Learn about Hanukkah with LEGO

Make your own LEGO menorah (Subscriber printable)

Unlike many Jewish holidays, Hanukkah (also known as the Festival of Lights) is not mentioned in the Bible. The historical events upon which the celebration is based are recorded in Maccabees I and II, two books contained within a later collection of writings known as the Apocrypha. Hanukkah is considered a “minor” Jewish festival.

In the year 168 B.C.E., the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes sent his soldiers to Jerusalem. The Syrians desecrated the Temple, the holiest place for Jews at that time. Antiochus also abolished Judaism, outlawing the observance of Shabbat and the Festivals, as well as circumcision. Altars and idols were set up for the worship of Greek gods and he offered Jews two options: conversion or death.

Led by the Maccabees, the Jewish people finally won back the temple and Jerusalem.

Hanukkah, which means “dedication,” is the festival that commemorates the purification and rededication of the Temple following the defilement caused by the Greeks during their occupation of that holy place.

According to the legend, when the Maccabees entered the Temple and began toreclaim it from the Greeks, they immediately relit the ner tamid (eternal light),which burned constantly in the Temple. In the Temple they found a single jar of oil, enough for only one day. The messenger who was sent to secure additional oil took eight days to complete his mission, and miraculously, the single jar of oil continued to burn until his return.

Paid Subscriber friends - Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable history of Hanukkah and a recipe for Latkes and homemade applesauce!

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Our Favorite Books About Hanukkah

Eight Lights: The Story of Chanukah by William and Robert Rosenblum

The Story of Hanukkah by David Adler

The Miracle Jar by Audrey Penn

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emil Jenkins

Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky

And we always listen to the I Have a Little Dreidel from the Maccabeats.

You will need the following LEGO pieces:

9 dragon flames

27 white round 1x1 bricks

6 grey 1x12 bricks

2 grey 1x6 bricks

2 grey 1x4 bricks

2 grey 2x3 bricks

18 grey 2x2 bricks

2 grey 2x2 roof tiles with 45º angle

12 grey round 2x2 plates

2 grey 2x2 roof tiles with 45º inversion

4 grey 2x2x3 roof tiles with 73º angle

Follow the Photos Step by Step to Build your LEGO Menorah

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Click the link below to get the free printable :