{"id":1615,"date":"2020-12-09T19:09:04","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T18:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2023-12-07T12:31:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T11:31:17","slug":"hannukah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etshaim.de\/en\/hannukah\/","title":{"rendered":"How do you celebrate Hanukkah?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday of light and joy, victory over a great enemy and hope for a better future. And these are just the elements we have all been missing this year, aren't they? So it's definitely worth celebrating Hanukkah! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here's what you'll need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Understanding the Hanukkah story<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Hanukkah candles and how to light them<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Hanukkah dishes<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Hanukkah entertainment (songs, games, readings, gifts)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

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    History of Hanukkah<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Knowing the main events of the Hanukkah story, we can easily understand the entire holiday and its rituals. Things were extremely tragic for the Jews living in Israel in the second century BC. The Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes the 4th decided to unite his gigantic empire, stretching almost 5000 kilometers from Turkey to India, forcing everyone to live only Greek culture. Jewish rituals, festivals and belief in one G-d were an eyesore for Epiphanes. To re-educate the Jews, the evil king ordered severe punishments - up to and including the death penalty - for observing Shabbat, circumcising boys, learning Torah, and other practices of Jewish life. The turning point of this horrific violence occurred in 167 B.C., when the Greeks slaughtered a pig as a sacrifice to their gods on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem. We simply had nothing more to lose!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Matityahu, an elderly Jewish priest, refused to bow to Greek idols and began a revolt against the Greeks with his five sons, who were soon joined by other brave and righteous Jews. After Matityahu's death just a year later, his son Yehuda, nicknamed Maccabeus (Hammer), took over the leadership of the revolt, and, to the great amazement of all involved in the conflict, eventually defeated the incomparably superior Greek army in 165 BC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first thing the victors did was to cleanse the Temple in Jerusalem and rededicate it to Adonai. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means \u00abdedication\u00bb! Since the victory over the Greeks and the dedication of the Temple did not take place until December, the Jews could not celebrate the great fall festival of Sukkot, commanded in the Torah, an eight-day celebration of G-d's presence and blessing. So they decided to simply celebrate Sukkot in December, which explains why Chanukah lasts exactly 8 days. This is how the primary sources tell it (especially 2 Maccabees 1:9). Read more here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The more popular traditional explanation states that during the cleansing of the Temple, where the Menorah (menorah) was to burn incessantly, only one undamaged vessel of pure olive oil was found to light it. And it took eight days to make new oil. But instead of postponing the dedication of the Temple for another eight days, the Jews decided to light the surviving oil and hope for a miracle. And so it happened: the menorah with one day's supply of oil burned for eight days until new, pure oil was made.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In any case, in honor of this great victory and the light of hope that shone on our forefathers, we have been celebrating this joyous eight-day holiday ever since!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How to light Hanukkah candles<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    So, in honor of the eight days of Hanukkah, eight candles are lit - one for each day of the holiday. That is, one candle is lit on the first day, and eight candles on the eighth day. And there are several rules<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. The candles are inserted into the Chanukiah from right to left.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. The auxiliary candle \u00abshamash\u00bb is always lit first. But they don't count - they just light the other candles.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. The candle \u00abshamash\u00bb is lit from left to right so that the candle of the day (n.p. on the third day - the third) is lit first. <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      Messianic Jewish blessing over Hanukkah candles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u00abBlessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us to be a light to the nations, and gave us Yeshua, our Messiah, the Light of the world.\u00bb<\/strong><\/td>Baruch Ata Adonai Eloeinu Melech aolam asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vezivanu lihyot or lagoyim veenatan lanu et Yehoshua mashihaynu or aolam<\/em>.<\/td>\u05d1\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e8 \u05e7\u05b4\u05d3\u05b0\u05bc\u05e9\u05b8\u05c1\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b0\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05e6\u05b0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e6\u05b4\u05d5\u05b8\u05bc\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05dc\u05b7\u05d2\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d5\u05b0\u05e0\u05b8\u05ea\u05b7\u05df-\u05dc\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d9\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1\u05d5\u05bc\u05e2\u05b7 \u05de\u05b0\u05e9\u05b4\u05c1\u05d9\u05d7\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b0\u05b8\u05b9\u05dd<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      She asa nishim<\/strong>:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u00abBlessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, Who did wonders to our fathers in those days at this time.\u00bb<\/strong><\/td>Baruch Ata Adonai Eloaynu Melech aolam sheasa nisim la-avoteinu bayamim aem bazman azeh.<\/em><\/td>\u05d1\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05d4 \u05e0\u05b4\u05e1\u05b4\u05bc\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05b7\u05d0\u05b2\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d9\u05b8\u05bc\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05b8\u05d4\u05b5\u05dd \u05d1\u05b7\u05bc\u05d6\u05b0\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05df \u05e0\u05b7\u05d6\u05b6\u05d4.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

      She-eheyanu (only on the first night of Hanukkah<\/span>):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u00abBlessed are You, O L-rd our G-d, Lord of the universe, who gave us life, and sustained it in us, and let us live to this time!\u00bb<\/td>Baruch Ata Adonai Eloaynu Eloaynu Melech aolam she-eheyanu vekimanu veigiyanu lasman azeh.<\/em><\/td>\u05d1\u05bc\u05e8\u05d5\u05bc\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05ea\u05b8\u05bc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b1\u05dc\u05b9\u05d4\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b6\u05dc\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05e9\u05b6\u05c1\u05d4\u05b6\u05d7\u05b1\u05d9\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05e7\u05b4\u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05b0\u05d4\u05b4\u05d2\u05b4\u05d9\u05e2\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05dc\u05b8\u05d6\u05bc\u05de\u05b7\u05df \u05d4\u05b7\u05d6\u05b6\u05bc\u05d4<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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      Hanukkah dishes<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      Since the dedication of the Temple required oil to light the Menorah, and the traditional explanation says that the oil for one day burned eight, various Jewish dishes cooked in oil are eaten on Hanukkah. Especially popular are potato pancakes and jelly cakes. Other Hanukkah meal ideas can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Hanukkah entertainment<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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      Here are a number of traditional Hanukkah activities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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