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Origin of the word Hanukah

First of all, why is it spelled so many different ways?
This has to do with the sound that comes at the beginning of the word. There is no direct english translation for the unique gutteral sound. Therefore, it is generally spelled with either an "H" or a "CH".

Hanukah, or Chanukah, or Hanukkah, translates into the words "dedicate" and "beginning".

This holiday got its name from the Maccabees when they regained the Temple. Because the Greeks had desecrated it, the Maccabees rededicated to mark the Temple's new beginning.

 

 

 

 

 

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