מאי חנוכה - על איזה נס קבעוה:
On which miracle is this [holiday] affixed?
The Gemara asks: What is Hanukkah, and why are lights kindled on Hanukkah? The Gemara answers: The Sages taught in Megillat Ta’anit: On the twenty-fifth of Kislev, the days of Hanukkah are eight. One may not eulogize on them and one may not fast on them. What is the reason? When the Greeks entered the Sanctuary they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary by touching them. And when the Hasmonean monarchy overcame them and emerged victorious over them, they searched and found only one cruse of oil that was placed with the seal of the High Priest, undisturbed by the Greeks. And there was sufficient oil there to light the candelabrum for only one day. A miracle occurred and they lit the candelabrum from it eight days. The next year the Sages instituted those days and made them holidays with recitation of hallel and special thanksgiving in prayer and blessings.
I Maccabees 4:26-35 (translation from the Oxford Standard Revised Edition of the Bible)
Those of the foreigners who escaped went and reported to Lysias all that had happened. When he heard it, he was perplexed and discouraged, for things had not happened to Israel as he had intended, nor had they turned out as the king had ordered. But the next year he mustered sixty thousand picked infantry and five thousand cavalry to subdue them. They came into Idumea and camped at Beth-zur, and Judah met them with ten thousand men.
When he saw that their army was strong, he prayed, saying, "Blessed are you, O Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of your servant David, and gave the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. Hem in this army by the hand of your people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their strength; let them tremble in their destruction. Strike them down with the sword of those who love you, and let all who know your name praise you with hymns."
Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action. When Lysias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness that inspired those of Judah, and how ready they were either to live or die nobly, he withdrew to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries in order to invade Judea again with an even larger army.
(ז) בחנוכה: בִּימֵי מַתִּתְיָֽהוּ בֶּן יוֹחָנָן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל חַשְׁמוֹנָאִי וּבָנָיו כְּשֶׁעָמְ֒דָה מַלְכוּת יָוָן הָרְ֒שָׁעָה עַל־עַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַשְׁכִּיחָם תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּלְהַעֲבִירָם מֵחֻקֵּי רְצוֹנֶֽךָ, וְאַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים עָמַֽדְתָּ לָהֶם בְּעֵת צָרָתָם רַֽבְתָּ אֶת־רִיבָם דַּֽנְתָּ אֶת־דִּינָם נָקַֽמְתָּ אֶת־נִקְמָתָם מָסַֽרְתָּ גִבּוֹרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים וְרַבִּים בְּיַד מְעַטִּים וּטְמֵאִים בְּיַד טְהוֹרִים וּרְשָׁעִים בְּיַד צַדִּיקִים וְזֵדִים בְּיַד עוֹסְ֒קֵי תוֹרָתֶֽךָ וּלְךָ עָשִֽׂיתָ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל וְקָדוֹשׁ בְּעוֹלָמֶֽךָ וּלְעַמְּ֒ךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשִֽׂיתָ תְּשׁוּעָה גְדוֹלָה וּפֻרְקָן כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וְאַחַר־כֵּן בָּֽאוּ בָנֶֽיךָ לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶֽךָ וּפִנּוּ אֶת־הֵיכָלֶֽךָ וְטִהֲרוּ אֶת־מִקְדָּשֶֽׁךָ וְהִדְלִֽיקוּ נֵרוֹת בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶֽׁךָ וְקָבְ֒עוּ שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי חֲנֻכָּה אֵֽלּוּ לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל:
(7) On Chanukah: In the days of Matisyahu, son of Yochanan the High Priest, the Hasmonean and his sons, when the evil Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will— You, in Your abundant mercy, stood by them in their time of distress, You defended their cause, You judged their grievances, You avenged them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, many into the hands of the few, defiled people into the hands of the undefiled, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent [sinners] into the hands of diligent students of Your Torah. And You made Yourself a great and sanctified name in Your world. And for Your people, Israel, You performed a great deliverance and redemption unto this very day. Afterwards, Your sons entered the Holy of Holies of Your Abode, cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, and kindled lights in the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, and designated these eight days of Chanukah to thank and praise Your great Name.
Don't continue beyond this point!
Baal HaMaor on Masechet Avodah Zarah 24a
How could the holy items in the Temple have become impure through a non-Jew given the principle that a person cannot render unfit for use items which are not theirs?
The holy items in the Temple, like the stones of the altar and the silver and gold of Jerusalem could have certainly become "non-holy" through a Jew, as they are considered children of the Most High...but through a non-Jewish idolater, who is not considered a child of the Most High, they could not have been made impure. Therefore its necessary to say, according to the opinion of Rav Papa in the Gemara, that through corrupt Jews the items in the Temple were deconsecrated...this is the interpretation that I have learned from my teachers
1 Maccabees: 1:11-15, 2:15-27
11 It was then that there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. 'Come,' they said, 'let us ally ourselves with the gentiles surrounding us, for since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.'
12 This proposal proved acceptable,
13 and a number of the people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the gentiles' observances.
14 So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the gentiles have,
15 ceased practicing circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, selling out themselves and their traditions to become like the Greeks around them...
...15 The king's commissioners who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modiin for the sacrifices.16 Many Israelites gathered round them, but Mattathias and his sons drew apart.17 The king's commissioners then addressed Mattathias as follows, 'You are a respected leader, a great man in this town; you have sons and brothers to support you.
18 Be the first to step forward and conform to the king's decree, as all the nations have done, and the leaders of Judah and the survivors in Jerusalem; you and your sons shall be reckoned among the Friends of the King, you and your sons will be honoured with gold and silver and many presents.'
19 Raising his voice, Mattathias retorted, 'Even if every nation living in the king's dominions obeys him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees,
20 I, my sons and my brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors.
21 May Heaven preserve us from forsaking the Law and its observances.
22 As for the king's orders, we will not follow them: we shall not swerve from our own religion either to right or to left.'
23 As he finished speaking, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modiin as the royal edict required.
24 When Mattathias saw this, he was became infuriated; shaking with rage, he threw himself on the man and slaughtered him on the altar.
25 At the same time he killed the king's commissioner who was there to enforce the sacrifice, and tore down the altar.
26 In his zeal for the Law he acted as Phinehas had against Zimri son of Salu.
27 Then Mattathias went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, 'Let everyone who has any zeal for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come out and follow me.'
28 Then he fled with his sons into the hills, leaving all their possessions behind in the town.
I Maccabees 4:42-58 (translation from Oxford Standard Revised Edition of the Bible)
He (Judah) chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the later, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. They made new holy vessels, and brought the lamp stand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lamp stand, and these gave light in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.
Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Kislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and wished and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them.
The Behag (Ba'al Halachot Gedolot) wrote: With regards to the candles of Shabbat and the candles of Chanukkah, you light the Chanukkah candles first, for if you light the Shabbat candles first you would be forbidden from lighting the Chanukkah candles because you have accepted Shabbat. And Tosefot wrote that accepting Shabbat has nothing to do with the lighting of the candles, and you can write the candles of Shabbat first and afterwards Chanukkah the entire time you have not accepted Shabbat.
(ז) מִצְוַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה, לְהַדְלִיק בַּפֶּתַח הַסָּמוּךְ לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, מִשּׁוּם פִּרְסוּמֵי נִסָּא, וְכָךְ הָיוּ עוֹשִׂין בִּזְמַן הַמִּשְׁנָה וְהַגְּמָרָא. וּבַזְּמַן הַזֶּה שֶׁאָנוּ דָרִים בֵּין הָאֻמּוֹת, מַדְלִיקִין בַּבַּיִת שֶׁהוּא דָר בּוֹ. וְאִם יֶשׁ לוֹ חַלּוֹן לִרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים, יַדְלִיקֵם שָׁם. וְאִם לָאו, מַדְלִיקָן אֵצֶל הַפָּתַח. וּמִצְוָה שֶׁיַנִּיחֵם בַּטֶּפַח הַסָּמוּךְ לַפֶּתַח מִשְּׂמֹאל, שֶׁתְּהֵא מְזוּזָה מִיָמִין, וְנֵר חֲנֻכָּה מִשְּׂמֹאל, וְנִמְצָא שֶהוּא מְסֻבָּב בְּמִצְוֹת. וְיוֹתֵר טוֹב לְהַנִּיחָם בַּחֲלַל הַפָּתַח.
(7) It is a mitzvah to light the menorah in the doorway that opens to the street, [public domain], in order to publicize the miracle; and it was done in this manner in the days of the Mishnah and the Talmud. Now, since we live among non-Jews, we light the menorah in the house, and if you have a window facing the street, you should light it there; if not, you should light it near the door...