Hanukkah About
Holiday Guide These pages contain sacred literature. Please do not deface or discard.
Hanukkah
The first Hanukkah was celebrated in Jerusalem on the 25th of Kislev, 165 B.C.E. The story begins during the reign of Alexander the Great who conquered Syria, Egypt and Israel. The conquerors’ rule was relatively gentle, and citizens under Greek control were allowed to practice their own ways of life as long as they paid their taxes. The Greeks established theaters, gymnasia and Temples to their many gods. They introduced fashions, manners, language and foods that had been unknown to the Jews. Many Jews were attracted to these novelties, and adopted aspects of Greek culture to their lives. More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, a Syrian-Greek Selucid named Antiochus IV, took control of the region. He fanned the flames of discontent between Jews who had become assimilated into Greek culture, known as Hellenists, and those who were more traditional. Antiochus oppressed the Jews severely, declared himself a god, required Jews to worship idols, and banned the core Jewish practices of Shabbat, kashrut and Torah study. In the small village of Modi’in, the Syrian soldiers were in the midst of ordering Jews to sacrifice a pig in compliance with the edicts of Antiochus. As one Jew was about to comply, an old Kohen by the name of Mattathias rose up and killed his fellow Jew. Mattathias tore down the idol and called upon the faithful to join him and his five sons in revolt against the Hellenists and ruling Syrians. Thus began a guerilla war against the conquerors that lasted for two years (some sources say three years). Judah Maccabee - Judah the Hammer - led the band of fighters after the death of his father, and the fighting farmers of Judea became known as the Maccabees. The Maccabees recaptured the Temple mount in Jerusalem only to find it had been desecrated. The Temple was cleansed and the altar rebuilt. According to the Talmud, there was only enough pure oil remaining in the Temple to last for one day. The oil was lit and a messenger sent to obtain pure oil. Instead of burning out after only one day, the oil lasted for eight days, long enough for the messenger to return to refill the menorah.
Hanukkah at PJA... Leading up to Hanukkah, students at Portland Jewish Academy are involved in a variety of activities. Students receive a Hanukkah goodie bag filled with candles, a dreidel and gelt to help celebrate the holiday at home. Some classes make Hannukiyot - Hanukkah menorahs - that they can use at home. Students engage is a variety of special programs in their classes which include hosting buddy classes. An annual favorite class activity is Kindergarten’s performance of Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins. The Kindergarten students enjoy writing the script and performing for their families.
Playing Dreidel
1. Every player puts an equal share of something – nuts, pennies, candy, Hanukkah gelt – into the “pot”– the center. 2. The first player takes a turn spinning the dreidel. Depending on which letter is showing when it lands, the player does the following: • Nun: (Nisht) Neither get nor put; nothing. • Gimel: (Gantz) Get everything. Then start a new pot. • Hey: (Halb) Get half the pot. • Shin: (Shtel) Shell out; put more in the pot – whatever number was agreed to by the players at the beginning of the game.
Hanukkah Gelt
During Hanukkah it is customary to give gelt - money to children. Not only is it a treat for them, it also teaches them about giving tzedakah - charitable donations. During Hanukkah it is customary to give gelt to children to teach them to increase their giving and good deeds.
Suggestions for Family
Celebration
Children adore the holiday of Hanukkah and love to repeat family traditions over and over. Stick with what your family loves, and consider adding something new. • Try a new latke recipe. (See next page for a Curried Sweet Potato Latkes recipe!) • Make an “edible dreidel” from marshmallows, a chocolate kiss and a thin pretzel stick. • Ask everyone to take a moment to share the best gift they have ever received and the best gift they have ever given. Was it a tangible gift? Was it an experience? What made it so special? • Dedicate one night of Hanukkah to an organization that inspires you. After you light candles, share a bit about the organization’s work with your family. Visit the website together, read a brochure, describe an experience you had, then make a donation to support their efforts. • If your family tradition is to give your children gifts each night, set aside one night as a night to give to others. Go to a store together and pick out a gift to donate to a local drive.
Lighting the Hannukiyah
The ritual observance related to Hanukkah is the lighting of the Hannukiyah - the nine-candled menorah. The candles represent the eight days of Hanukkah plus a shamash - worker candle which lights each of the other eight candles. The Hannukiyah is lit after dark, preferably in a window that looks out onto the street. The candles or oil are allowed to burn out on their own, lasting at least one-half hour. The shamash candle is used to light the other candles, because the Hanukkah candles are for pleasure only. We do not use them for any productive purpose, not even to light other Hanukkah candles. Before kindling the Hanukkah lights on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday, November 28, 2021, (or if you’re kindling the Hanukkah lights for the first time this year) recite all three blessings. On every subsequent night only the first two are recited.
1. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai Eh-lo-hei-noo Meh-lech Ha-olam A-sher Ki-deh-sha-noo Beh-mitz-vo-tav Veh-tzi-va-noo Leh-had-lik Ner Cha-noo-kah. 1. Blessed are You, L rd our G d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai Eh-lo-hei-nu Meh-lech Ha-olam Sheh-a-sa Nee-sim La-avo-tei-noo Ba-ya-mim Ha-hem Bee-z’man Ha-zeh. 2. Blessed are You, L rd our G d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
3. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai Eh-lo-hei-noo Me-lech Ha-olam Sheh-heh-cheh-ya-noo Veh-kee-yeh-ma-noo Veh-hee-gee-a-noo Liz-man Ha-zeh. 3. Blessed are You, L rd our G d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
On the second night, put two candles on the right side of the Hannukiyah and light them starting from the “new” candle on the left, reciting only the first two blessings. Keep on increasing the candles each night, until all eight candles are lit. Because we traditionally do no additional work once we have lit Shabbat candles, on Friday evening light the Hanukkah candles first, then the Shabbat candles. On Saturday night, light the Hannukiyah after Shabbat ends at nightfall. Traditionally, the Hannukiyah is kindled immediately after the havdalah service.
Hanukkah Calendar Sunday, Nov. 28 through Thursday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 5: Light Hanukkah candles after sundown Friday, Dec. 3: Light Hanukkah candles before Shabbat Candles Saturday, Dec. 4: Light Hanukkah candles after Havdallah
Holiday Recipe
During Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, foods fried in oil are featured prominently at family meals. This is to recall the miraculous flask of oil that burned for eight days instead of one in the Temple reclaimed by the Maccabees in 165 BC. Below is a fresh idea on a classic recipe.
Want a healthier, trendier, exotic-er twist on the traditional latke? Try out this recipe for Curried Sweet Potato Latkes! OK, the “healthier” part might be a stretch, but they’re colorful and festive and delicious, which is the more point. In loving memory of my childhood neighbor Gini Shevrin z”l of Lexington, Massachusetts, who always made these for Chanukah and, depending on the year, kids’ New Years Eve (which was celebrated at 8 pm with the clocks all changed four hours ahead).
Curried Sweet Potato Latkes
From “Jewish Cooking in America” by Joan Nathan (Alfred A. Knopf, 1998) YIELDS 16 (3-INCH) PANCAKES 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon cumin Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 large eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk (approximately) Peanut oil for frying
Ben Foote is in his third year as PJA’s Middle School Jewish Studies teacher. He has two children (one a PJA student!) who both enjoy helping to cook but prefer their food disappointingly bland, so maybe curry wasn’t the wisest choice!
Note from Gini Shevrin z”l: One secret - I always crush up a couple of Vitamin C tablets and throw them into the mix - it keeps the potatoes from turning brown, which means you can freeze the leftovers and they will still look and taste good. Wash, peel, and grate the sweet potatoes coarsely. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cayenne pepper, curry powder, cumin and salt and pepper. Add the eggs and just enough milk to the dry ingredients to make a stiff batter. Add the potatoes and mix. The batter should be moist but not runny; if too stiff, add more milk. Heat ¼ inch of peanut oil in a frying pan until it is barely smoking. Drop in the batter by tablespoons and flatten. Fry over medium high heat several minutes on each side until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve.