Hanukkah 2022

Introduction

Well, shalom (שָׁלוֹם) everyone, and I just want to tell you how happy I am to be addressing my Beth Tikkun family once again. It’s such a blessing to be invited to share with you some thoughts and insights during this Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) season. And so thank you Tim for inviting me and extending the privilege to me. I’m honored to be a part of this. I just want to tell our family at Beth Tikkun Messianic Fellowship how much Robin and I love you. We admire you, appreciate you, and are so excited about the days ahead as you continue to grow and prosper under Tim’s leadership. So God bless you, and if I forget to do so at the end, I’ll do it now — I want to wish you, we both want to wish you, a very, very happy and blessed Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) season.

Well, let’s get into the teaching. Most of you are aware of the contention that existed between the two schools in ancient times, during the times of Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ), between Hillel and Shammai. These two, if they could find anything to disagree about, they disagreed about it. In fact, if you’ve been watching The Chosen, you may have noticed that this contention between the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel plays a part in the plotting against Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ). If you missed that, you might want to go back and re-binge the first two series and you’ll catch that.

But the reason I bring this up is that when it comes to the observation of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), there was a disagreement among them. This is how it is recorded in the Talmud: Shammai said, “On the first day one kindles eight lights, and from there on gradually decreases the number of lights, until on the last day of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) he kindles one light.” And Beit Hillel said, “On the first day one kindles one light, and from there on gradually increases the number of lights, until on the last day he kindles eight lights.”

Now we know that today when we celebrate Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), we begin on the first night with one light and then the next, two lights, and three and four on up until the eighth day of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה). But of course Shammai had to disagree, and he says no, you start with eight lights, the next day you light seven, then six and five and on down to one and then it’s over.

Numbers 29:12–35

But here’s the interesting thing — Shammai has biblical precedent for his view. Because you see, two months earlier in the month of Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי), when Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) is observed — that’s the Feast of Tabernacles — the Bible tells us in Numbers chapter 29 starting with verse 12:

“On the 15th day of the seventh month — that’s Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) — you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) seven days. And you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי), thirteen bulls from the herd.” — Numbers 29:12–13

Then as you read on, on the second day you offer twelve bulls, and on the third day eleven, and then ten, nine, eight, seven. So over the seven days of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), you decrease the number of sacrifices that are offered each day. So Shammai thought on Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) we decrease the number of lights. Makes sense, doesn’t it? But only if you’re looking at the external things. And Hillel had a way of looking at the internals, the spiritual side of things.

I want you to consider something. I know I usually have my iPad here so I can have graphics and verses and everything. I’m just going to talk to you today. But what I want you to picture is this. I want you to picture the seventh month, which is Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) — that’s the month that contains Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת). And Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) is seven days plus one day, because it also tells us in the Torah (תּוֹרָה) that in Numbers chapter 29, verse 35:

“On the eighth day, a solemn assembly — a Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת) — you shall have.” — Numbers 29:35

So he talks about the seven days of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), then God says, “And on the eighth day you have another day of observation, of rejoicing and also of a solemn assembly and a prayer.” So though Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) is eight days, you could say that Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) is eight — or we’ll just say seven plus one — and if my calculations are correct, that comes out to eight.

So in the seventh month, you’ve got an eight-day observation of Tabernacles — a Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) — when the number of sacrifices decrease. The next month, the eighth month of the year, is called Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). And then in the ninth month is Kislev (כִּסְלֵו), the month we’re in now. And in Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) you have another eight-day celebration where the number of lights in the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) grows day by day. The seventh month the sacrifices decrease, but in the ninth month, the month of Kislev (כִּסְלֵו), the lights increase.

Let’s take a moment to talk about this intermediary month. The month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) is sometimes called Mar Cheshvan (מַר חֶשְׁוָן), which means “bitter” — mar (מַר), bitter. And it’s considered a bitter month because this month is the only month on the biblical calendar where there are no holy days, no fast days. There are no ritual celebrations or observances of biblical events. It’s an empty month.

And of course I consulted with our Beth Tikkun authority on all things concerning the biblical calendar, David Deikun, and I asked him to share some insights from this month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). And he shared the things I just shared with you, but he also said this is the month when the rains really set in and winter really kicks in, and the coldness and the wetness is felt very deeply. And the days are getting very short, and it’s a dark month, a cold, wet month, and empty month. And thus it’s referred to as Mar Cheshvan (מַר חֶשְׁוָן) — Bitter Cheshvan.

So we have this intermediary eighth month between all the celebrations of Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) and then the celebration of light in Kislev (כִּסְלֵו).

What are we to make of all of this? Well, in Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) at Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), we have the flesh of oxen being sacrificed — and other sacrifices as well — but the ox, and the number decreases. But here we have something very spiritual. Light is always a picture of the spiritual, and here we see the light increasing. It reminds me of the words of John the Immerser where he says, “I must decrease, but he must increase.”

And we can all make that our own statement of faith — that I must decrease, but he must increase. And the way that happens is that our investment in the flesh must taper off. When we’re young and we’re full of excitement and we are trying to accumulate money and stuff, and you know, we’re just embracing life with so much vigor. Those days eventually begin to wane as we age. And hopefully we’ll begin to grow spiritually at an early age, and we’ll see through the deceitfulness of riches and the deceitfulness of the temptations of the flesh and begin early to devote ourselves in growing spiritually, and growing in our light, and in our dedication — which is what the word Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) means, “dedication.” We’ll grow in our dedication to God, and as the flesh decreases, the spiritual will increase.

I want to share something with you. It’s called in the Jewish faith “stringing pearls.” It’s something that many of the Bible writers have done and rabbis continue to do today, and I’m going to take a stab at it myself. Stringing pearls is when you take a particular theme in scripture and you pluck the verses from various places in the scriptures that have to do with this theme and you string them together like pearls on a string. And it creates this beautiful message, a panorama so to speak, of this theme. Because we know that every part of the Bible is connected to every other part. So why not take those things that have to do with this topic that we’re about to address, which is the topic of the flesh versus the spirit.

Now keep in mind that we are souls. We have a body — you’ve heard me say this so many times — we have a body made of flesh. It’s born, it lives, it dies. But we also have a spirit, which is that spark of God which is eternal. And it’s to grow and to become brighter and brighter. And we need to transform more of our energies, to transfer them more from the flesh and into the spiritual things, to pursue spiritual excellence. And this is very difficult, if not impossible, for some people. For some people just cannot see or understand the things that are spiritual.

So let me go through this string of pearls and then we’ll revisit this. These passages come from various places in the Brit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה), from John’s gospel, from Romans, and Galatians, and they will all be in your notes and you can read them for yourself.

John 3:6

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” — John 3:6

Romans 8:5–6

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace.” — Romans 8:5–6

John 6:63

“It is the spirit that gives life, but the flesh is of no help at all. And the words that I am speaking to you are spirit and life.” — John 6:63

Galatians 5:17

“For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit, and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” — Galatians 5:17

Galatians 6:8

“For the one who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life.” — Galatians 6:8

Galatians 4:29

“And just as at that time, Ishmael, who was born according to the flesh, persecuted Isaac, who was born according to the spirit, so also it is now.” — Galatians 4:29

Romans 8:12–14

“So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God.” — Romans 8:12–14

That to me is the essence of everything God wants to teach us about living life in this world — letting go of the fleshly things, the temporal things, and come in to see, to know, to love, and appreciate spiritual things, and to invest our hearts in God’s kingdom and the spiritual realm, where thieves can’t break through and steal, moths and rust can’t corrupt, and to truly love the things that do not appear to our physical eyes.

Now this empty month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) — there are some biblical things that occurred during this month. For one thing, the flood began during this month. The rains began to fall in the days of Noah during the month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן), because we’re told that in the eighth month is when this began to happen. And then one year later, during the month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן), is when the floods dried up and finally Noah and his family could exit the ark. So those things happened during this month. I said earlier it’s a wet month.

1 Kings 6:38

But something else very interesting happened, and you read about this in First Kings chapter 6, around verse 38. And it’s when Solomon completed the construction of the temple. He completed it during the month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). But he does something very, very strange after that. If it was you or I who had built the temple, we would want to dedicate it immediately. I mean, it’s done! Let’s get things going, let’s start worshiping here and begin the sacrifices and invite God to come and inhabit the house we’ve built for him. But Solomon didn’t do that.

You know how long he waited until he dedicated that temple? He waited eleven months. He went all the way through the cycle of the calendar until it came back to Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי), the month of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), and then during the Festival of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) he dedicated that temple he’d completed eleven months earlier. I find that really incredible.

Now some of you may think, well, why didn’t he dedicate it on Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה)? After all, this is the Feast of Dedication, isn’t it? Well, you have to recall that Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) was still about 500 years or so in the future. Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) commemorates the great miracles of Solomon’s Temple having been polluted by pagan, idolatrous worship and the Maccabees rising up. And the two miracles were: one, that this ragtag bunch of Jewish people — farmers and priests — rose up and defeated the mightiest army in the world. The second miracle is that when they rededicated the temple, they found one day’s supply of oil, but that supply lasted for eight days. So there was no Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) when Solomon built the temple. That would come later.

But here’s a strange thing to think about. When Solomon built and dedicated his temple, there was a Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), there were sacrifices, but there was no Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה). But then for the last roughly two thousand years, we live in a world where there is Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), but there’s no sacrificial system. Yes, we still celebrate Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), but we don’t have those oxen being sacrificed over those seven days of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת).

But in the future — and this is something you may not be aware of — but according to Jewish tradition, the Messianic Temple will be dedicated during this month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). And when it is, we’ll live in a period of time when both the sacrifices of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) and the celebration of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) will both occur, and they’ll bookend this month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) when the Messianic Temple will be dedicated.

Now I don’t know whether that’s true or not — again, that’s tradition. But it’s pretty poetic when you think about it, because after all, this month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) is the eighth month, and eight is always the number of life. And though it’s a very dark and wet month, that watering of the soil is what brings those seeds to life that will bear fruit.

So in your life, you may have lived a lot of sacrifice and given up a lot of things and gone through suffering and lived in a hut under the stars, it feels like, and you’ve gone through a lot, and now it feels empty and bleak and dark and wet and cold. Ah, but that’s the secret, that’s the key — this dying to self, this moving from the past and into the future, is when the warmth and the beauty and the light of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) can really become alive in your soul and in your spirit.

Because God calls us to be bright lights in this dark world, and the world is dark. And as the world becomes more fleshly, more devoid of awareness of God and the truth of Torah (תּוֹרָה), the world needs more and more people who are invested in spiritual things, who can be lights in this world. It’s an exciting time to be alive, and I challenge you to let go of the pursuit of wealth and material possessions. I mean, we have to live — we need food and clothing and shelter, I understand that. But let’s get out of step with the world and let’s truly pursue God so that when Messiah returns — and I really believe and I sure hope and pray that he returns soon — he’ll find us burning brightly for him.

And though Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) only lasts for eight days, and at the end of eight days we’re out of — we’re out of spots on a menorah (מְנוֹרָה) to light more candles — spiritually, you never run out. And the day after Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) ends, continue to burn brightly. Continue to burn more brightly day after day after day, so when Messiah comes, he’ll find you a beautiful menorah (מְנוֹרָה) shining light in this dark world for him.

Psalm 30:1

You know, I’m reminded of Psalm 30. Psalm 30 is a psalm that David wrote. You know, David more than anything in the world, he wanted to build a temple for God, to build a house for God. And he had written in one of the Psalms that there’s one thing I ask, there’s one thing I desire of you, O Lord, and that is that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. But he never lived to see the temple built. God even gave David the plans for the temple but said, “You can’t build it, but your son will.” But oh, how David longed to see the house of the Lord — the temple, the house of the Father. So in Psalm 30 he writes this:

“A Psalm of David. A song for the Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), the dedication of the temple. I will extol you, O Adonai (אֲדֹנָי), for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.” — Psalm 30:1

That’s the first verse. So he writes the song for the Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), for the dedication of the temple — a temple he never lived to see. But how does he start the Psalm of Dedication? It’s not the way I would have started it, and probably not the way you would have either. You would have started talking about the glory of God and how this house has been built, and you invite him to come and live in it, because this house was built solely for his glory. But he starts it with, “I will extol you, Adonai (אֲדֹנָי). You’ve drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.”

He praises God, because David had many enemies. But God didn’t let those enemies overwhelm him and defeat him. You and I have enemies. Number one enemy is the flesh itself, because that is where the enemy hunkers down to pull us away from spiritual things. That’s where the yetzer hara (יֵצֶר הָרָע), the evil inclination, finds its strength — is in the desires of the flesh, which are contrary to the desires of the spirit.

But we want to devote this temple to God. We want to give it fully to him. And if we do, the enemy will not be able to overwhelm you. But if you do not give your temple fully and completely to him, then oh, the trouble it will make for us.

Now, this week happens to be the week where we read the story of Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt. And while he’s there, he’s serving Potiphar and doing the best he can. He’s already been rejected by his brothers, and now he’s serving this Egyptian master. But Mrs. Potiphar decides to try to seduce Joseph. She doesn’t succeed, but she does frame him falsely and falsely accuses him. So now he leaves Potiphar’s house and finds himself in an Egyptian prison. And he just keeps trying to do the right thing and does do the right thing, but everything goes down, down, down.

And while he’s imprisoned, he interprets the dreams of the baker and the cupbearer. And the cupbearer got a very favorable interpretation to his dream, and he asked the cupbearer — says, “Now, when you return to Pharaoh and you present the cup of wine to him, remember me here.” But the cupbearer didn’t — at least not for another two years.

But at the end of two years, Pharaoh has a pair of dreams. Then the cupbearer remembers Joseph. And when he shares with Pharaoh how this Jewish prisoner interpreted his dream and the dream of the baker perfectly and accurately, Pharaoh calls him up.

And the reason I’m sharing this is because a lot of us — we’re like Potiphar, or we’re like the Egyptian jailer. And we love letting Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — whom Joseph is a great picture of, a foreshadowing of — and we’d love for him just to run things in our life but to stay subordinate to us. Yeah, you keep the household running, you keep the jail running, you just make sure the books are balanced and you bring blessing and prosperity, but you just stay put.

But once we let Joseph out of jail — once we let Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) out of prison — then he runs the world. Then he brings prosperity and brings salvation to the world. Once Joseph was unleashed, unshackled from prison — where he operated in a great way and he made things run smoothly, he prospered the jailer — but once we unleash him and unshackle him and give him control, oh my goodness, just stand back and see what happens.

I dare say that many of us, we’re thrilled to have Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) in our lives, but we want to keep him quartered over here in this area. “You just keep things running well, you just keep blessing me, keep the prosperity coming, make me healthy, answer my prayers — but I’ll take care of things up here.”

I suggest you move from that fleshly relationship with Messiah and you make yourself a living sacrifice. For those candles to give light, the candle has to diminish. It gives up its flesh, so to speak, to provide light to the world. I challenge you to do the same. We kind of like to keep Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) asleep in the bottom of the boat until a storm hits, and then we wake him up. But then after, “Okay, you can go back to sleep now. I’ve got it from here.” Let’s not do that. Let’s not be guilty of that.

And I challenge you in this Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) season to rededicate your temple to him, for God to occupy fully and completely, to submit fully to his mitzvot (מִצְווֹת) and his rules in your life, and to invest your very life in serving him and allowing him to use you however he wants. To give yourself away to him and let yourself diminish, and let him increase in your life. And then your life can reach its full potential. And that is what the world needs to see today — people who are completely committed to the Father, completely sold out to serving God. That’s a rare thing to see. There’s no end of the number of people who want to claim to be believers and then use God for their own exaltation.

But let’s be those who give ourselves away to God, to live a humble, quiet life, a life of sacrifice and utter devotion to him, so that he is exalted and he is lifted up. Because this is the kind of life Messiah led. This is the life Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) models for us. And he invites us to deny ourselves, to take up our crosses daily, and to follow him. It’s that same message we’ve heard for so many years.

But hearing it is not the same as doing it. We’re supposed to be doers of the word. It starts with denying yourself. You say to yourself, “I’m not my own. I’ve been bought with a price.” And then take up your cross, which is an instrument of death, and say, “I’m crucified with Messiah, yet nevertheless I live. It is not I, but Messiah living in me.”

So let’s die to our own inclinations, our own way of doing things. And then we’re equipped to follow him. Then, and only then, are we equipped to truly follow him. And follow him means to be like him, to model his life in this world. Oh, that’s what the world needs. That’s my prayer for myself and my family. That’s my prayer for you, for Beth Tikkun, for anyone who’s listening to this — be courageous. Be courageous enough to let go of your life, and then stand back to see how God illuminates the world with it. You won’t be sorry, I promise you that. But if you don’t do it, you’re going to be sorry. You’re going to be so ashamed when you stand before him. So let’s stand before him as workers who do not need to be ashamed. That’s worth living for, right there.

Well, anyways, I could keep yammering on, but if you don’t get what I’m trying to say by now, more words aren’t going to help. So I just want to thank you for listening, and again to thank Tim for allowing me to address my Beth Tikkun family. We love you all so much, and God loves you even more. And he really wants to make the most of our days here in this world. So let’s dedicate our lives to him during this Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) season and burn brightly for him in this dark world. So until next time, I wish you shalom (שָׁלוֹם) and may God bless.

 

Teaching Material

Hebrew Word Studies

• Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) — “Dedication”; the eight-day festival commemorating the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabees defeated the Greek army and found one day’s supply of oil that lasted eight days. In this teaching, the word connects to the central theme of dedicating our lives — our temples — to God. — Strong’s H2598 · Sefaria: Hanukkah
• Menorah (מְנוֹרָה) — “Lampstand”; the seven-branched lampstand. During Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה), the lights in the menorah (מְנוֹרָה) increase each night, representing the growing of the spiritual over the fleshly. Each believer is called to be a beautiful menorah (מְנוֹרָה) shining light in this dark world. — Strong’s H4501 · Sefaria: Menorah
• Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) — “Booths, tabernacles”; the seven-day fall pilgrimage feast in the month of Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי), during which the number of bull sacrifices decreased daily from thirteen down to seven (Numbers 29:12–35). Solomon dedicated his temple during Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), eleven months after completing construction. — Strong’s H5521 · Sefaria: Sukkot
• Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת) — “The Eighth Day of Assembly”; the solemn assembly on the eighth day following the seven days of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) (Numbers 29:35), making the Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) observance effectively eight days — the same duration as Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה). — Shemini: Strong’s H8066 · Atzeret: Strong’s H6116 · Sefaria: Shemini Atzeret
• Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) — The seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, containing Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) and its decreasing sacrifices. The month of celebration that precedes the emptiness of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן). — Sefaria: Tishrei
• Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) — The eighth month of the Hebrew calendar, sometimes called Mar Cheshvan (מַר חֶשְׁוָן), meaning “Bitter Cheshvan.” The only month with no holy days, fast days, or biblical observances. The month when the flood began and ended (one year later), and when Solomon completed the Temple (1 Kings 6:38). According to Jewish tradition, the Messianic Temple will be dedicated during this month. — Sefaria: Cheshvan
• Mar (מַר) — “Bitter”; the prefix added to Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) because of its emptiness — no feasts, no observances. It is a dark, cold, wet month, yet the rains water the soil that brings seeds to life. — Strong’s H4751
• Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) — The ninth month of the Hebrew calendar, the month of Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה). While Tishrei (תִּשְׁרֵי) (the seventh month) sees sacrifices decrease, Kislev (כִּסְלֵו) (the ninth month) sees lights increase — with the empty month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) standing between them as a picture of dying to self. — Sefaria: Kislev
• Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — “Salvation”; the Hebrew name of Jesus. Joseph is described as a great picture and foreshadowing of Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) — once unleashed from prison, he brings salvation to the world. — Strong’s H3442
• Yetzer Hara (יֵצֶר הָרָע) — “The evil inclination”; the internal pull toward fleshly desires that is contrary to the desires of the spirit. The flesh is where the enemy hunkers down to pull us away from spiritual things. — Yetzer: Strong’s H3336 · Ra: Strong’s H7451 · Sefaria: Yetzer Hara
• Mitzvot (מִצְווֹת) — “Commandments”; God’s commands and rules. The teaching challenges believers to submit fully to God’s mitzvot (מִצְווֹת) in their lives as part of rededicating their temple to him. — Strong’s H4687
• Brit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) — “New Covenant”; the New Testament scriptures. The “string of pearls” on flesh vs. spirit is drawn from the Brit Chadashah (בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה) — John, Romans, and Galatians. — Brit: Strong’s H1285 · Chadashah: Strong’s H2319
• Torah (תּוֹרָה) — “Instruction, teaching, law”; God’s divine instruction. The world needs people who are aware of God and the truth of Torah (תּוֹרָה). — Strong’s H8451
• Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) — “Lord, Master”; used in the Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) offerings passage and in Psalm 30:1 where David writes his song of dedication. — Strong’s H136
• Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) — “Peace, wholeness, completeness.” — Strong’s H7965

Scripture References

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• Numbers 29:12–13 — The Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) offerings begin with thirteen bulls, decreasing each day — Shammai’s precedent for decreasing the Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) lights
• Numbers 29:35 — Shemini Atzeret (שְׁמִינִי עֲצֶרֶת), the eighth-day solemn assembly following the seven days of Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת)
• John 3:6 — “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit”
• John 3:30 — John the Immerser: “He must increase, but I must decrease” — the central theme connecting the Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת) sacrifices and the Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) lights
• Romans 8:5–6 — Setting the mind on the flesh is death; setting the mind on the spirit is life and peace
• John 6:63 — “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no help at all”
• Galatians 5:17 — The desires of the flesh are against the spirit; they are opposed to each other
• Galatians 6:8 — Sowing to the flesh reaps corruption; sowing to the spirit reaps eternal life
• Galatians 4:29 — Ishmael (born of the flesh) persecuted Isaac (born of the spirit) — so also it is now
• Romans 8:12–14 — We are debtors not to the flesh; all who are led by the spirit of God are children of God
• 1 Kings 6:38 — Solomon completed the Temple in the month of Cheshvan (חֶשְׁוָן) but waited eleven months to dedicate it during Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת)
• Psalm 30:1 — “A song for the dedication of the temple” — David’s Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה) psalm
• Romans 12:1 — Making yourself a living sacrifice
• Galatians 2:20 — “I am crucified with Messiah; nevertheless I live. It is not I, but Messiah living in me”
• Luke 9:23 — Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) invites us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow him
• 2 Timothy 2:15 — Standing before God as workers who do not need to be ashamed
• 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — “You are not your own; you have been bought with a price”
• Genesis 37; 39–41 — The story of Joseph: rejected, imprisoned, and ultimately raised to bring salvation — a foreshadowing of Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ)

External References & Further Study

• The Hillel-Shammai Hanukkah Debate (Shabbat 21b) — Sefaria — The Talmudic disagreement about whether to light candles in ascending or descending order; reflects the external (flesh) vs. internal (spirit) perspectives
• Sukkot Sacrifices: Numbers 29 — Sefaria — Full Hebrew and English text of the decreasing bull offerings from thirteen down to seven
• Psalm 30 — Sefaria — David’s song of dedication (Hanukkah) in Hebrew and English
• The Story of Joseph: Genesis 37–41 — Sefaria — Joseph’s journey from rejection to salvation as a foreshadowing of Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ)
• Hanukkah — Chabad — Overview of the eight-day festival of dedication
• Torah Today Ministries — Home of Breadcrumbs and other Torah-centered teachings