Summary of parashat Hanukkah
During Hanukkah, we celebrate the rededication of the Temple by the victorious Maccabean forces, after it had been desecrated by the Greeks. In fact, the word “Hanukkah” means dedication.
Likewise, the Hanukkah Torah reading (Numbers 7:1-8:4) discusses the dedication of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) in the desert.
The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel each brought their offerings for the inauguration of the Tabernacle and the altar.
Collectively, they present Moses with six carts and twelve bulls to transport the Tabernacle. God instructs Moses to accept the offering.
The tribal leaders also bring individual gifts. Although their gifts are identical, each one brings them on a different day, and they are described individually in the Torah.
The gift consisted of: a silver tray and a silver jar, both filled with a vegetable offering, a gold spoon filled with incense, and an assortment of bulls, lambs, rams, and goats to be sacrificed.
The Torah then describes the total sum of the gifts offered and the procedure by which God would communicate with Moses in the Mishkan.
Aaron is commanded to light the candles of the Menorah, whose base and seven branches were sculpted from a single block of pure gold.
The Torah reading is divided and completed over the eight days of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a rabbinic festival that is not mentioned in the Torah.
