What does the word Chanukah mean? There have been a few different interpretations given through the ages. The other night Dr. Chalal shared with me an explanation he had heard which is actually the opinion of the 14th century Spanish rabbi, Rabbi Nissim of Gerona. This opinion is that the word Chanukah is actually made up of 2 different words “Chanu (חנו)” and “Kah (כ''ה), which means they rested on the 25th day. According to this opinion, the name of the holiday is a reference to date of the celebration because Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev.
Another possible explanation is that the word Chanukah is related to the Hebrew word for education or initiation, Chinuch (חנוך). I like this explanation because in my mind it gives more meaning to the holiday. Rather than being a just a commemoration and a happy time, it is also a lesson whose meaning spreads beyond the days of actual celebration.
The past few days I’ve shared a number of possible lessons about the holiday and its symbols. I want to point out that fire, the prevalent symbol of this holiday, is a powerful symbol of inspiration which relates to the above meaning of the word Chanukah. Fire is a necessity for civilization, technology, and even life. But fire, as we recently saw in Northern Israel, can also do a lot of damage. This is an important warning that parallels the messages of Chanukah as a time of religious rebirth and renewal. It is important that we are in control of our fiery emotions that inspire us to be more religious, religious passion can be a powerful emotion that has the ability to inspire us to do a lot of good. It can also inspire us to take on a lot of new things at once, and this can lead to religious burn out. The lesson of fire as it relates to חנוך (education or initiation) is to use the fire for good but to be careful with it at the same time.
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