.
- Chag Urim Sameach (חג אורים שמח) – “Happy Festival of Lights”, widely used in Israel.
- Happy Hanukkah – Perfectly fine in English – there is no wrong spelling between Hanukkah and Chanukah.
Frequently asked questions
- When is Hanukkah in 2026?
- In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12, 2026.
- Why is Hanukkah eight days?
- Because the single jar of pure oil found in the Temple burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare new pure oil (Talmud Shabbat 21b). Some commentators add that the Maccabees celebrated eight days in place of the festival of Sukkot, which they could not keep during the war.
- What is the difference between a menorah and a hanukkiah?
- The menorah of the Temple had seven branches. The Hanukkah lamp has eight lights plus the shamash; in Israel it is called a hanukkiah, while in English both words are used for it.
- Can I light Hanukkah candles with an electric menorah?
- Most authorities rule that an electric menorah does not fulfil the mitzvah, because the light must come from a flame with fuel. In hospitals or where a flame is forbidden, ask a rabbi; an electric menorah may be displayed in addition to real candles.
- Is work allowed on Hanukkah?
- Yes. Hanukkah is not a Yom Tov, so work, travel and the use of electricity are permitted (except on Shabbat). It is customary for women not to do housework while the candles burn in the first half hour.
Sources
- Numbers 7:84
זֹאת חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ בְּיוֹם הִמָּשַׁח אֹתוֹ מֵאֵת נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל קַעֲרֹת כֶּסֶף שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מִזְרְקֵי־כֶסֶף שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר כַּפּוֹת זָהָב שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה
“This was the dedication (chanukat) of the altar” – the Torah reading of the eighth day, which is therefore called Zot Chanukah.
- Exodus 27:20
וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד
Pure olive oil for the lamp of the Sanctuary – the oil whose miracle Hanukkah recalls.
- Zechariah 4:6
וַיַּעַן וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר זֶה דְּבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־זְרֻבָּבֶל לֵאמֹר לֹא בְחַיִל וְלֹא בְכֹחַ כִּי אִם־בְּרוּחִי אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit” – from the haftarah of Shabbat Hanukkah, read beside the vision of the golden menorah.
- Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b
“What is Hanukkah?” – the one jar of pure oil that burned for eight days, and the decision to make these days a festival of praise and thanksgiving.
- Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 21b–22a
Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel on the number of lights; the law follows Beit Hillel – one light the first night, adding one each night.
- Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 23a
The blessings over the lights, and the rule that women are obligated too, “for they were also part of that miracle”.
- Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 670–684; Mishna Berura there
The laws of Hanukkah: the lights, their time and place, Al HaNissim, Hallel and the Torah readings.
Hebrew verses: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The explanations on this page are our own, not translations.
This holiday on our Hebrew site · All holiday guides
For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.