The Hebrew word Chanukah means "dedication," and it refers to the purifying and re-dedication of the Temple after the Maccabees arose victorious over their Assyrian oppressors. Jewish tradition offers two reasons for this wonderful festival. One reason is to celebrate the victory as recounted in the Chanukah prayer, which is traditionally recited three times a day throughout the festival:

We thank You for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds and triumphs, and for the battles which You performed for our fathers in those days at this season--

--in the days of the Hasmonean High Priest Mattathias ben Yohanan and his sons, when a wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and transgress the laws of Your will. You in great mercy stood by them in the time of distress. You championed their cause, defended their rights and avenged their wrong; You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the arrogant into the hands of the students of Torah. You made a great and holy Name for Yourself in the world, and for Your people You performed a great deliverance until this day. And after this, Your children entered the shrine of Your house, cleansed Your Temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and established these eight days of Chanukah for giving thanks and praise to Your great Name.

The second reason is the miracle of the oil, the solitary source of which is found in the Talmud:

What's significant about Chanukah that the Rabbis taught: "Starting the twenty-fifth of Kislev, there are eight days of Chanukah when it is forbidden to eulogize or fast"?

When the Greeks entered the shrine, they defiled all the oil that was in the shrine. When the Hasmonean Kingdom overcame them and reigned victorious, they searched [for oil] and only found one cruse which was sealed with the seal of the high priest, and there was only enough to light for one day. A miracle occurred, they lit from this cruse of oil for eight days. The following year they established these days as a festival for praises and thanksgiving.

Based on this passage, we light the Chanukah Menorah beginning with one candle and then adding one each night, culminating with eight candles on the final night of Chanukah. If you want more information on how to recite the blessings and the appropriate way to light the candles, there are many Web sites which will lead you through the process. One of these is The Lights of Chanukah - Laws and Customs at ou.org.

Hillel's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning has collected for your perusal classic resources that shed light on the tradition's multi-faceted view of Chanukah's essence. Chanukah is a holiday that highlights women warriors, the solstice, and issues of war and peace. Please review these sources and some exciting program ideas that will surely 'enlighten' your campus community.

Resources:
Chanukah programs in the Program Exchange
More Chanukah program ideas from other Jewish sources
Judith: A Chanukah Heroine
Chanukah Recipes

A text study on Chanukah's origins and observance.

 Chanukah Unplugged (PDF File 365Kb)

[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.]

A resource guide for campuses to integrate tzedek/social justice programming with Chanukah:
CASE It! Chanukah (PDF file 59Kb)
[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.]

Learn more about Chanukah at MyJewishLearning.com.
Learn more about the basic laws of Chanukah and candle lighting.