..that there are three alternate endings to the Chanukah story? (Chanukah Story for Nitzanim).
Today, Nitzanim worked in pairs to build their own version of the Chanukah endings. Here’s what they have to say:
Book of Maccabees I: Chapter 4
This ending explains Chanukah as a celebration of the rededication of the temple.
Child 1: They’re getting everything back. You can see the candles are everywhere. The candles got pushed around. The rabbi’s coming up the stage and gonna fix the candles.
Child 2: We’re rededicating the temple. We have all these people trying to fix everything.
Book of Maccabees II: Chapter 10
This ending explains Chanukah as a time to celebrate Sukkot because the Jewish people had been hiding in caves like wild animals during Sukkot.
Child 3: The people are hiding in caves like wild animals. There’s a fire still from the war and it burned a lot of the temple. And the people are trying to put out the fire…
The Rabbinic Source: Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat 21b (completed about 500 C.E.)
This ending includes the miracle of the oil lasting eight days.
Child 4: They’re [Jewish people] all gathering up because they see the oil lasted for eight days. This is when they’re celebrating.
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