Hanukkah is one of the most celebrated Jewish Holidays in the United Stated and around the world. Many of us who never go to synagogue still light candles and enjoy Hanukkah foods like latkes and sufganiyot. Sufganiyot are jelly donuts, We eat fried food. We give gifts. Even people who never step foot in a synagogue often feel a connection to it.

But beneath the traditions are Hanukkah facts and stories that are stranger—and more meaningful—than most of us realize. .

Here are five fun and meaningful Hanukkah facts that open the door to something deeper.

1. What the Word “Maccabee” Really Means

The name Maccabee likely comes from the Hebrew word for hammer. It probably referred to Judah Maccabee’s prowess in battle.

This matters because Hanukkah begins as a story of armed resistance. A small group of Jewish rebels defeated the Seleucid Greeks, one of the most powerful empires of the time. It is a story of a small group overcoming oppressors who tried to outlaw Jewish practice.

The earliest Hanukkah story is not about candles. It’s about courage.

2. Why the Book of Maccabees Isn’t in the Jewish Bible

Here’s one of the most surprising Hanukkah history facts: the Book of Maccabees is not part of the Jewish Bible.

That’s remarkable, given how central Hanukkah is to Jewish life. Even Jews who rarely engage in Jewish practice often light a menorah or exchange Hanukkah gifts. And yet, the original written account of the holiday didn’t make it into the Tanakh.

The Book of Maccabees is included in some Christian Bibles, such as Catholic and Orthodox canons, and often appears in Protestant editions as part of the Apocrypha. Judaism also refers to it as apocryphal literature—important Second Temple–era writings that were ultimately excluded from the canon.

That choice reminds us that Jewish tradition is shaped not only by history, but by values—by which stories we choose to emphasize and how we retell them.

3. Where the Miracle of the Oil Comes From

If you read the Book of Maccabees itself, you’ll notice something striking: there is no mention of the miracle of the oil.

The text describes reclaiming the Temple, removing defiled stones, rebuilding the altar, and celebrating an eight-day rededication ceremony. But the familiar story of one day’s worth of oil lasting for eight days doesn’t appear until the Talmud, written centuries later.

In other words, the miracle most of us associate with Hanukkah is a later rabbinic addition.

Many scholars believe the rabbis intentionally shifted the focus of the holiday—from military victory to divine presence, from human power to sacred light. Over time, Hanukkah became less about defeating enemies and more about the sustaining power of the Divine.

That shift tells us a great deal about the spiritual meaning of Hanukkah.

4. Maybe the Real Miracle Was Lighting the Oil at All

One modern interpretation of the Hanukkah miracle asks a different question: what if the miracle wasn’t that the oil lasted eight days?

What if the miracle was that they lit it anyway?

According to the familiar story, they had enough oil for only one day and no clear plan for what would come next. Still, they chose to act. They chose hope over certainty.

This idea sits at the heart of Jewish tradition. When the future is unclear, we don’t wait for guarantees. We do what we can. We light what little oil we have.

And sometimes, only after we begin, help arrives from another quarter.

5. What If There Was Enough Oil All Along?

There’s another interpretation, offered by Kerith Spencer Shapiro, that reframes the entire story.

What if there actually was enough oil?

What if the people were so traumatized, exhausted, and afraid that they were living in a mindset of scarcity—convinced there wouldn’t be enough, even when there was?

They light the menorah anyway. And suddenly, they realize: it’s enough.

This reading turns Hanukkah into a story about scarcity versus abundance, about how fear narrows our vision and hope expands it. When we choose to bring light—when we act from courage rather than panic—we sometimes discover that what we have is sufficient after all.

An Invitation

At its heart, Hanukkah asks a simple but powerful question:

What light are you willing to kindle, even if you’re not sure it will last?

As you light candles this year—or as you move through ordinary days—notice where you’re assuming scarcity. And consider what it would look like to act from hope instead.

You don’t need eight days’ worth of oil.
You just need enough to begin.

Here is a video where I share these 5 Hanukkah Facts.

NB AI wrote the first draft of this blog post, based on the transcript of this video.