Introduction
Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday that lasts for eight days and eight nights beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev; Kislev corresponds with late November-late December on the secular calendar. The holiday is also often called the Festival of lights (History 2015).The Hebrew meaning for “hanukkah” is dedication. It commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple, or the Second Temple, in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Though by Jewish law Hanukah is not the most important of the Jewish holidays but in modern time it has become more and more popular among Jewish peoples.
History
The story of Hanukkah began in 168 B.C.E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek …show more content…
A hanukkiyah is a candelabrum with eight candleholders in a row and a ninth candleholder set in the middle above the others. Even though a hanukkiyah is a type of menorah it is different from the menorah used in the Temple, which only has seven branches. The eight candles of the hanukkiyah represent the eight days the oil burned in the menorah and one candle is each night until the final night when all of the candles are lite. Each of the eight candles are lit with the use of the “helper” candle which sits in the middle of the hanukkiyah. This “helper” candle is known as the shamash and is the first to be lit (Wikipedia 2015). Every night when a new candle is lit, the shamash is returned to its home in the ninth candle spot (Pelaia 2015). It is also customary to not only to light the candle from left to right but to place the lit hanukkiyah in a front window so that those passing the home can also be reminded of the miracle of the Hanukkah oil. It is also forbidden to use the light of the hanukkiyah for anything other than being a reminder; this includes using it as a light for the dinner table or to read by (Pelaia …show more content…
The history of dreidel starts during the rule of Antiochus. Since at this time openly practicing their religion meant a death sentence Jews used the dreidel as a cover up. They would bring the dreidel with them while meeting to study Torah. If soldiers came to investigate what they were doing they would bring out the dreidel and pretend to be gambling. This Hanukkah game includes a dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side, and gelt, chocolate coins covered with tin foil. The letters on the dreidel began as Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin; this stood for “A great miracle happened there [in Israel] (Pelaia 2015). After the State of Israel was founded in 1948 the last letter was changed to Pey. These letters now stand for the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Haya Po” which means “A great miracle happened here” (Pelaia 2015). During Hanukah the dreidel is used to play a popular children’s game. The game involves spinning the dreidel and betting on which Hebrew letter will be visible on top of the dreidel when it stops spinning. The children playing the game will usually play for a pot of gelt; gelt is not the only prize used for this game, children also play for toys, nuts, raisins, and other
Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday that lasts for eight days and eight nights beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev; Kislev corresponds with late November-late December on the secular calendar. The holiday is also often called the Festival of lights (History 2015).The Hebrew meaning for “hanukkah” is dedication. It commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple, or the Second Temple, in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over the Syrian-Greeks in 165 B.C.E. Though by Jewish law Hanukah is not the most important of the Jewish holidays but in modern time it has become more and more popular among Jewish peoples.
History
The story of Hanukkah began in 168 B.C.E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek …show more content…
A hanukkiyah is a candelabrum with eight candleholders in a row and a ninth candleholder set in the middle above the others. Even though a hanukkiyah is a type of menorah it is different from the menorah used in the Temple, which only has seven branches. The eight candles of the hanukkiyah represent the eight days the oil burned in the menorah and one candle is each night until the final night when all of the candles are lite. Each of the eight candles are lit with the use of the “helper” candle which sits in the middle of the hanukkiyah. This “helper” candle is known as the shamash and is the first to be lit (Wikipedia 2015). Every night when a new candle is lit, the shamash is returned to its home in the ninth candle spot (Pelaia 2015). It is also customary to not only to light the candle from left to right but to place the lit hanukkiyah in a front window so that those passing the home can also be reminded of the miracle of the Hanukkah oil. It is also forbidden to use the light of the hanukkiyah for anything other than being a reminder; this includes using it as a light for the dinner table or to read by (Pelaia …show more content…
The history of dreidel starts during the rule of Antiochus. Since at this time openly practicing their religion meant a death sentence Jews used the dreidel as a cover up. They would bring the dreidel with them while meeting to study Torah. If soldiers came to investigate what they were doing they would bring out the dreidel and pretend to be gambling. This Hanukkah game includes a dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters written on each side, and gelt, chocolate coins covered with tin foil. The letters on the dreidel began as Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin; this stood for “A great miracle happened there [in Israel] (Pelaia 2015). After the State of Israel was founded in 1948 the last letter was changed to Pey. These letters now stand for the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Haya Po” which means “A great miracle happened here” (Pelaia 2015). During Hanukah the dreidel is used to play a popular children’s game. The game involves spinning the dreidel and betting on which Hebrew letter will be visible on top of the dreidel when it stops spinning. The children playing the game will usually play for a pot of gelt; gelt is not the only prize used for this game, children also play for toys, nuts, raisins, and other