Chanukkah
Level: Basic |
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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 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.
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.
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 |
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
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
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