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Chanukah FAQ |
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What does the word Chanukah mean?
Chanukah means dedication or induction. Following their victory over the Greeks, the Maccabees re-dedicated the Holy Temple and its altar which were desecrated and defiled by the pagan invaders.
The word Chanukah can also be divided into two: "Chanu" - they rested, and "Kah" - which has the numerical value of 25. On the twenty-fifth day of the Hebrew month of Kislev the Maccabees rested from their battle, and triumphantly marched into the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, ready to rededicate it.
What are some of the traditional Chanukah foods?
Because of the central role that oil played in the Chanukah miracle, it is customary to serve foods fried in oil. The traditional foods vary according to country of origin:
Jews of Eastern European (or Ashkenazi) origin eat latkes, or fried potato pancakes.
Sephardic Jews eat different varieties of deep-fried donuts. Greek Jews call them "loukomades"; Persian Jews refer to them as "zelebi," while in Israel jelly doughnuts are wildly popular and known as "sufganiot."
It is also customary to eat dairy foods on Chanukah, in commemoration of the bravery of Yehudit, who used cheese to defeat the Greek general Holofernes.
Where does the name "Maccabee" come from?
The name Maccabee may come from the Hebrew word for hammer, or for hitting. It is also an acrostic for "Mi Kamocha Ba-Elim Hashem!" (Who is like You among the mighty, O G-d!).
What is a Dreidel, and what does it mean?
Dreidel is Yiddish for a spinning top. A dreidel is a pointed, four-sided top which can be made to spin on its pointed base. Dreidels are normally made of plastic or wood, though there are silver or glass "designer dreidels" available on the market, usually intended for display purposes. It is customary to play dreidel games on the holiday of Chanukah.
There is a Hebrew letter embossed or printed on each of the dreidel's four sides. These four letters form the acronym of the phrase: "Nes gadol hayah sham," "A great miracle happened there"; a reference to the Chanukah miracle that transpired in the Land of Israel.
The dreidel, known in Hebrew as a sevivon, dates back to the time of the Greek-Syrian rule over the Holy Land-which set off the Maccabean revolt that culminated in the Chanukah miracle. Learning Torah was outlawed by the enemy, a "crime" punishable by death. The Jewish children resorted to hiding in caves in order to study. If a Greek patrol would approach, the children would pull out their tops and pretend to be playing a game.
By playing dreidel during Chanukah we are reminded of the courage of those brave children.
Is it okay to use an electric Menorah?
Electric menorahs are great for display purposes, and are a wonderful medium for publicizing the Chanukah miracle. But the Chanukah lights used to fulfill the mitzvah should be real flames fueled by wax or oil - like the flames in the Holy Temple.
Consult with your Rabbi if you find yourself under extenuating circumstances that do not allow for lighting a candle or oil menorah. |
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Sara's Kitchen |
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 Low-Fat Potato Latkes
3 teaspoons vegetable oil, preferably canola
2 pounds russet potatoes (about 4 or 5), peeled
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion (about 1 medium onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Set oven racks at middle and lower positions of the oven. Preheat oven to 450° F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by brushing with 1 teaspoon oil on each sheet.
Grate potatoes using hand grater or shredding blade of food processor. Place in a large bowl and add onions, flour, salt and pepper; toss to mix well. Add egg, egg white and remaining 1 teaspoon oil; toss to mix.
Drop onto prepared cookie sheets by the tablespoonful and press lightly to form cakes. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Flip latkes, switch position of baking sheets, and bake about 5 more minutes, or until golden brown.
Transfer to a platter, arranging browned-side up, and serve with no-fat sour cream or applesauce, or both. May be made ahead and stored overnight in fridge. Reheat at 350° F for 10 minutes. Makes about 24 latkes.
Tip: Use the grater attachment of a food processor to simultaneously grate both the potatoes and the onion. Set the shredded material in a colander over a bowl to catch the dripping liquid. When the grated potato-onion mixture stops squishing combine with the egg, egg white and remaining teaspoon of oil as above. Carefully pour out the liquid collected from under the grated potatoes and onions, taking care to save the white cake which has formed at the bottom of the bowl (the potato starch). Add this white stuff to the latke mixture and mix well. Complete the above recipe as written.
Sufganiyot
2 packages yeast
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 or 5 cups. flour
3 egg yolks
Jelly of your choice for filling
Powdered Sugar
Mix water, sugar, juice, and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes. Melt margarine and add to yeast mixture. Beat in eggs and salt. Add flour, mixing and kneading by hand to form a soft dough. Let rise 1-1/2 hours. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut circles (approximately 2 inches). Let circles rise 1/2 hour.
Deep fry at 400° F about 3 minutes, turning once. Pipe in jelly and roll in powdered sugar. |
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Carrying a full line of kosher products.
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| Chanukah in a Nut Shell |
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Chanukah - the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of Kislev 25 - celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.
More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.
When they sought to light the Temple's menorah, they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.
To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.
On Chanukah we also recite Hallel and the Al HaNissim prayer to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of the righteous."
Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil -- latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there"); and the giving of Chanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children. |
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| HOW 2 CELEBRATE |
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 The Chanukah Lights are lit in the evenings preceding each of the eight days of Chanukah beginning with Sunday, December 21, 2008. Please see the section 'Special Shabbat Requirements' for special instructions regarding lighting the candles before Shabbat.
Both men and women are obligated to light the Chanukah menorah, or to participate in the household menorah lighting. Children should be encouraged to light their own menorahs. Students and singles who live in dormitories or their own apartments should kindle menorahs in their own rooms.
Many have the custom to place the menorah on a window sill facing a public through-fare. (If placed on the windowsill, it should be no higher than 20 cubits - about 29 feet - above street level). Others have the custom to place the menorah in a doorway opposite the mezuzah so that the two mitzvot of mezuzah and Chanukah surround the person.
The Chanukah lights should consist of lamps or candles - i.e., a flammable fuel that feeds a visible flame via a wick. The most ideal way to fulfill the mitzvah is with cotton wicks in olive oil or beeswax candles; paraffin candles or other types of candles or lamps are also acceptable, but not gas lights or electric lights. If circumstances do not allow the use of an open flame, a proper rabbinical authority should be consulted).
The lamps or candles must contain enough fuel, at the time of the lighting, to burn until half an hour after nightfall ("nightfall" is the point at which it grows dark enough for three average-sized stars to be visible - about 20-30 minutes after sunset, depending on the location).
The lamps or candles should be arranged in a straight row and should be of equal height. The shamash - the "servant" candle that kindles the other lights - should be placed apart from the rest (higher, outside the row, etc.).
On the first night of Chanukah one light is kindled on the right side of the Menorah, on the following night add a second light to the left of the first and kindle the new light first, proceeding from left to right, and so on each night.
If one did not kindle the Chanukah lights early in the evening, they can be kindled later, as long as there are people in the streets (or others awake in the house).
IMPORTANT: It is forbidden to light a fire on Shabbat, which extends from sunset on Friday evening until nightfall on Saturday night. Therefore, on Friday evening, December 26, 2008, the Chanukah Lights should be kindled early, before the Shabbat Lights, which are lit 18 minutes before sundown. Additional oil or larger candles should be used for the Chanukah Lights to make sure they will last a full half hour after nightfall -- the standard 30-minute Chanukah candles cannot be used on Friday.
From the time the Shabbat candles are lit (Friday evening) until Shabbat ends (after nightfall Saturday night) and until the Havdalah prayer (separating Shabbat from the weekday) is recited, the Chanukah menorah should not be re-lit, moved or prepared.
Chanukah lights for Saturday night are kindled only AFTER Shabbat ends after nightfall.
On the first night of Chanukah, Friday, December 11, 2009, recite all three blessings. On all subsequent nights, recite blessings number 1 and 2.
1. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.
1. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam A-sher Ki-de-sha-nu Be-mitz-vo-tav Ve-tzi-va-nu Le-had-lik Ner Cha-nu-kah.
2. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-a-sa Ni-sim La-avo-te-nu Ba-ya-mim Ha-hem Bi-z'man Ha-zeh.
3. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
3. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech Ha-olam She-heche-ya-nu Ve-ki-yi-ma-nu Ve-higi-a-nu Liz-man Ha-zeh.
After kindling the lights, the Hanerot Halalu prayer is recited.
One is not to benefit from the light of the candles, only from the shamash and other sources of light. For the first half an hour when the candles are burning, it is customary to sit by the candles, and tell stories relating to the holiday.
Work should not be done in the proximity of the burning candles. Women have a custom to refrain from household work during the half hour that the lights are burning, to honor the brave Jewish women who played a significant role in the Chanukah story.
During the eight days of Chanukah, we add the Al HaNissim liturgy to the Amidah (daily silent prayer) and the Grace After Meals.
The complete Hallel prayer (see your prayerbook) is also said in the morning service.
A portion of the Torah is read daily in the Synagogue during morning prayers.
It is customary to increase one's daily giving to charity. On Fridays we give double the amount, to account for Shabbat.
It is traditional to give all children Chanukah gelt (money).
Of course, this beautiful custom adds to the children's happiness and festive spirit. In addition, it gives adults an opportunity to give the children positive reinforcement for exemplary behavior, such as diligence in their studies, and acts of charity.
Chanukah gelt is given to children after lighting the menorah. The children should be encouraged to give charity from a portion of their money.
Because of the great significance of oil in the story of the Chanukah miracle, it is traditional to serve foods cooked in oil. Among the most popular Chanukah dishes are potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts).
It is also customary to eat cheesy foods on Chanukah, in commemoration of the bravery of Yehudit. |
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