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Judaism 101: Chanukkah   Chanukkah Level: Basic  On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight... these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar. The Story The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society. More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated. According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. 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. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war. Traditions Our rabbis taught the rule of Chanukkah: ... on the first day one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively increased ... [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud Chanukkah is not a very important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavu'ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim in significance, and you won't find many non-Jews who have even heard of Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees, which Jews do not accept as scripture.  The only religious observance related to the holiday is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The shammus candle is lit and three berakhot (blessings) are recited: l'hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles), she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu (a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of year). See Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings for the full text of these blessings. After reciting the blessings, the first candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is placed in its holder. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour.  Each night, another candle is added from right to left (like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are lit. See animation at right for the candlelighting procedure. On nights after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays. Why the shammus candle? The Chanukkah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shammus), so that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don't accidentally use the Chanukkah candles. The shammus candle is at a different height so that it is easily identified as the shammus. It is traditional to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes (pronounced "lot-kuhs" or "lot-keys" depending on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced "potato pancakes" if you are a goy.) My recipe is included later in this page. Gift-giving is not a traditional part of the holiday, but has been added in places where Jews have a lot of contact with Christians, as a way of dealing with our children's jealousy of their Christian friends. It is extremely unusual for Jews to give Chanukkah gifts to anyone other than their own young children. The only traditional gift of the holiday is "gelt," small amounts of money. Another tradition of the holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top. Most people play for matchsticks, pennies, M&Ms or chocolate coins. The traditional explanation of this game is that during the time of Antiochus' oppression, those who wanted to study Torah (an illegal activity) would conceal their activity by playing gambling games with a top (a common and legal activity) whenever an official or inspector was within sight.  A dreidel is marked with four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin. These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham", a great miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil. The letters also stand for the Yiddish words nit (nothing), gantz (all), halb (half) and shtell (put), which are the rules of the game! There are some variations in the way people play the game, but the way I learned it, everyone puts in one coin. A person spins the dreidel. If it lands on Nun, nothing happens; on Gimel (or, as we called it as kids, "gimme!"), you get the whole pot; on Hei, you get half of the pot; and on Shin, you put one in. When the pot is empty, everybody puts one in. Keep playing until one person has everything. Then redivide it, because nobody likes a poor winner. You can play a virtual dreidel game here! Requires JavaScript. Chanukkah Music Ma'oz Tzur (Rocky Fortress)  The lyrics of this song date back to approximately the 13th century C.E. It is believed to be written by a man named Mordecai, because that name is encrypted in the first letters of the five stanzas. The music dates back to at least the 18th century, and possibly as far back as the 15th century. Most people are only familiar with the first stanza, which is reproduced below. This very literal translation is not what most people are used to seeing (it is usually translated as "Rock of Ages"). Rocky Fortress of my Salvation It is delightful to praise You Restore my House of Prayer And there we will give thanks with an offering When you have prepared the slaughter for the blaspheming foe Then I will complete with a song of hymn the dedication of the altar Then I will complete with a song of hymn the dedication of the altar Ma'oz tzur y'shuati L'kha na-eh l'shabei-ach Tikon beyt t'filati V'sham todah n'zabei-ach L'eit tachin matbei-ach Mitzar ha-m'nabei-ach Az egmor b'shir mizmor Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach Az egmor b'shir mizmor Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach A less literal but more singable translation: Rock of Ages, let our song, Praise Thy saving power Thou amidst the raging foes, Wast our sheltering tower Furious they assailed us, But Thine arm availed us And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us. And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us. Mi Y'maleil? (Who Can Retell?) Although the translation is not quite literal, it's the closest thing to a literal translation I've been able to find. For some reasons, this popular Chanukkah song is usually translated with great liberties. Who can tell of the feats of Israel Who can count them? In every age a hero arose to save the people. Who can tell of the feats of Israel Who can count them? In every age a hero arose to save the people. Hear! In those days at this time Maccabee saved and freed us And in our days the whole people of Israel Arise united to save ourselves. Mi y'malel g'vurot Yisrael Otan mi yimneh? Hein b'khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am. Mi yemalel g'vurot Yisra-el Otan mi yimneh? Hen b'khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am. Sh'ma! Ba-yamim ha-heim ba-z'man hazeh Maccabee moshiya u'fodeh U'v'yameinu kol am Yisrael Yitacheid yakum l'higa-el. A popular less literal but more singable translation: Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them? In every age a hero or sage came to our aid Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them? In every age a hero or sage came to our aid Hear! In days of yore in Israel's ancient land Maccabeus led the faithful band Now all Israel must as one arise Redeem itself through deed and sacrifice Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah There are many variations on this popular Chanukkah tune. I've provided singable versions in both English and Yiddish. The lyrics of these two versions don't really correspond to each other, but both versions speak of the fun of the secular trappings of the holiday, with slight reference to the religious aspects. Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah Come light the menorah Let's have a party We'll all dance the hora Gather round the table, we'll have a treat Shiny tops to play with, latkes to eat And while we are playing The candles are burning low One for each night, they shed a sweet light To remind us of days long ago Chanukkah, O Chanukkah A yontev a sheyner A lustiger a freylicher Nito noch azoyner Ale nacht in dreydl shpiln mir Zudigheyse latkes esn mir Geshvinder tsindt kinder Di dininke lichtelech on Zogt "al ha-nisim," loybt G-t far di nisim Un kumt gicher tantsn in kon Recipe for Latkes Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes 4 medium potatoes 1 medium onion 2 eggs 3/4 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted) salt and black pepper to taste vegetable oil Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid.(if using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (you may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add a few dashes of salt and black pepper. (don't taste the batter -- it's really gross!). Don't worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown. Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat OK in a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right. If you'd like to try something a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add some diced jalepeño peppers to the batter! This should definitely be served with sour cream! Time-saving substitutions: Grocery stores now provide many time-saving options for cooking. The substitutions below will save you time in preparing the batter and cleaning up. Sorry, nothing I can do to speed the frying time. You can substitute any or all of these: Substitute 3 cups hash-brown style shredded potatoes for the potatoes (Simply Potatoes brand works well and is kosher-certified) Substitute 1 cup frozen chopped onions (thawed and drained) for the onion Substitute 1/2 cup egg whites from a carton for the eggs List of Dates Chanukkah will occur on the following days of the Gregorian calendar: Jewish Year 5768: sunset December 4, 2007 - nightfall December 12, 2007 (first candle: night of 12/4; last candle: night of 12/11) Jewish Year 5769: sunset December 21, 2008 - nightfall December 29, 2008 (first candle: night of 12/21; last candle: night of 12/28) Jewish Year 5770: sunset December 11, 2009 - nightfall December 19, 2009 (first candle: night of 12/11; last candle: night of 12/18) Jewish Year 5771: sunset December 1, 2010 - nightfall December 9, 2010 (first candle: night of 12/1; last candle: night of 12/8) Jewish Year 5772: sunset December 20, 2011 - nightfall December 28, 2011 (first candle: night of 12/20; last candle: night of 12/27) For additional holiday dates, see Links to Jewish Calendars. © Copyright 5756-5767 (1995-2007), Tracey R Rich  Chanukkah The Story of Chanukkah Chanukkah Traditions Chanukkah Music Recipe for Latkes List of Dates See also: Chanukkah Blessings Dreidel Game Site Index Home Ideas People Places Things Words Deeds Times Jewish Calendar Calendar: Closer Look Shabbat Special Shabbatot Jewish Holidays The Month of Tishri Rosh Hashanah Days of Awe Yom Kippur Sukkot Know Your Etrog Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah • Chanukkah Tu B'Shevat Purim Pesach (Passover) Pesach Seder Pesach Cooking Counting the Omer Shavu'ot Tisha B'Av Elul and Selichot Minor Fasts Rosh Chodesh New Holidays Gentile's Guide Life Cycle Reference Links |
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