In the Talmudic Midrash , Avoda Zara 8b , we read that Jews had a winter solstice festival due to Chanukah . It is traced to Adam . All nations had their feasts in the Spring ( equinox ), Summer solstice , Fall equinox , and finally Winter solstice . Israel had Passover , Shavuot , and Sukkot parallel to this , but Israel had Kislev 25 , Chanukah and thus a fourth feast during the same season but completely without the pagan overtones .
Chanukah made possible the coming of the Messiah . If the Hellenists had destroyed the Jewish way of life , Yeshua could not be born into a people of Jewish identity with Jewish living parents who would bring Him up in the faith . It is from this we discover that Chanukah in fact , prepares the way for the coming of Yeshua .
Today questions are raised as to how we should celebrate Chanukah . Was this season , the 25th of the month , the time of the birth of Yeshua . There are credible scholars who argue this . However , most do think that Yeshua was either born on Sukkot or at the time of Passover . The reasons are not important to rehearse here . It is the season when Jewish roots-oriented Gentiles bash the church for keeping a pagan holy day , on December 25th .
But if they keep this as a day celebrating the incarnation , then its meaning is so defined , and such bashing is foolish . We can indeed celebrate Chanukah as pointing to Yeshua as the light of the world , despite the fact of whenever He might have been born .
Chanukah was not emphasized in post biblical Jewish history . In the 20th century Jews made this more of a major emphasis to have something to celebrate that would be exciting so as to have a replacement for Christmas . But let us rejoice in this season that the Light of God ( Yeshua our Messiah ) has come into this world .
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