The Revolt and the Return to the Mikdash
The Hasmonean revolt began that same year, and three years later Judah was able to secure control of Jerusalem and purify and rededicate the Mikdash. (See Timeline.) It is commonly assumed that the battle to liberate the Temple Mount from the Greeks ended on the 25th of Kislev and on that same day they began the daily sacrifices (including the lighting of the menorah). According to this account there was no intentional selection of this historic date.

However, according to other traditional Jewish sources a slightly different picture emerges. Megillat Ta'anit records the 23rd of Cheshvan of that year, as well as the 3rd of Kislev, as days of rejoicing, marking dates of key victories which took place when the Hasmoneans fought the Greeks for control of the Temple mount.

It also appears from the account in Sefer Ha-makkabim (see 4:36-60), that the dedication ceremony was set for the 25th of Kislev on purpose, in order to coincide with the very same day on which it was defiled, three years prior (4:52-56). It also seems from Sefer Ha-makkabim that construction of the new vessels and mizbayach took several weeks (see 4:40-51).

Considering both the fact that the Temple Mount was already under the control of the Hasmoneans in Cheshvan and the account in Sefer Ha-makkabim, one can conclude that the decision to dedicate the Mikdash specifically on the 25th of Kislev was intentional. This day not only marked the date of its original construction, but also reflected the prophetic ideals and aspirations of Bayit Sheni. The reason they selected this date, as well as the reason that the Hellenists had picked this date three years earlier, was due to its prophetic and historic significance since the time of Chagai.

As mentioned earlier, the Hasmoneans most probably saw themselves as fulfilling the prophecies of Chagai. Evidently Rashi also accepted this view. Rashi explains in his commentary to Chagai 2:6, "I will shake the heavens and earth: in the miracles that occurred to the Hasmoneans."

Choosing specifically the 25th of Kislev to dedicate the restored mizbayach and vessels demonstrated their belief that the military victory that they had achieved was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Chagai.