Hanukka is a holiday that was established after the time of the Tanakh, but might it have roots in Tanakh?
In the early period of the Return to Zion, the prophet Haggai delivers a prophecy of hope and encouragement on the day of the foundation of the Second Mikdash. He says that it is not too late for economic fortunes to improve: that God will send blessings and that trees can still bear fruit, now that the foundation has been laid for the Mikdash (Haggai 2, 10-23). This date happens to fall on the 24th of the ninth month (Kislev). The 25th was later established as the first day of Hanukka.
Zekharya, a contemporary of Haggai, also delivers prophecies of encouragement that relate to the time of the inauguration altar of the Second Beit HaMikdash. He too, recounts the troubles which befell the returnees at the beginning, before they began to build the Mikdash: harvests were scant, profits were low, enemies surrounded them and made things dangerous. Now, after the foundations have been laid for the Mikdash, God will bring blessing- crops will abound- there will be grapes and food and rain. Zekharya, like Haggai, conveys to the people a message of strength- that they should not fear, but have courage! He exhorts them to uphold truth, justice and goodness (Zechariah 8, 9-17).
Zekharya also recounts a vision of a fantastic seven-branched menorah flanked by two olive trees with connecting tubes flowing with oil. The prophetic words that follow explain the message the vision as one of excitement and hope about the future success of then-governor Zerubavel’s attempts to establish the Second Beit HaMikdash (Zechariah 4).
The Divine message of “not by might and not by force, but by my spirit” evokes the subtle nature of a “hidden miracle” and underscores the message that God is present in the midst of the people of Israel.
The Hanukka candles, reminiscent of the Menora of the Mikdash, are lit on the anniversary of the foundation of the Beit HaMikdash after the Exile. This additional dimension of Hanukka can provide an even greater atmosphere of hope, light, strength, and renewal during the Festival of Lights.