Chanukah - Significance
At this auspicious time the festival of Light, Chanukah is celebrated. In Hebrew, the language from which the Jewish festival originates, the word for Hanukkah has many spelling variants. Hanukkah and Chanukah are the two versions that are most widely used and accepted.
After the Temple was defiled the Jewish priests went into the Temple to relight the candles which needed to burn for eight days. They found that they only had enough oil for one day. A miracle occurred when the Menorah candles shone without interruption for eight days. Chanukah celebrates the victory of the few over the many, the quality over the quantity and Light over darkness. It reminds us to remember that every individual has an innate holiness that can never be defeated by the negative forces. Chanukah is therefore a festival of hope and faith.
The Shalom Group came together to sing songs from the Jewish faith that promote peace and harmony on December 26th, 2005. The word ShalOm means ‘Peace’, and this sacred sound has a deeper meaning. It removes barriers of cultures and religions and emphasizes the oneness of us all. These songs which are sung mainly in Hebrew focus on praising the Love and Glory of God, and we would like to wish you all ShalOm, the highest peace, with the songs that we sing.