Knesset Menorah in Jerusalem. Adapted CC Superjew
The Vision of 6th Century Chanukah in Zechariah
The Significance of the Rabbinic Choice of Haftarah for Shabbat Chanukah
Published: December 13, 2014
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Last Updated: September 7, 2026
Editor's note: For more on this, see Malka Z. Simkovich, “Uncovering the Truth about Chanukah,” TheTorah (2013).
Sufganiot, latkes, dreidels, present giving, and elaborate decorations are even later expressions of this holiday; they are all part of a more recent and multi-cultural setting and date to medieval and modern times.
For more on my approach to understanding Zechariah, see Eric M. Meyers and Carol L. Meyers, Translation and Commentary on Haggai‑Zechariah 1‑8, Anchor Bible Series 25b (New York: Doubleday, 1987).
My translation here follows the Hebrew as is; the NJPS translation follows an alternative tradition that has the verse written in 3rdperson, “They will become His people and He will dwell in your midst.”
NJPS translation.
This vision likely builds upon Jer 23:5 and 33:15, where the future ideal Davidic king is called a “Shoot” (צמח).
NJPS translation.
For more on this, see, Eric M. Meyers, “Exile and Return: From the Babylonian Destruction to the Beginnings of Hellenism,” in Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, 3rd ed., ed. Hershel Shanks (Washington, DC: BAS Society, 2011), 209-236.
