The Month of Kislev and the Second Beit HaMikdash

The holiday of Hanuka is in the month of Kislev or in the 9^th month. Is there significance to that date, or is it by chance?

Consider these biblical events and dates from the time of Shivat Tzion – the Return to Zion – the beginning of the Second Beit HaMikdash period that predates the miracle of Hanuka:

1. On the fourth day of the 9^th month, the prophet Zekharya is asked whether to fast on the days that mark the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash (Zekharya 7:1).
2. Nehemya receives the news of the dire situation of Jerusalem’s walls in the month of Kislev, which ultimately spurns him to return to the Land of Israel and play a pivotal role (Nehemya 1,1).
3. On the 20^th of Kislev, Ezra begins the challenging process of eliminating intermarriage from the Jewish people (Ezra 10,9).
4. On the 24^th of Kislev, the prophet Haggai describes the laying of the foundations of the second Beit Hamikdash (Haggai 2, 18).

What is the connection between the month of Kislev and the Second Beit HaMikdash?

See Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun’s article on the Secret of Chanuka and Rabbi Menachem Leibtag’s article on Chanuka and the Prophecies of the Second Temple Period.