Editor's Note: The original column had the wrong date for the start of Chanukah. That has been corrected here.

Because Chanukah comes near Christmas, some folks think they’re somehow related. They’re not. But while each is theologically distinct, both share ethical values of religious freedom and political self-determination that remain foundational elements of American society.

To understand Chanukah, remember that for most of Judaism’s 3,500-year-old history as a people, Jews lived in Israel under foreign rule or as a minority in other lands. Yet, despite domination by Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Medea, Persia and Macedonia (Alexander the Greek), Jews resisted idol worship.

Following Alexander’s death in 323 BC, his empire was divided into warring factions. Over the next 150 years, Israel was ruled by Alexander’s successors.

Among them was Antiochus IV, king of the Greek-oriented Seleucid Empire who ordered that Jews offer sacrifices to the Greek god Zeus. Though political intrigue had displaced the Jewish High Priest in Jerusalem with a Greek puppet, resistance by ordinary Jews in the countryside persisted. So, Antiochus sent troops to Israel to enforce his edict requiring Jews sacrifice pigs to the Greek gods. As both Deuteronomy and Leviticus specifically define swine as unclean animals, it’s easy to understand how these demands were seen as sacrilege!

When the Greeks appeared in the Jewish village of Modi’in, the town’s elderly leader Matisyahu replied, “Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, departing each one from the religion of his fathers, yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers...We will not obey the king’s word by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left.” (I Maccabees 2:19-22)

But an assimilated Jew in town was willing and stepped forward to sacrifice the pig. Matisyahu stabbed him to death and also killed the Greek official. Turning to the crowd, Matisyahu reportedly announced: “Follow me, all of you who are for God’s law and stand by the covenant.” (1 Maccabees 2:27)

Those who joined Matisyahu and his five sons literally headed for the hills. There, Matisyahu’s son Judah the Maccabee (meaning “the Hammer”) organized a guerilla army.

We don’t know the size of Judah’s army with certainty; it’s alternately given as 3,000 or 12,000. Whichever it was, the tiny Jewish force fought a well-equipped, trained, professional Greek army of 40,000 that even had a herd of war elephants.

Vastly outnumbered, poorly trained, and poorly equipped (not to mention, they had no elephants), the Jews’ faith in God was transcendent.

When we read the Maccabees’ story today, it seems like something that took place over a few weeks. The battles take place, the Jews win, and the Greeks go home. In fact, it took years of fighting and a great many casualties on both sides until the Greeks finally withdrew.

For some, winning the war against such odds might seem like the source of the miracle.

But, no! Winning a battle for freedom was glorious, but Chanukah does not celebrate the military victory. So, what is the Chanukah celebration all about?

Finding the Jerusalem Temple defiled, the victorious Maccabees immediately set about cleaning the Temple. Soap, water and repairs helped clean the dirt and physical damage, but more important was purging of the spiritual impurity that had invaded Judaism’s holiest site.

One of the first things done was re-lighting the Eternal Light that burns continuously to symbolize the unending presence of God. But, after searching high and low throughout the Temple, the Maccabees could find only a single sealed vial of consecrated olive oil, just enough to burn for a single day.

The candelabra (called a menorah) was lit and messengers were sent to get fresh pure olive oil. It took eight full days to depart, prepare the oil and to return.

Yet, miraculously the single day’s worth of olive oil burned for eight days: the time it took to press fresh olive oil and deliver it to the Temple.

When the fresh oil arrived on the eighth day, the Maccabees rededicated the Temple. The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication” or “inauguration.”

More than two millennia later, Jews across the world continue to celebrate Chanukah each year beginning on the 25th day of Kislev and lasting eight days. And while we celebrate the regaining of our freedom from the Greek Seleucid Empire, the real miracle was the spiritual victory of Jewish values over those of idolatry.

It is this spiritual victory that is symbolized by the lights of Chanukah.

This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on Dec. 10, the beginning of the 25th of Keslev. We light a single candle on a special eight-branched menorah called a “Chanukiah” to commemorate the first day of Chanukah. And at each subsequent sundown for the next seven days, we add an additional candle, until on the eighth night all eight candles are aglow.

If you pass a Jewish home during this Festival of Lights, you may see a lighted candle in the window. Its lights cry out, “Freedom lives here”.

During Chanukah, gifts are exchanged and contributions are made to the poor. Children sing songs and play with a special four-sided spinning top that carries four Hebrew letters representing for four Hebrew words meaning, “A Great Miracle Happened Here.”

Special foods are associated with Chanukah: not surprisingly, those that use oil. Of all of these, my favorite is latkes, a special type of golden-fried potato pancake liberally covered with fresh apple sauce. Here’s my recipe:

Latkes

Makes 12-16 latkes in 35-40 minutes

1 lb baking potatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Accompaniments: applesauce

Preheat oven to 250°F.

Peel potatoes and coarsely grate by hand, transferring to a large bowl of cold water as grated. Soak potatoes 1 to 2 minutes after last batch is added to water, then drain well in a colander.

Spread grated potatoes and onion on a kitchen towel and roll up jelly-roll style. Twist towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer potato mixture to a bowl and stir in egg and salt.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until it’s hot but not smoking. Doing batches of 4 latkes, spoon 2 tablespoons potato mixture per latke into the skillet; spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until undersides are golden. Flip the latkes and cook until undersides are golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add more oil to skillet as needed. Keep latkes warm on a wire rack set in a shallow baking pan in oven.

Matthew Shulman lives in Groton.

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