Hymn sung in the synagogue or at home after the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah. The original text included six stanzas expressing hope for the reestablishment of the Temple in Jerusalem, praise for God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from Egypt, Babylonian exile and Haman’s plot, and for the redemption of the people of Israel. The origin of the most commonly sung version of this hymn comes from the Western European Ashkenazi tradition dating back to the 15th century. According to musicologists A.Z. Idelsohn and E. Birnbaum the melody of this popular version is most likely based on an early Protestant chorale.
See also the Song of the Month for Hanukkah, 2020: "Maoz Tzur: The Mystifying Wandering of a Hanukkah Anthem".
