Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, began Sunday at sundown.
The eight-day holiday commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE, after a small army led by Judah the Maccabee drove the Greeks from Israel and reclaimed the temple. When they lit the temple’s menorah — a candelabra — they found only a one-day supply of olive oil that had not been contaminated by the Greeks. Miraculously, that one-day supply of oil lasted eight days, until a new supply of ritually pure oil could be prepared.
The nightly menorah lighting is at the heart of the holiday. The menorah holds nine flames, one of which is the shamash (“attendant”), which is used to kindle the other eight lights. On the first night, one flame is lit. On the second night, an additional flame is lit. By the eighth night, all eight flames are lit.
Special blessings are recited, often to a traditional melody, before the menorah is lit, and traditional songs are sung afterward.
A menorah is lit in every household and placed in a doorway or window. The menorah is also lit in synagogues and other public places.
Riverhead’s menorah was moved from the riverfront to the town square this year.
Members of Temple Israel of Riverhead marked the beginning of Hanukkah this evening with a community menorah lighting.
Rabbi Michael Roscoe led a brief service that included prayers and songs and lighting the first light on the menorah. He described and explained Hanukkah traditions to a small gathering that included Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar and council members Ken Rothwell and Bob Kern.
Temple Israel distributed jelly doughnuts and chocolate coins, representing Hanukkah gelt, to attendees.
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