I am grateful to today's Dry Bones cartoon for reminding me of something I had completely forgotten: the birth of Jesus was followed - on the eighth day of life - by his bris, that is, brit milah the covenant of circumcision.
And what is eight days after Christmas?
If you enjoy this sort of Connect-the-Dots, there's the obvious connection between a bris on the eighth day, and the eight days of Chanukah, but here's some more from Chabad in Cyberspace, via Beverly Hills Chabad:
There are allusions in the Torah to Chanukah, though the events leading up to the festival occurred much later: "In the beginning, G-d created the Heavens and the earth... and G-d said, 'Let there be light...'." Light--ohr--is the 25th word in the Torah.The re-dedication of the Holy Temple and the re-lighting of the Menorah took place on the 25th of the month of Kislev.
[funny, Christmas also falls on the 25th... of December]
When the Jews traveled through the Sinai desert, they stopped 42 times. The 25th place where they encamped was Hasmona. Mattityahu, the head of the Hasmonai family, led the revolt against the Greeks.
The Sanctuary in the desert was completed on the 25th of Kislev, eight months after the Exodus from Egypt....
Jewish teachings explain that the 25th of Kislev was set aside for the future re-dedication of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees.
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