{"id":1267,"date":"2016-12-15T07:51:45","date_gmt":"2016-12-15T12:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/?p=1267"},"modified":"2016-12-15T07:51:45","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T12:51:45","slug":"chanukah-christmas-start-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2016\/12\/chanukah-christmas-start-night.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Chanukah and Christmas Start on the Same Night?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"chanukah<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Jewish tradition often leaves me perplexed. A few years ago,\u00a0the first night of Chanukah coincided with Thanksgiving<\/a>. This year Chanukah begins on Christmas Eve. How is that possible?<\/p>\n

The Jewish calendar revolves around the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle lasts about\u00a028 days. That is a month in the Jewish calendar.\u00a0The typical lunar year is 355 days.<\/p>\n

To keep the calendar more aligned with the Western secular calendar, the Jewish sages add an extra month every few years. Thus, the secular date of Chanukah changes every year, though it rarely is earlier or later\u00a0than December.<\/p>\n

So is there anything religiously significant about Chanukah and Christmas coinciding this year?<\/p>\n

Not really. Some interfaith families will observe both in various ways. But here\u2019s what we can all remember.<\/p>\n

We need light in this darkest time of the year.<\/strong>\u00a0For most of us, December is the darkest month of the year. The days are short and the\u00a0nights are long.<\/p>\n

The lights of Chanukah and Christmas come as a much needed relief and source of celebration. Here\u2019s why we need them.<\/p>\n

A Story About Light\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A classic Jewish joke tells of a man looking down at the sidewalk. He keeps walking back and forth and looking down.<\/p>\n

A policeman eventually comes up to him and asks what he is doing. He says \u201cI\u2019m looking for my keys. I lost them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The policeman then asks, \u201cWhere did you drop them?\u201d The man points toward the other side of the street and says \u201cSomewhere over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incredulous policeman says, \u201cThen why are you looking over here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man replies, \u201cBecause over here,\u00a0the light is better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Light My Way<\/strong><\/p>\n

This joke often used by scientists to explain biases in research. The light represents our biases, and we tend to look for ways to\u00a0confirm them.<\/p>\n

But it also reveals a spiritual truth.\u00a0We seek light in times of darkness. We need light to guide and comfort us.<\/p>\n

My hope and prayer is that we can be lights for one another. We can fill our spirits with the light from above, and bring it down to one another in<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

(For a free guide to all the Jewish holidays, click here.<\/a>)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jewish tradition often leaves me perplexed. A few years ago,\u00a0the first night of Chanukah coincided with Thanksgiving. This year Chanukah begins on Christmas Eve. How is that possible? The Jewish calendar revolves around the lunar cycle. The lunar cycle lasts about\u00a028 days. That is a month in the Jewish calendar.\u00a0The typical lunar year is 355…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Do Chanukah and Christmas Start on the Same Night? - Truths You Can Use<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Do Chanukah and Christmas Start on the Same Night? - Truths You Can Use\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jewish tradition often leaves me perplexed. A few years ago,\u00a0the first night of Chanukah coincided with Thanksgiving. This year Chanukah begins on Christmas Eve. 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