What is the meaning of the name "Hannukah"?

With the festival of lights starting tonight, Israelis and Jews all over the world will be dusting off their Menorot, buying jam-filled sufganiyot, and searching for new latkes recipes. On top of this, Hanukkah bears the distinction of being the Jewish holiday with more ways of being spelled in English than any other (Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Chanuka, Hanukah, the list is endless…)

But what is the meaning of the term ‘Hanukkah’? To answer the question, we must first ask – what are we celebrating on Hanukkah? Our rabbis offer two main explanations: The first explanation cites the improbable Hasmonean military victory over the vastly superior Syrian-Greek army. A second explanation points to the miracle of a small canister of pure oil that provided enough fuel for the Menorah in the Temple to stay alight for 8 days until more oil could be produced.

According to the first explanation, Hanukkah’s name is related to the military victory, since the Macabees finally rested and camped (Hanu in Hebrew) on the 25th of the month of Kislev following their victory (according to Hebrew numerology, 25 = kah). According to the second explanation, the celebration pertains to the rededication of the Temple (Hanukat Ha’Mizbeach) after it came once more under Jewish sovereignty.

Something to ponder as you a take a bite of your delicious Sufganiya this Hanukkah!