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Hanukkah
The festival of lights, as it is often called, is a celebration of both Jewish spiritual values and the triumph of the Jews over the armies of Antiochus IV.
984 Questions
What time does the Hanukkah party start?
There is no specific Hanukkah party. Some people have parties on Hanukkah and some don't. If there is a party on hanukkah, it can be on any one of the 8 nights, at any time.
The Hasmoneans (Hashmonaim).
What happens during the Hanukkah celebration that causes fear among the group?
Nothing. Hanukkah is joyous occasion. There are parties and good food.
What type of gift do you give a one yr. old on the celebration of his first Hanukkah?
Anything you would give a one year old for a birthday would also be acceptable for Hanukkah. There are no rules about Hanukkah presents.
The only traditional gift during Hanukkah is the gelt (coins) given to children, from about the age of three.
How can you compare and contrast christmas hanukkah and kwanzaa?
Christmas celebrates the birth of Christianity's saviour, Jesus Christ. Chanukah celebrates a military victory and the miracle that followed it of one day's worth of oil lasting eight days. Kwanzaa celebrates qualities that one tries to develop to be a good citizen and person. That said, they do have one thing in common: all are holidays that occur in midwinter and celebrate use light to celebrate, alleviating the depths of the dark short days of winter and signalling that Spring will eventually come.
How many days of Hanukkah are they lit?
On the first night of Hanukkah, which happens to be tonight December 21, 2008 (also Winter Solstice) the highest candle, the Shamus candle, is lit first and then used to light one candle in the farthest right position of the menorah. On the second night the Shamus is lit again and two candles are lit and so on for a total of eight nights, each successive night adding one more candle.
What symbol for Hanukkah is equivalent to Christmas tree?
There is no symbol for Hanukkah equivalent to a Christmas Tree. The holidays are completely unrelated.
How is Hanukkah celebrated in Argentina?
Hanukkah in Argentina is no different than Hanukkah in America or Europe, since the majory of Argentinian Jews came from Europe in the early to mid 20th Century.
What foods do families eat in Hanukkah?
Traditionally, foods cooked in oil are eaten during Channukah, especially potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiyot (jam busters or jelly doughnuts). There is also a tradition of eating dairy products.
What type of meal is eaten during Hanukkah?
There is no specific meal eating during the 8 days of Channukah. However, there is a tradition to eat fried and dairy foods during the holiday. The most well known food items eaten during Channukah are potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).
The menorah can be no lower than 3 Tefachim from the ground which is about 24cm or 9.5 inches.
How do you say happy chanuka in every language?
"In every language" makes this question impossible to answer.
Is Halloween or Christmas more popular?
I think Halloween, because all the kids like to dress up. My two kids love to get some candy. We also love to go wrapping our neighbors. But you would spend more money on Christmas, because some parents spoil their kids with allot of expensive gifts. Halloween is more popular because more little kids dress up and walk around.
When does Hanukkah begin in 2007?
Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, begins the evening of December 4th, 2007. This is the night of the first candle lighting. The lighting of candles will continue for 8 nights in a row in recognition of the miracle of the Temple oil that burned for 8 nights (when it only should have burned for one).
No, Hanukkah is one of the minor Jewish holidays, despite being perhaps the most well known outside of the Jewish community. Unlike the major Jewish festivals, work is permitted on the days of Hanukkah.
The High Holy Days are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Judah Maccabee led surprise attacks on armies of the Syrian-Greeks (the Seleucids).
Here is more background:
The Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) under Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BCE), at the instigation of the Hellenizers, had forbidden various Torah-practices such as Sabbath-observance and circumcision, rededicated the Temple to a Greek idol, and pressed the Jews to offer up sacrifices to the idol. One of the leading elder Jewish sages called upon the people to keep observing the Torah anyway; and if necessary, to use force in resisting the decrees. When a Hellenized Jew offered a sacrifice to the Greek idols in a nearby village, the sage killed him as well as the Greek overseer. This brought a violent reaction from the Greeks; and the loyal Jews, led by the Hasmonean family, were forced to retreat from their towns and strike out at the Greeks in an attempt to oust them from the Holy Land and to enable the people to once again observe the Torah. The Torah-Jews were heavily outnumbered by the attacking Greek armies, but God gave them miraculous victories again and again. After three years of struggle, the Greek armies retreated from Jerusalem, and the Hasmoneans (also called Maccabees) entered the Holy Temple which the Greeks had defiled, reconsecrated it to God, and began the Temple service once more. Among other things, they wanted to relight the olive oil candelabrum (Exodus ch. 25), but could only find one day's supply of undefiled oil - and it would take eight days to make and bring some more.
Miraculously, the menorah stayed lit for eight days (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), allowing enough time for new oil to be prepared and brought. The significance of the miracle is that it demonstrated that God's presence was still there. The Torah-community was overjoyed, because God's presence meant everything to them.
This is what Hanukkah represents: the closeness to God; and the avoidance of Hellenization (assimilation).
The Torah Sages instituted the festival of Hanukkah at that time (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), to publicize the miracle (Rashi commentary, ibid). This is why we light our Hanukkah-menorahs.
(The Hanukkah-menorah, or hanukkiyah, is a special form of the original seven-branched menorah. Our Hanukkah-menorahs have eight spaces for oil, or candles, to mark each of the eight days for which the oil lasted and a ninth to hold the shamash, a candle used to light the others.)
The Al-Hanisim prayer which we recite during Hanukkah centers around the Hasmoneans' victory and rededication of the Temple, while the candle-lighting commemorates the miracle of the oil.
Though the military victory is prominently mentioned in the prayers, it wouldn't have been celebrated if not for the miracle of the oil. It should also be noted that the main goal for which the Maccabees fought was not political independence. They fought to enable the people to observe the Torah's commandments; as we say in the Al Hanisim prayer: "the Greeks sought to cause us to forget Your Torah and leave Your statutes."
What does eac h candle on the menorah represent?
Each candle represents each of the 8 days of Hanukkah.
When did Jews first begin celebrating Hanukkah in Jerusalem?
Hanukkah is a minor holiday that commemorates the victory of the Jews against the Syrian-Greeks in the Maccabean War of 165 BCE.
Answer:It was first celebrated one year after the rededication of the Temple in 165 BCE (Talmud, Shabbat 21b).It should be noted that the chief celebration in Hanukkah is not for the military victory; it's for the miracle of the oil (Talmud, Shabbat 21b). As an augmentation to the celebration of that miracle, we also thank God during Hanukkah for the Hasmoneans' military victory (during which they ousted the Syrian-Greeks [Seleucids] and their lackeys, the Hellenizing Jews, making possible the rededication of the Temple). The Seleucids, at the instigation of the Hellenizers, had forbidden various Torah-practices, such as Sabbath-observance, and pressed the Jews to offer up idolatrous sacrifices. The Hasmoneans (a family of religious Jews) fought to retake the Holy Temple, which had been seized by the Seleucids, and to enable the people to once again observe the Torah. When they reached the Temple grounds, they found only one day's supply of unsullied olive oil, but the oil lamps miraculously burned for eight days (ibid.), allowing enough time for new oil to be prepared and brought.
The significance of the miracle is that it demonstrated that God's presence still dwelt in the Holy Temple.
The Torah Sages instituted the festival of Hanukkah at that time (Talmud, Shabbat 21b), to publicize the miracle (Rashi commentary, ibid). The eight-day rededication of the Temple is also mentioned in the book of Maccabees (I, 4:36; and II, 1:18); and Josephus mentions the eight-day festival in Antiquities ch.12.
The Al-Hanisim prayer which we recite during Hanukkah centers around the Hasmoneans' victory, while the candle-lighting commemorates the miracle of the oil.
Though the military victory is prominently mentioned in the prayers, it wouldn't have been celebrated if not for the miracle of the oil, just as we have no special occasion to mark Abraham's victory (Genesis ch.14), or those of Moses (Numbers ch.21), Joshua, Deborah (Judges ch.4), Gideon (Judges ch.6-7), Jephthah (Judges ch.11), or King David. And though the Hasmonean battles continued for two decades after the retaking of the Temple, the Sages instituted Hanukkah immediately after the miracle of the oil.
It should also be noted that the main goal for which the Maccabees fought was not political independence. They fought to enable the people to observe the Torah's commandments; as we say in the Al Hanisim prayer: "the Greeks sought to cause us to forget Your Torah and leave Your statutes."
What metal is a menorah made out of?
The menorah in the Holy Temple was made of pure gold (Exodus ch.25). Our Hanukkah-menorahs, if made of metal, may be made with any type of metal. They may also be made of non-metal materials.
What is the name of the bread that Jews get on Hanukkah?
There is no type of bread specifically associated with the holiday of Channukah.
What do the 8 candles mean in menorah?
The Hanukkah menorah traditionally has 9 candles. One of them, the shamash (caretaker) is there to be used to light the others and to provide light. It is usually set off from the others, for example, by being elevated or set out of line. The other 8 candles signify the 8 days of Hanukkah. So, on the first day, you light one candle (from the shamash you already lit). The second day, you light two, and so on, so that the amount of light increases from day to day. The menorah is traditionally put in a window so that the light proclaims the miracle to the world.
How do jews celebrate pesach every day?
There are a number of mitzvot (Torah-commands) which we keep every day, such as tefillin and the Shema-prayer, which (among other purposes) commemorate (as does Pesach) the Exodus from Egypt.
Are all the candles placed in the menorah on the first night of Hanukkah?
No. On the first night, one candle is placed and then lit (plus the helper candle used to light the others), ending with 8 candles on the 8th night.
