Hanukkah, Channuka, Hanukkiah!!!

Shalom!

November contains the important USA holiday of Thanksgiving, which has some of its origins in the Festival of Sukkot. Searching out the origins of Thanksgiving on the Internet can be fun.

If you look at your Holy Land Gifts Biblical/Jewish lunar calendar which also has Christian/Secular Days marked, you see on November 15th we enter the last lunar fall month – Kislev which contains the Festival of Hanukkah.  Don’t be confused on the variety of spellings of this holiday!  In Hebrew there is only one way to spell this holiday -  חנוכה - while in English transliteration, there are numerous ways to spell this word.  Hanukah, Hannukah, Hanukkah, Channuka, Chanukah, Channukah, Chanukkah, Khanooka to name just a few - BUT all pronounced as (ha new kuh).

Hanukkah is clearly mentioned in the Bible.  “And it was at Jerusalem the Festival of Hanukkah (Dedication), and it was winter and Yeshua (Jesus) walked in the Temple in Solomon’s porch.”  John 10:22-23.  Since Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev (This year 08 December 2012) and finishes in the Winter month of Tevet, we can infer this Biblical mention is sometime in the last couple of days of that particular Hanukkah season.    

As with the wedding in Canaan, Yeshua (Jesus) is celebrating publicly with His community and following up with meals and social activities in the home of friends and family.  Hospitality and generosity are important concepts within Jewish communities.  It was understood that everyone, including homeless beggars would be invited to someone’s home for meals.

Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or gathering for any meaningful occasion, Holy Land Gifts offers thoughtful gifts designed to inspire conversation, celebrate faith, and create lasting memories. From meaningful décor to seasonal favorites and faith-inspired keepsakes, our collection is created to bring beauty and purpose into every home. Beautiful gifts for anyone — INCLUDING YOU!

Keren Teyler