Honoring the Festivals and Hanukkah

[rabbiyitz]

Although the lighting of Hanukkah candles is a Jewish Rabbinical commandment specific for Hanukkah, it may be done by a Noahide as a historical remembrance of the miraculous events, but without reciting any of the Jewish liturgical blessings. This is because a Noahide should not perform the commandments of the Jewish  holidays as if he was taking them on as his own commandments. The reason for this is that Noahides may not create religious rituals for themselves which were not commanded to them in the Torah, since that would amount to creating a new, man-made religion. The logical aspect of the Hanukkah candles is to publicize the 8-day miracle, so a Noahide could also (or alternatively) participate in this by putting up Hanukkah decorations inside and/or outside the home.

For more information, please see the web page https://asknoah.org/essay/sharing-hanukkah-joy