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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
How is Hanukkah celebrated in prison?
I am a Jewish inmate in a correctional facility in South Africa. I have been in prison for just under 4 years now. Every year, just before Chanukkah, I receive a visit from my Rabbi, who brings me a set of chanukkah candles, as well as a small kosher parcel as we do not receive kosher food from the prison.
In total, we number 4 Jewish inmates, and I share a cell with 1 other Jew. During the festival, we both come together and take turns reciting the brocha before lighting the candles. We usually get all sorts of questions from the other inmates asking about what we are doing, and we get to share the miracle of Chanukkah with them.
It has been an uphill battle, as the correctional officials did not at first want us to receive the candles as they were deemed to be a safety risk within the prison. Only with the intervention of our Chief Rabbi did we eventually win the right to observe Chanukkah in the proper way.
Next battle? Proper kosher food! Wish us luck! :)
My name is Nicholas Alon Pike, and you can mail me on: fluffygp@gmail.com
No. If it has 7 candles, it's not a Hanukkiyah. It's a Menorah.
If it's a menorah with the actual 2 Hanukkah blessings on it, then it is an error made by the artist.
It is the same thing as a Hanukkah-menorah: an eight-branched candle-holder that is used to hold the eight candles of Hanukkah.
(There is also a ninth branch to hold an "assistant candle" which is used to light the other eight. The ninth is set above or to the side of the other eight, which are in a straight line.)
One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the next, and so on until eight candles are lit on the eighth night (which is the last night) of Hanukkah.
The menorah itself may be made in almost any manner - glass, metal, etc.. The menorah may be sleek and contemporary, or flowery and ornate, and it may incorporate decorations or it may be plain and functional.
The Hanukkiah-menorah should be placed in a window or doorway that is as visible as possible to the public, to publicize the miracle of Hanukkah. If you are unable to put the Hanukkiah (menorah) in a window or doorway, then put it on a table within the house, or any other safe place that will be highly visible.
Where in the bible is the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days?
Hanukkah was instituted after the canon of the Hebrew Bible had been sealed.
What do you light every day during Hanukkah?
You light candles on the Chanukkiah (Hanukkah-menorah).
night 1: 1 normal candle, 1 shamas candle
night 2: 2 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 3: 3 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 4: 4 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 5: 5 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 6: 6 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 7: 7 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
night 8: 8 normal candles, 1 shamas candle
candles can be lit from oil or wax, but oil is better.
my personal custom is to have the normal candles from oil and the shamas from wax.
How do Jews celebrate each of the 8 days of hanukkah?
With the exception of the exact number of candles lit, each of the eight days is celebrated the same.
During Hanukkah, Jews light the Chanukiah, also called a Hanukkah-menorah (which is an 8-branched candle holder) each night, singing, and eating traditional foods such as latkes or jelly donuts. Parties are also common, as well as chocolate coins, called "Hanukkah gelt".
One candle is lit on the first night, with an additional candle added until all 8 candles are lit on the eighth night. During the candlelighting, 2 blessings are sung (3 on the first night), and often other songs are song after they are lit.
The only traditional gift in Hanukkah is the gelt given to children.
In more detail:
At nightfall one candle is added each night, starting from the right and going to the left. Then the candles are lit from the newest one on the left and then one by one to the right. This is done every day; thus on the 8th day 8 candles are lit. People light their menorah every night at or after sundown.
Special Hanukkah additions are added to the prayers: Al-hanisim (regarding the miracles) in grace after meals and in the thrice daily prayers
Hallel - the thanksgiving psalms during morning prayers
Special Torah reading
A popular Hanukkah game is "dreidel" - a four sided top
Dairy products are popular Latkes (potato pancakes) Sufganiyot (jelly donuts)
Giving out Hanukkah money (gelt) to children is a popular custom
A dreidel is a little toy top that is spun in a game played on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Its use dates back for centuries. It has four sides, each with a Hebrew letter imprinted on it, symbolizing a word from the following statement (translated into English from the Hebrew):
"A big miracle happened there," (when outside of Israel).
"A big miracle happened here," (when inside of Israel).
To play, you need the dreidel and some kind of pieces for counting - straws, pennies, nuts, etc. The top is spun and each letter has a value, based on which you either give your straws or take.
It's a tradition for kids to play on Hanukkah and get 'gelt' (small money or a prize) after winning. Chocolate coins are popular.
It's no different than any other type of card:
- Salutation: Dear xxxx
- Closing: "Love, xxx" or "sincerely, xxxx"
Also, note that giving cards on Hanukkah is not traditional. It is something that only some Jews do, which is borrowed from Christmas.
What foods do you eat during Hanukkah in chile?
Special foods include potato pancakes (latkes) and jelly donuts (sufganiyot). Also, any foods fried in oil are traditional.
Are there daytime events in Hanukkah?
The main event of the 8 days of Hanukkah is the evening candle lighting.
During each of the 8 days:
- Candles are lit in most synagogues during morning prayers (Shacharit)
- ** Besides for the candles lighting ceremony after afternoon-prayers (Mincha)
- The "Hallel" thanksgiving-psalms are added to morning prayers
- The Torah is read
- The "al Hanisim" paragraph is added to the prayers and grace after meals
Is wine acceptable during Hanukkah?
Wine is acceptable in moderation at any time, particularly on happy and festive occasions, of which Hanukkah is certainly one. However, there is no specific tradition to drink wine in Hanukkah.
What country celebrates Kwanzaa Christmas Hanukkah and Ramadan are celebrated?
Most people think Kwanzaa is and African holiday, but it actually started in North America, and is predominantly celebrated by African Americans.
Christmas was traditionally a Christian holiday because that was when Jesus was supposedly born. It is celebrated in most countries that have significant Christian populations as a holy and/or a commercial Holiday.
Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday commemorating the Jewish victory against the Assyrian-Greeks in the Maccabean War of 165 BCE. It is celebrated by Jews in all countries they live in.
Where and when did Hanukkah originate?
In Israel (Judea), in about 165 BCE.
The Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks) under Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BCE), at the instigation of the Hellenizers, had forbidden various Torah-practices in Judea, 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 and prepared to light the Temple's menorah (Exodus ch.25), they found only one day's supply of unsullied olive oil. 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 still dwelt in the Holy Temple. 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). 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.
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."
Hanukkah is a minor holiday that commemorates the victory of the Jews against the Syrian-Greeks in the Maccabean War of 165 BCE. It was first celebrated one year after the rededication of the Temple during that war.
Answer:On Hanukkah the chief celebration 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 alsothank God during Hanukkah for the Hasmoneans' military victory (during which they ousted the Seleucids and their lackeys, the Hellenizing Jews, making possible the rededication of the Temple).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 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 was the song meaning for Hanukkah?
Here is a partial list. There are actually thousands of Hanukkah songs in many different languages:
- The candle blessings
- Ma'oz tzur
- Oh Chanukah
- I have a little Dreidel
- Judas Maccabaeus
- Sevivon
- AL hanisim
- Mi Yemalel
- Ner li
- Light One Candle
- Adam Sandler's Chanukah Song
- Candlelight
- Eight Days of Hanukkah
- Hanukah Hanukah Hag Yafeh Kol Kakh
Hanukkah always starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days. The Hebrew calendar does not line up with the western calendar because it has a completely different leap year system that can shift holidays each year by to 11-28 days.
Here are the coinciding secular dates for the upcoming years. The candle lightings begin on the evening BEFORE the first date:
2011: December 20-28
2012: December 8-16
2013: November 27-December 5
2014: December 16-24
2015: December 6-14
What is the last day of summer called?
MEAN FOGHAMAR, Autumn Equinox
it is a hunting feast, with thanksgiving for a successful farming season and the warmth of the summer. This is the season that the fallowing-plants cease to produce new fruits and await the end of their growing cycle. The harvest is finished and it is time to relax. Mean Foghamar reminds us that the fruits of our yearly spiritual growth have been harvested and we await the beginning of our new productive cycle. We should focus inward, examine what we have achieved, and learn from what we have not, using this knowledge to set goals for the coming year. The times of Death and Rebirth are nearing, a period of preparation for the long winter months. The holy day is for hunting and storing food and provisions spiritually, mentally, and physically.
Sad. The last day of summer is definitely called SAD.
