Hanukkah

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Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Several chanukiyot (plural of chanukiyah) on the eighth night of the festival.
Official name Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה or חנוכה
English translation: "Renewal/Rededication" (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
Also called Festival of Lights, Festival of Dedication
Observed by Jews in Judaism
Type Jewish
Significance One of two rabbinically ordained festivals. The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Temple in Jerusalem was purified, and the wicks of the Menorah miraculously burned for eight days with oil enough for only one day.
Begins 25 Kislev
Ends 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
2006 date sunset, December 15 to sunset, December 23
2007 date sunset, December 4 to sunset, December 12
2008 date sunset, December 21 to sunset, December 29
Celebrations Lighting candles each night of the festival in a special Hanukkah menorah (or chanukkiyah) in a visible location. Playing the dreidel (sevivon) game, eating foods fried in olive oil, such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).
Related to Purim, as a rabbinically decreed holiday.

Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎), the Festival of Rededication (also known incorrectly as the Festival of Lights) is an eight-day Jewish holiday beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, which can occur in very late November, or throughout December. When Hanukkah begins in the last week of December, it continues into the following January. The festival is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each of the festival's eight nights, one on the first night, two on the second, and so on.

In Hebrew, the word Hanukkah is written חנֻכה or חנוכה. It is most commonly transliterated to English as Chanukah or Hanukkah, the latter because the sound represented by "CH" (as in "loch") does not exist in the modern English language. Other variations are discussed below.

Contents

[edit] Commemoration

The holiday was called Hanukka meaning "dedication" because it marks the re-dedication of the Temple after its desecration under Antiochus IV. Spiritually, Hanukkah commemorates the Miracle of the Oil. According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days - which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil.

However, non-Talmudic sources include no reference to the eight days of oil that has come to be a popular understanding and modern practice of Hanukkah. The Greek deuterocanonical books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees record different reasons as the origin of the eight days of Hanukkah. 1 Maccabees reads that, "For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. Then Judah and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the rededication...should be observed...every year...for eight days. (1 Mac.4:56-59)"

2 Maccabees says, "The Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths."

Another interpretation for the 8-day ceremony is that it commemorates the story of Hannah and her 7 sons. The story depicted in the Talmud[citation needed] and in the Book of Maccabees accounts how Hannah's 7 sons were tortured and executed according to Antiochus' policy when they refused to bow to a statue and to taste pork. Hannah herself committed suicide after the death of her sons.

Historically, Hanukkah commemorates two events:

The spiritual side of Judaism shies away from commemorating military victories, the Hasmoneans later became corrupt, and civil war between Jews is considered deplorable, so Hanukkah does not formally commemorate either of these historical events. Instead, the festival commemorates the Miracle of the Oil and the positive spiritual aspects about the Temple's re-dedication. In doing so, the oil becomes metaphor for the miraculous survival of the Jewish people through millennia of trials and tribulations.

[edit] Name

The holiday is named Hanukkah ("dedication") because it marks the re-dedication of the Temple. In Hebrew, there is a term of "חנוכת בית" which is the dedication made to a house once you enter to live in it, and this was the dedication for the House of the Lord.

Some scholars have noted the following regarding the name Hanukkah:

  • Hanukkah can be divided to Hanu and K H. "Hanu" comes from the Hebrew word for encampment. The letters K H or כ"ה signify the 25th day of Kislev in Gematria which is the beginning of the holiday. As such it's a rest on the 25th of the month.
  • Hanukkah is also an acronym in Hebrew for ח' נרות והלכה כבית הלל which means "eight candles and Halakha as the House of Hillel". This points to the disagreement between Hillel and the House of Shammai regarding the proper way to light the candles. Shammai suggested starting with eight candles and reducing one candle every night while Hillel argued for starting with one candle and adding every night. Hillel's way was chosen as the Halakha.

[edit] Historical sources

[edit] In the Talmud

The miracle of Hanukkah is described in the Talmud. The Gemara, in tractate Shabbat 21b,[1] says that after the occupiers had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees discovered that almost all of the ritual olive oil had been profaned. They found only a single container that was still sealed by the High Priest, with enough oil to keep the Menorah in the Temple lit for a single day. They used this, and miraculously, that oil burned for eight days (the time it took to have new oil pressed and made ready).

The Talmud presents three customs:

  1. Lighting one light each night per household,
  2. One light each night for each member of the household, or,
  3. The most beautiful method, where the number of candles changed each night.

There was a dispute over how the last option was to be performed: either display eight lamps on the first night of the festival, and reduce the number on each successive night; or begin with one lamp the first night, increasing the number till the eighth night. The followers of Shammai favored the former custom; the followers of Hillel advocated the latter. As is the case in most such disputes, Jews today follow Hillel. Except in times of danger, the lights were to be placed outside one's door or in the window closest to the street.

Josephus could not believe that the lights were symbolic of the liberty obtained by the Jews on the day that Hanukkah commemorates. Rashi, in a note to Shabbat 21b, says their purpose is to publicize the miracle. Hanukkah is also mentioned in the (older) Mishnah (TB Megillah 30b).

[edit] In the Septuagint and other Sources

The story of Hanukkah is preserved in the books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. A story similar in character, and obviously older in date, is the one alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18 et seq., according to which the relighting of the altar-fire by Nehemiah was due to a miracle which occurred on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, and which appears to be given as the reason for the selection of the same date for the rededication of the altar by Judah Maccabeus.

The Books of Maccabees are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), but are part of deuterocanonical historical and religious material preserved in the Septuagint. The Tanakh ends with the consequences following the events of Purim, and had already been codified many centuries earlier by the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah).

Another source is the Megillat Antiokhos. Saadia Gaon, who translated it into Arabic in the 9th Century, ascribed to the Maccabees themselves, but this seems unlikely, since it gives dates as so many years before the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE. More recent scholarship dates it to somewhere between the 2nd and 5th Centuries, probably in the 2nd Century.[2]

The holiday is mentioned in the Christian Bible in the book of John 10:22-23.

[edit] The story

Main article: Hasmonean

Around 200 BCE Jews lived as an autonomous people in the land of Israel, also referred to as Judea, which at that time was controlled by the Seleucid king of Syria. The Jewish people paid taxes to Syria and accepted its legal authority, and by and large were free to follow their own faith, maintain their own jobs, and engage in trade.

By 175 BCE Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne. At first little changed, but under his reign Jews were gradually forced to violate the precepts of their faith. Jews rebelled at having to do this. Under the reign of Antiochus IV, the Temple in Jerusalem was looted, Jews were massacred, and Judaism was effectively outlawed.

In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Judah Maccabee ("Judah the Hammer"). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event.[3] After recovering Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. According to the Talmud, oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. But there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight-day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle.

Hanukkah lamp unearthed near Jerusalem, c. 1900.
Hanukkah lamp unearthed near Jerusalem, c. 1900.

The version of the story in 1 Maccabees, on the other hand, states that an eight day celebration of songs and sacrifices was proclaimed upon rededication of the altar, and makes no mention of the miracle of the oil.[4] A number of historians believe that the reason for the eight-day celebration was that the first Hanukkah was in effect a belated celebration of the festivals of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. [5] During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret properly; the combined festivals also last eight days, and the Sukkot festivities featured the lighting of lamps in the Temple (Suk.v. 2-4). The historian Josephus[6] mentions the eight-day festival and its customs, but does not tell us the origin of the eight day lighting custom. Given that his audience was Hellenized Romans, perhaps his silence on the origin of the eight-day custom is due to its miraculous nature. In any event, he does report that lights were kindled in the household and the popular name of the festival was, therefore the "Festival of Lights" ("And from that time to this we celebrate this festival, and call it Lights").

It has been noted that Jewish festivals are connected to the harvesting of the Biblical seven fruits which Israel was famed for. Pesach is a celebration of the barley harvest, Shavuot of the wheat, Sukkot of the figs, dates, pomegranates and grapes, and Hanukkah of the olives. The olive harvest is in November and olive oil would be ready in time for Hanukkah in December.

It has also been noted that the number eight has special significance in Jewish theology, as representing transcendence and the Jewish People's special role in human history. Seven is the number of days of creation, that is, of completion of the material cosmos, and also of the classical planets. Eight, being one step beyond seven, represents the Infinite. Hence, the Eighth Day of the Assembly festival, mentioned above, is according to Jewish Law a festival for Jews only (unlike Sukkoth, when all peoples were welcome in Jerusalem). Similarly, the rite of circumcision, which brings a Jewish male into God's Covenant, is performed on the eighth day. Hence, Hanukkah's eight days (in celebration of monotheistic morality's victory over Hellenistic humanism) have great symbolic importance for practicing Jews.

[edit] Hanukkah rituals

Various menorot used for Hanukkah, also called Hanukiot (sing. Hanukiah). 12th thru 19th century, C.E.
Various menorot used for Hanukkah, also called Hanukiot (sing. Hanukiah). 12th thru 19th century, C.E.

Hanukkah has relatively simple religious rituals that are performed during the eight nights and days of the holiday. Some aspects are practiced at home by the family, other aspects are communal. There are additions to the regular daily prayer services in the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book. Jewish law does not require one to refrain from activities on Hanukkah that would fit the Jewish definition of "work."[7] Thus people are allowed to go to school and work. Employees are not given the holiday off and children are generally only given two or three days off from school.

[edit] Kindling the Hanukkah Lights

See also: Chanukkiyah

The primary ritual, according to Jewish law and custom, is to light a single light each night for eight nights. As a universally-practiced "beautification" of the mitzvah, the number of lights lit is increased by one each night.[8] An extra light called a shamash, meaning guard or servant is also lit each night, and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b-23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing - and meditating on - the Hanukkah story. (This differs from Sabbath candles which are meant to be used for illumination). Hence, if one were to need extra illumination on Hanukkah, the shamash candle would be available and one would avoid using the prohibited lights. Some light the shamash candle first and then use it to light the others.[9] So all together, including the shamash, two lights are lit on the first night, three on the second and so on, ending with nine on the last night, for a total of 44.

A modern "Tiffany" Hanukkah menorah
A modern "Tiffany" Hanukkah menorah

The lights can be candles or oil lamps.[10] Electric lights are sometimes used and are acceptable in places where open flame is not permitted, such as a hospital room. Most Jewish homes have a special candelabrum or oil lamp holder for Hanukkah, which holds eight lights plus the additional shamash light. In the State of Israel, it is usually called a "chanukkiyah". Ashkenazic Jews (central and east European Jews) mostly call it a "Hanukkah menorah," though chanukkiyah has become more common. Some Sephardic Jews (west European, Mediterranean and Latin American Jews) simply call it "a hanukkah". By contrast, the Temple menorah, described in Exodus 25:31 ff, which is often used to symbolize Judaism, has six branches plus a central shaft, for a total of seven lamps.

The reason for the Hanukkah lights is not for the "lighting of the house within", but rather for the "illumination of the house without", so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday's miracle. Accordingly lamps are set up at a prominent window or near the door leading to the street. It is customary amongst some Ashkenazim to have a separate menorah for each family member (customs vary), whereas most Sephardim light one chanukkiyah for the whole household. Only when there was danger of anti-semitic persecution were lamps supposed to be hidden from public view, as was the case in Persia under the rule of the Zoroastrians, or in parts of Europe before and during World War II. However, most Hasidic groups, light lamps near an inside doorway, not necessarily in public view. According to this tradition, the lamps are placed on the opposite side from the mezuzah, so that when one passes through the door he is surrounded by the holiness of mitzvoth.

Bronze Pal-Bell oil-burning Hanukkah menorah from Israel circa 1948, by Maurice Ascalon.
Bronze Pal-Bell oil-burning Hanukkah menorah from Israel circa 1948, by Maurice Ascalon.

[edit] When to light the lights

Hanukkah lights should burn for at least one half hour after it gets dark (the custom of the Vilna Gaon - observed by many residents of Jerusalem as the custom of the city, is to light at sundown, although most Hassidim light later, even in Jerusalem. Many Hassidic Rebbes light much later, because they fulfill the obligation of publicising the miracle by the presence of their Hasidim when they kindle the lights.). The standard inexpensive wax candles sold for Hanukkah burn for approximately half an hour, so on most days this requirement can be met by lighting the candles when it is dark out. Friday night presents a problem, however. Candles must be lit before the start of Shabbat and inexpensive Hanukkah candles do not burn long enough to meet the requirement. A simple solution is to use "tea lights" or Sabbath candles, arranging them in a straight line and setting the shamash candle apart and above the rest, or by using the traditional oil lamps.

[edit] Blessings over the candles

US stamp honoring Hanukkah and showing a Menorah with colored candles
US stamp honoring Hanukkah and showing a Menorah with colored candles

Typically three blessings (Brachot singular Brachah) are recited during this eight-day festival. On the first night of Hanukkah, Jews recite all three blessings, on all subsequent nights, they recite only the first two.[11] The blessings are said before or after the candles are lit depending on tradition. On the first night of Hanukkah one light (candle, lamp, or electric) is lit on the right side of the Menorah, on the following night a second light is placed to the left of the first and is lit first proceeding from left to right, and so on each night.

[edit] The first blessing

Recited all eight nights just prior to lighting the candles:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik neir (shel) chanukah.

Translation: "Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."

[edit] The second blessing

Recited all eight nights just prior to lighting the candles:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, she-asah nisim la-avoteinu, bayamim haheim, (u)baz'man hazeh.

Translation: "Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors, in those days, at this season."

[edit] The third blessing

Recited only on the first night just prior to lighting the candles:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu, v'kiyemanu, vehigi-anu laz'man hazeh.

Translation: "Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us in life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season."

[edit] After kindling the lights - Hanerot Halalu

When the lights are kindled the Hanerot Halalu prayer is subsequently recited:[12]

(Ashkenazic version):

Hanneirot hallalu anachnu madlikin 'al hannissim ve'al hanniflaot 'al hatteshu'ot ve'al hammilchamot she'asita laavoteinu bayyamim haheim, (u)bazzeman hazeh 'al yedei kohanekha hakkedoshim. Vekhol-shemonat yemei Hanukkah hanneirot hallalu kodesh heim, ve-ein lanu reshut lehishtammesh baheim ella lir'otam bilvad kedei lehodot ul'halleil leshimcha haggadol 'al nissekha ve'al nifleotekha ve'al yeshu'otekha.

Translation: "We light these lights For the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers, in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make them serve except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name for your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations."

[edit] Singing of Maoz Tzur after lighting

Main article: Ma'oz Tzur

Each night after the lighting of the candles, while remaining within eyeshot of the candles, Ashkenazim (and, in recent decades, some Sephardim and Mizrahim in Western countries), then usually sing the following hymn written in Medieval Ashkenaz (Germany). It lists a number of events of persecution in Jewish history, and praises God for survival despite these tragedies.

Ma-oz Tzur Yeshu-ati, lecha na-eh leshabei-ah. Tikon beit tefilati vesham todah nezabei-ah. Le-et tachin matbe-ach mitzar hamnabei-ah. Az egmor beshir mizmor chanukat hamizbei-ah.

Ra-ot sav'ah nafshi, b'yagon kochi kilah. Chayai meir'ru b'koshi, b'shibe-ud malchut eglah. Uv'yado hag'dolah hotzi et has'gulah. Cheil Par'oh vechol zaroh yardu ke-even bim'tzulah.

D'vir kodsho hevi-ani vegam sham lo shakateti. Uva noges v'higlani ki zarim avad'ti. V'yein ra-al masachti kimat she-avarti. Keitz Bavel Zerubavel l'keitz shivim noshati.

Kerot komat b'rosh bikesh Agagi ben Hamdatah. V'nih'yata lo lefach ul'mokesh vegavato nishbata. Rosh y'mini niseita ve-oyev shemo machita. Rov banav v'kinyanav al ha-etz talita.

Y'vanim nikbetzu alai azai bimei Chashmanim. Ufartzu chomot migdalai vetimu kol hashmanim. Uminotar kankanim na-aseh nes lashoshanim. B'nei vinah yemei sh'monah kavu shir urna-anim.

Chasof z'roa kodshecha v'karev keitz hayeshu-a. Nekom nikmat dam avadecha me-uma haresha-a. Ki archa lanu hasha-a ve-ein keitz limei hara-ah. Dechei admon b'tzeil tzalmon hakeim lanu ro'im shiv'ah.

Many Jews sing only the first verse, repeating the lines to form the Hanukkah melody. It is also common to sing just the first and fifth verses, the fifth dealing specifically with Hanukkah.

[edit] Other Customs

Various Hassidic and Sefardic traditions have additional prayers that are recited both before and after lighting the Hanukkah lights. This includes the recitation of many Psalms, most notably Psalms 30, 67, and 91 (many Hassidim recite Psalm 91 seven times after lighting the lamps, as was taught by the Baal Shem Tov), as well as other prayers and hymns, each congregation according to its own custom.

[edit] Additions to the daily prayers

An addition is made to the "hoda'ah" (thanksgiving) benediction in the Amidah, called Al ha-Nissim ("On/about the Miracles").[13] This addition refers to the victory achieved over the Syrians by the Hasmonean Mattathias and his sons. (The erroneous designation of Mattathias as son of Johanan the high priest seems to rest upon the late Hebrew apocryphal "Megillath Antiokhos" or "Megillath Hanukkah," which has other names and dates strangely mixed.) The liturgical part inserted reads as follows:

Al hanisim v'al hapurkan v'al hag'vurot v'al hat'shuot, v'al hamilchamot she-asita la-avoteinu bayamim haheim bazman hazeh. Bimei Matityahu ben Yochanan kohein gadol chashmonai u-vanav, k'she-amda malchut yavan har'sha-a al amcha Yisrael l'hashkicham toratecha ul'ha-aviram meichukei r'tzonecha. V'ata b'rachamecha harabim amadta lahem b'eit tzaratam, ravta et rivam, danta et dinam, nakamta et nikmatam, masarta giborim b'yad chalashim v'rabim b'yad chalashim v'rabim b'yad m'atim, ut'mei-im b'yad t'horim, ursha-im b'yad tzadikim v'zeidim b'yad os'kei toratecha. Ul-cha asita t'shu-a g'dola ufurkan k'hayom hazeh. V'achar kein ba-u vanecha lidvir beitecha ufinu et heichalecha v'tiharu et mikdsashecha v'hidliku neirot b'chatzrot kodsecha v'kav'u sh'monat y'mei Chanuka eilu l'hodot ul'haleil l'shimcha hagadol.

Translation: "We thank You also for the miraculous deeds and for the redemption and for the mighty deeds and the saving acts wrought by You, as well as for the wars which You waged for our ancestors in ancient days at this season. In the days of the Hasmonean Mattathias, son of Johanan the high priest, and his sons, when the iniquitous Greco-Syrian kingdom rose up against Your people Israel, to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the ordinances of Your will, then You in your abundant mercy rose up for them in the time of their trouble, pled their cause, executed judgment, avenged their wrong, and delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent ones into the hands of those occupied with Your Torah. Both unto Yourself did you make a great and holy name in Thy world, and unto Your people did You achieve a great deliverance and redemption. Whereupon your children entered the sanctuary of Your house, cleansed Your temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and appointed these eight days of Hanukkah in order to give thanks and praises unto Your holy name."

The same prayer is added to the grace after meals. In addition, the Hallel Psalms are sung during each morning service and the Tachanun penitential prayers are omitted. The Torah is read every day in the synagogue, the first day beginning from Numbers 6:22 (According to some customs, Numbers 7:1), and the last day ending with Numbers 8:4.

Since Hanukkah lasts eight days it includes at least one, and sometimes two, Sabbaths. The weekly Torah portion for the first Sabbath is almost always Miketz, telling of Joseph's dream and his enslavement in Egypt. The Haftarah reading for the first Sabbath Hanukkah is Zechariah 2:14-4:7. When there is a second Sabbath on Hanukkah, the Haftarah reading is from I Kings 7:40 - 7:50.

The Hanukkah menorah is also kindled daily in the synagogue, at night with the blessings and in the morning without the blessings. The menorah is not lit on the Sabbath, but rather prior to the beginning of the Sabbath at night and not at all during the day. Some congregations have the custom of throwing towels at the one who kindles the menorah in the synagogue, in order to demonstrate that he has not fulfilled his obligation to kindle, and must still kindle again later in his home.

[edit] Zos Hanukkah

The last day of Hanukkah is known as Zos Hanukkah, from the verse in the Book of Numbers 7:84 "Zos Chanukas Hamizbe'ach" - "This was the dedication of the altar", which is read on this day in the synagogue. According to the teachings of Kabballah and Hasidism, this day is the final "seal" of the High Holiday season of Yom Kippur, and is considered a time to repent out of love for God. In this spirit, many Hassidic Jews wish each other "Gmar chasimah tovah", "may you be sealed totally for good", a traditional greeting for the Yom Kippur season. It is taught in Hassidic and Kabbalistic literature that this day is particularly auspicious for the fulfillment of prayers.

[edit] Judith and Holofernes

An artist's rendition of the story of Judith
An artist's rendition of the story of Judith

There is a custom of eating dairy foods, especially cheese, on Hanukkah. This originates with the story of Judith, as related in the book of Judith(Yehudit/Yehudis in Hebrew). Holofernes, an Assyrian general, surrounds the village of Bethulia during a campaign to conquer Judea. After intense fighting and Holofernes cutting off the Jews' water supply, the situation is desperate. Judith, a pious widow, tells the city leaders that she has a plan to save the city. Judith goes to the Assyrian camps and pretends to surrender. She meets Holofernes and he is taken with her beauty and takes her to his tent, where he intends to sleep with her. She plies him with salty cheese, and then with wine, until he passes out, at which point Judith beheads Holofernes and escapes from the camp and back to the city, taking Holofernes' head with her. When the Greek soldiers find his corpse, they are overcome with fear; the Jews, on the other hand, are emboldened, and launch a counterattack which is successful. The town is saved, the Assyrians defeated.

Many argue that Holofernes was actually Greek, placing the events in the general timeframe of Hanukkah. In fact, the longstanding tradition that Judith was the daughter of Mattathias, the Hasmonean High Priest, and sister to Judah the Maccabee, is how this story came to be associated with Hanukkah.

The story of Judith is often seen represented in Jewish and Christian art -- the Wikipedia entry on Holofernes mentions some of the major artists who have explored this story in paintings and sculpture.

[edit] Traditional Hanukkah foods

Sufganiyot with jelly
Sufganiyot with jelly

Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah (especially among Ashkenazi families) because there is a custom to eat foods fried or baked in oil, preferably olive oil, as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of the small flask of oil used by the Jewish High Priest (the Kohen Gadol).

Many Sephardic families as well as Polish Ashkenazim and Israelis have the custom to eat all kinds of doughnuts (Yiddish: פאנטשקעס pontshkes), (bimuelos, or sufganiyot) which are deep-fried in oil.


[edit] Hanukkah games

[edit] Dreidel

Main article: Dreidel
Dreidel
Dreidel

The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, (a four-sided spinning top) is associated with Hanukkah. It has four sides, each engraved with a different Hebrew letter:

These letters are an acronym for the Hebrew words, נס גדול היה שם, Nes Gadol Haya Sham—"A great miracle happened there" (referring to the miracle of the oil that took place in the Beit Hamikdash).

In the State of Israel, the fourth side of most dreidels instead shows the letter פ (Pe), rendering the acronym, נס גדול היה פה, Nes Gadol Haya Po—"A great miracle happened here" (referring to the fact that the miracle occurred in the land of Israel). This custom was adopted after the capture of East Jerusalem during the Six Day War. It is rejected by most Haredim, and toy stores in haredi neighbourhoods still sell the traditional Shin dreidels.

Traditional Jewish commentaries ascribe deep symbolism to the markings on the dreidel. One commentary, for example, connects the four letters with the four exiles to which the nation of Israel was historically subject—Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome.[14]

The dreidel is the centerpiece of a game which is often played after the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah, to keep the children interested during the short time the candles are burning. Each player starts out with 10 or 15 coins, nuts or other markers, and places one marker into the "pot". The first player spins the dreidel, which lands with one of its symbols facing up, indicating the appropriate action to be taken, corresponding to one of the following Yiddish words:

  • Nun - nisht - "not" - nothing happens and the next player spins
  • Gimel - gants - "all" - the player takes the entire pot
  • Hey - halb - "half" - the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
  • Shin - shtel ayn - "put in" - the player puts one marker in the pot

Another version differs in that nun is nem - "take", while gimel is gib - "give". The game may last until one person has won everything.

The dreidel game is played in part to commemorate a game that the Jews under Greek domination played to camouflage their Torah study. Though the Greeks made a law forbidding the study of Torah, the Jews would gather in caves to engage in learning. A lookout was posted to alert the group to the presence of Greek soldiers; if he spotted them, he would give a signal and the Jews would hide their scrolls and begin playing with spinning tops (dreidels) and coins. This ruse gave the impression that they were engaged in gambling, not learning.

[edit] Hanukkah gelt

Hanukkah gelt (Yiddish for "money") is often distributed to children to enhance their enjoyment of the holiday. The amount is usually in small coins, although grandparents or other relatives may give larger sums as an official Hanukkah gift. In Israel, Hanukkah gelt is known as dmei Hanukkah. Many Hassidic Rebbes distribute coins to those who visit them during Hanukkah. Hassidic Jews consider this to be an auspicious blessing from the Rebbe, and a segulah for success.

Twentieth-century American chocolatiers picked up on the gift/coin concept by creating chocolate gelt, or chocolate shaped and stamped like coins and wrapped in gold or silver foil. Chocolate gelt is often used in place of money in dreidel games.

[edit] Interaction with other traditions

Hanukkah gained increased importance with many Jewish families in the latter half of the twentieth century, including large numbers of secular Jews who wanted a Jewish alternative to the Christmas celebrations that often overlap with Hanukkah.

In recent years, an amalgam of Christmas and Hanukkah has emerged — dubbed "Chrismukkah" — celebrated by some mixed-faith families, particularly in the United States. A decorated tree has come to be called a "Hanukkah bush". Other Jews (tongue-in-cheek) simultaneously acknowledge both the increasing secularization of the holiday season and their Jewish roots by wishing each other a "happy cholidays."

Though it was traditional to give "gelt" or money coins to children during Hanukkah, in many families this has changed into gifts in order to prevent Jewish children from feeling left out of the Christmas gift giving.

These secular traditions are not a traditional part of the Hanukkah observance, and are often frowned upon by more observant and traditionally-minded Jews.

The African American festival of Kwanzaa incorporates a ritual similar to that of the menorah. Every day of the week-long festival, celebrants light one candle in a seven-branch candleholder called a kinara. Each candle represents one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

[edit] Alternative spellings based on transliterating Hebrew letters

As mentioned above, there is a frequent confusion over the many alternative spellings of Hanukkah in the English language [2]. The only standard spelling of Hanukkah is the Hebrew five letters - Ḥeth (Ch, H) Nun Vav Kaf Hey - plus the vowels, which are not written in standard Hebrew. But the letter "heth" is pronounced differently in modern Hebrew (voiceless velar fricative) than in classical Hebrew (voiceless pharyngeal fricative), and neither of those sounds is unambiguously representable in English spelling. Moreover, the 'kaf' consonant is geminate in classical (but not modern) Hebrew. Adapting the classical Hebrew pronunciation with the geminate and pharyngeal Ḥeth can lead to the spelling "Hanukkah"; while adapting the modern Hebrew pronunciation with no geminate and velar Ḥeth leads to the spelling "Chanukah".

Spelling variations are due to transliteration of Hebrew Chet Nun Vav Kaf Hey
Spelling variations are due to transliteration of Hebrew Chet Nun Vav Kaf Hey
  • Hanukkah (most common in the United States)
  • Chanukah (common alternative in the United States)
  • Hanukah (less common alternative in the United States)
  • Chanuka (rare spelling)
  • Chanukkah (most used in Canada, Australia, and UK)
  • Hanuka (rare spelling)
  • Hanukka (rare spelling)
  • Khanike (YIVO standard transliteration from the Yiddish and/or Ashkenazic pronunciation of the Hebrew)

[edit] Background

[edit] Chronology

The Hasmonean Kingdom
The Hasmonean Kingdom
  • 198 BCE: Armies of the Selucid King Antiochus III (Antiochus the Great) oust Ptolemy V from Judea and Samaria.
  • 175 BCE: Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) ascends the Seleucid throne.
  • 168 BCE: Under the reign of Antiochus IV, the Temple is looted, Jews are massacred, and Judaism is outlawed.
  • 167 BCE: Antiochus orders an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. Mattathias, and his five sons John, Simon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah lead a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah becomes known as Judah Maccabe (Judah The Hammer).
  • 166 BCE: Mattathias dies, and Judah takes his place as leader. The Hasmonean Jewish Kingdom begins; It lasts until 63 BCE
  • 165 BCE: The Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy is successful. The Temple is liberated and rededicated (Hanukkah).
  • 142 BCE: Establishment of the Second Jewish Commonwealth. The Seleucids recognize Jewish autonomy. The Seleucid kings have a formal overlordship, which the Hasmoneans acknowledged. This inaugurates a period of great geographical expansion, population growth, and religious, cultural and social development.
  • 139 BCE: The Roman Senate recognizes Jewish autonomy.
  • 130 BCE: Antiochus VII besieges Jerusalem, but withdraws.
  • 131 BCE: Antiochus VII dies. The Hasmonean Jewish Kingdom throws off Syrian rule completely
  • 96 BCE: An eight year civil war begins.
  • 83 BCE: Consolidation of the Kingdom in territory east of the Jordan River.
  • 63 BCE: The Hasmonean Jewish Kingdom comes to an end due to rivalry between the brothers Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, both of whom appeal to the Roman Republic to intervene and settle the power struggle on their behalf. The Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) is dispatched to the area. Twelve thousand Jews are massacred as Romans enter Jerusalem. The Priests of the Temple are struck down at the Altar. Rome annexes Judea.

[edit] Battles of the Maccabean revolt

Main article: Maccabees

There were a number of key battles between the Maccabees and the Seleucid Syrian-Greeks:

[edit] When Hanukkah occurs

Further information: Jewish holidays 2000-2050

The dates of Hanukkah are determined by the Hebrew Calendar. Hanukkah begins at the 25th day of Kislev and concluding on the 2nd or 3rd day of Tevet (Kislev can have 29 or 30 days). The Jewish day begins at sunset, whereas the Gregorian Calendar begins the day at midnight. So, the first day of Hanukkah actually begins at sunset of the day immediately before the date noted on Gregorian calendars.

For example, in 2006 Gregorian calendars will likely list Hanukkah on Saturday, December 16, but 25 Kislev actually begins at sunset on December 15 and so the first candle will be lit on that Friday evening, shortly before sunset since it is also the start of Shabbat. Two candles will be lit on Saturday night after dark and the end of Shabbat. Three candles will be lit after dark on Sunday, and so on for the rest of the week, except for the following Friday, December 22, when the last 8 candles are lit, again shortly before sunset. The holiday will end after sundown on December 23.

[edit] Hanukkah's dates in the Gregorian calendar

Hanukkah begins at sundown on the evening before the date shown.

[edit] See also

Portal:Holidays
 Holidays Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Babylonian Talmud, tractate Shabbat 21b. The discussion focuses on Shabbat candles and moves to Hanukkah candles.
  2. ^ Zvieli, Benjamin. The Scroll of Antiochus. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
  3. ^ 1 Macc. iv. 59
  4. ^ 1 Macc. iv. 36
  5. ^ Macc. x. 6 and i. 9
  6. ^ [1] Jewish Antiquities xii. 7, § 7, #323
  7. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 670:1
  8. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 671:2
  9. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 673:1
  10. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 673:1
  11. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 676:1-2
  12. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 676:4
  13. ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 682:1
  14. ^ http://www.ohr.org.il/yhiy/article.php/1309

[edit] External links

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Jewish and Israeli holidays
Jewish holidays Shabbat · Rosh Chodesh · Rosh Hashanah · Fast of Gedalia · Yom Kippur · Sukkot · Hoshanah Rabbah · Shemini Atzeret · Simchat Torah · Hanukkah · Tenth of Tevet · Tu Bishvat · Fast of Esther · Purim · Fast of the Firstborn · Pesach · Counting of the Omer · Lag Ba'omer · Shavuot · 17th of Tammuz · The Three Weeks · The Nine Days · Tisha B'Av · Tu B'Av
National holidays of Israel Yom HaShoah · Yom Hazikaron · Yom Ha'atzmaut · Yom Yerushalayim
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