Why Hanukkah and Christmas Go Hand in Hand

Shalom dear friends!

Last night the whole house of Israel lit the first candle of Hanukkah, also knows as the Festival of Dedication and the Festival of Lights, which was a feast Yeshua Himself celebrated.

John 10:22-27

“Then came the Festival of Dedication (in Hebrew: Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

It’s not a coincidence that Hanukkah is celebrated so close to Christmas. In fact Hanukkah came to prepare us for Christmas (the birth of our Messiah). It is called a Festival of Lights or Festival of Dedication for a reason, because Yeshua came to be our light, to cleanse us and dedicate us to our Heavenly Father. It celebrates the miracle of an oil that was meant to last only one day, lasted 8 days, which was as long as it took for the Temple to be rededicated to God.

The nation of Israel cleansed and rededicated the Temple during Hanukkah, preparing it for the coming of their Messiah! The same way now we celebrate Hannukah right before Christmas, as a prophetic symbol of us rededicating ourselves to welcome Yeshua’s coming. 

Hanukkah as a Festival of Lights is just as relevant for us today as followers of Yeshua, because He told us that we are to be a Light to the World, and we are His temples, so we need to cleanse and rededicate ourselves to Him, so we can be His light to the world.

Which is why Hanukkah is such a prophetic and important preparation for Christmas that we celebrate as a symbol of Yeshua’s coming into this world as our Savior. That is what we want to allow others, who have never experienced true Christmas, to experience.

Sadly enough, in Israel, the land where our Savior was born, the land that had the very first Christmas in history, these days go by unnoticed. Life continues as always, without any acknowledgement of what had happened over 2000 years ago: Yeshua choosing precisely this land to come into this world and bring salvation to all.

We want to reignite this knowledge and remind people why this season in the year is so important, beautiful and worthy of celebration. The meaning of true Christmas is too profound to just ignore it, or not share it with the very nation that experienced the very first Christmas in history just a few miles away from where we’re writing these lines, in Bethlehem.

We want to bless families, and especially small children by brining them to Yeshua and showing them His heart behind the real significance of Christmas. 

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14


Blessings,
Pastor Israel Pochtar

Our latest posts

When the Shofar Sounds:
Remember the God Who Still Speaks

As we prepare here in Israel to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets, I have been thinking about a sound that has echoed through the story of our people for thousands of years: the sound of the shofar. In Hebrew, this biblical feast is called Yom Teruah—the Day of the Shofar Blast, or the Day of Trumpet […]

Hebrew Word of the Week:
HaKol Efshar (הַכֹּל אֶפְשָׁר) —
All Things Are Possible

Sometimes we face situations where we simply do not see a way forward. We have prayed, we have waited, and maybe we have done everything we know to do, but nothing seems to change. After some time, we can begin to think, “Maybe this is impossible.” The Bible is full of people who found themselves […]

A Call to Draw Near:
Strengthening a New Generation of Believers in Israel

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him.” Mark 3:13 There are seasons when the voice of God can become difficult to hear beneath the noise of everyday life. Responsibilities, decisions, relationships, work, questions about the future—especially for young adults, life can pull the heart […]

When a Heart Begins to Open

Sometimes the most important thing happening in a room is something no one can see. A woman may sit quietly, listen without saying much, and give little indication that anything has changed. Yet a seed has been planted. The Word of God has reached somewhere beneath the surface. And sometimes it is only later that […]

He Saw Them —
Rosh HaShanah and Sukkot Evangelism Campaign

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 When Yeshua looked at a multitude, He never saw a number. He saw faces. He saw stories. He saw lives unfolding before Him—people carrying pain, questions, disappointments, fears, and […]

When God Leads You Somewhere New —
A Message from Joppa, Israel

There are seasons when life feels settled. Perhaps you have prayed for something, watched God answer, and finally reached a place where you can breathe again. There is nothing wrong with being grateful for that place. But today, standing in Joppa—the biblical city known today as Jaffa, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast—I am reminded of something powerful: sometimes […]