Hanukkah ( HAH -n? -k? ; Hebrew: < span dir = "rtl"> ???????? ? khanukÃÆ'¡ , Tiberian: khanukÃÆ'¡ , usually spelled ????? ?, pronounced [? anu'ka] in Hebrew Modern, ['? anuk?] or ['? in the Yiddish language; the transliteration is also romanized as Chanukah or ? anukah ) is a Jewish holiday commemorating the dedication of the Temple (Second Temple) in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Uprising against the Seleucid Empire. Hanukkah was observed for eight nights and days, beginning on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which can occur anytime from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar. This is also known as the Festival of Lights and Dedication Parties .
The festival is observed by lighting candles from candlesticks with nine branches, called Hanukkah menorah (or hanukkiah). One branch is usually placed above or below the other and the candle is used to light the other eight candles. This unique candle is called shamash (Hebrew: ??? ?, "officer"). Every night, an extra candle is lit by shamash until the eight candles light up together on the last night of the holiday. Other Hanukkah shows include playing dreidel and eating oil-based foods such as donuts and latkes. Since the 1970s, the Chabad Hasidic movement worldwide has embarked on a breakthrough of public menorahs in open public places in many countries.
Video Hanukkah
Etymology
The name "Hanukkah" comes from the Hebrew verb " ??? ?", Which means "dedicate". At Hanukkah, the Maccabean Jews regained control of Jerusalem and matured the Temple. Many homiletical explanations have been given for the name:
- Name can be split into ??? ? "," [they] rested [on] twenty-five ", referring to the fact that the Jews stopped fighting on the 25th day of Kislev, the day the holidays began.
- ????? ? (Hanukkah) is also a Hebrew acronym for ? ? ??? ? ???? ? ??? ? ?? Ã, - "Eight candles, and halakha like House of Hillel". This is a reference to the dispute between two schools of rabbinical thought - House of Hillel and House of Shammai - in the proper order to ignite Hanukkah fire. Shammai argued that eight candles should be lit on the first night, seven on the second night, and so on until one on the last night (because the miracle was greatest on the first day). Hillel argues in favor of starting with one candle and lighting one more every night, up to eight on the eighth night (because miracles grow in greatness every day). Jewish law adopts Hillel's position.
Alternate spelling
In Hebrew, the word Hanukkah is written ???????? ? or ????? ? ( ?? nukk? h ). It is most often transliterated into English as Chanukah or Hanukkah , the latter because the sound is represented by "CH" ( [?] , similar to the Scottish pronunciation" loch ") is not native English. Furthermore, the letter "? Et" (? ?), Which is the first letter in the Hebrew spelling, is spoken differently in Hebrew modern (voiceless uvular fricative) from the classical Hebrew (voiceless pharyngeal fricative [?] ), and none of the voices are clear represented in the English Spelling. In addition, the consonant 'kaf' is a gem in classical (but not modern) Hebrew. Adapting classic Hebrew pronunciation with geminate and pharyngeal ? Eth can lead to the spelling of "Hanukkah"; while adapting the modern Hebrew pronunciation without gemination and uvular ? eth leads to the spelling title " Chanukah ".
Maps Hanukkah
Historical resources
Maccabees, Mishna, and Talmud
The story of Hanukkah is preserved in the First and Second Maccabas, which explains in detail the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem and the lighting of menorah. These books are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) derived from the Palestinian canon; However, they are part of the Alexandria canon which is also called the Septuagint (sometimes abbreviated as LXX). Both books are included in the Old Testament used by the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, because the churches consider them to be deuterocanonical. They are not included in the Old Testament books in most Protestant Bibles because most Protestants regard them as apocryphal. Some references to Hanukkah are also made in Mishna (Bikkurim 1: 6, Rosh HaShanah 1: 3, Taanit 2:10, Megillah 3: 4 and 3: 6, Moed Katan 3: 9, and Bava Kama 6: 6) Invitees are not explained. The miraculous one-day miracle supply of oil that lasts for eight days is first described in the Talmud, committed to writing about 600 years after the events described in the Maccabees.
Rav Nissim Gaon postulates in his book Hakdamah Le'mafteach Hatalmud that the information about the holidays is so common that Mishna feels no need to explain it. A modern scholar Reuvein Margolies points out that when the Mishnah was passed after the Bar Kochba rebellion, its editors were reluctant to include explicit discussions about holidays celebrating a relatively new uprising against foreign rulers, for fear of opposing the Romans.
The Gemara (Talmud), in the Shabbat tractate, on page 21b, focuses on Shabbat candles and moves to Hanukkah wax and says that after the Antiochus IV troops were expelled from the Temple, Makabe found that almost all ritual olive oils have been littered. They found only one container still sealed by the High Priest, with enough oil to keep the menorah in the Temple burning for a day. They use this, but are burned for eight days (the time it takes for new oil to be suppressed and ready).
The Talmud presents three options:
- The law only requires one lamp per night per household,
- Better practice is to turn on one light every night for every member of the household
- The most preferred practice is to vary the number of lights each night.
Except in times of danger, the lights were placed outside one's door, on the opposite side of the mezuza, or in the window closest to the street. Rashi, in a note to Shabbat 21b, says their goal is to publicize the miracle. Blessings for Hanukkah lamps are discussed in the succah treaty, p.a, 46a.
Josephus's narration
Jewish Antiquities XII tells how in his book Jewish Antiquities XII, how the victorious Judas Maccabeus commands an elaborate eight-day annual celebration after repeating the Temple in Jerusalem that has been soiled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Josephus does not say the festival is called Hanukkah but "Festival of Lights":
- "Now Judas celebrates the festival for the restoration of the temple's sacrifice for eight days, and does not dispel any pleasure there, but he feasts with them for a very rich and beautiful sacrifice, and he honors God, and pleases them with singing hymns and psalms.No, they were very happy with the resurrection of their customs, when, after a long break, they suddenly regained their freedom of worship, that they made it law for their offspring, that they should hold a festival, worshiping their temple, for eight days and from that moment we celebrated this festival, calling it the Lights.I think the reason is because this freedom beyond our expectations seemed to us, and that it was the name given to the festival.Judas also rebuild the walls around the city, and build towers of great height against enemy attacks, and m put the guard in it. He also fortified the city of Bethsura, that it might serve as a tadel against the distress that might come from our enemies. "
Other ancient sources
The story of Hanukkah is alluded to in 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. The eight-day delegation of the temple is described in 1 Maccabees 4: 36-4: 59, although the names of festivals and miracles of lights do not appear here. A similar story in character, and obviously older at the present time, is one that is alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1: 18-1: 36 which according to him the relighting of the fire altar by Nehemiah is due to the miracles that occurred on the 25th of Kislev, and which seems to be given as a reason for the selection of the same date for altar rededication by Judah Maccabee. The above accounts in 1 Maccabees 4, as well as 2 Maccabees 1: 9 describe the feast as a delayed observation of an eight-day Booth (Sukkot) ", as well as 2 Maccabees 10: 6 explaining the length of the feast as" in the manner of the Feast of Tabernacles. "
Another source is Megillat Antiochus. This work (also known as "Megillat Benei" Ashmonai "," Megillat Hanukkah ", or" Megillat Yevanit ") is still in Aramaic and Hebrew; the Hebrew version is a literal translation of Aramaic. The scholarship recently placed it somewhere between the 2nd and 5th centuries, probably in the 2nd century, with the Hebrews dating to the 7th century. It was published for the first time in Mantua in 1557. Saadia Gaon, who translated it into Arabic in the 9th century, is thought to have come from the elders of Shammai School and Hillel School. The Hebrew text with English translation can be found at Siddur Philip Birnbaum.
The Scroll Antiochus ends with the following words:
... After this, the sons of Israel went to the Temple and rebuilt its gates and purified the Temple from dead bodies and from impurities. And they were looking for pure olive oil to light the lamp there, but could not find it, except one bowl sealed with the seal of the High Priest from Samuel's prophetic age and they knew it was pure. There is enough oil to illuminate the lamp for one day, but God of heaven whose name dwells there is a blessing and they can light it for eight days. Therefore, the sons of 'ashmonai made this agreement and took upon themselves serious oaths, they and the sons of Israel, all of them, to publish among the sons of Israel, [to the end] that they might observe eight day of joy and honor, such as the feast days written in the Law; [Even] to illuminate them to be known by those who came after them that their God forgeth for them salvation from heaven. In it, it is not permissible to mourn, not to decide on fasting [in those days], and anyone who has oath to do, let him do that.
Bahasa asli (Aramaic):
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, John 10: 22-23 says Jesus walked in the Porch of Solomon in the Jerusalem Temple during the "Feast of Dedication and it was winter." The Greek term used is "renewal" (Greek ta enkainia ?????????). The Hebrew word for "dedication" is Hanukkah. The New Aramaic Arama uses the word Aram Khawdata (a close synonym), which literally means "renewal" or "to create a new one." Josephus calls the festival a "lamp".
Story
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Judea was part of the Egyptian Ptolemaic Kingdom until 200 BC when King Antiochus III of Great Syria defeated King Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt at the Battle of Panium. Judea then became part of the Syrian Seleucid Empire. King Antiochus the Great wants to reconcile his new Jewish subjects to guarantee their right to "live by the customs of their fathers" and continue to practice their religion in the Jerusalem Temple. However, in 175 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, son of Antiochus III, attacked Judea, at the request of the sons of Tobias. The Tobiads, who headed the Hellenistic Jewish faction in Jerusalem, were expelled to Syria around 170 BC when the high priest Onias and his pro-Egyptian faction seized control of them. The exiled tobi lobbied Antiochus IV Epiphanes to recapture Jerusalem. As Flavius ​​Josephus relates:
The king who had to be thrown first, obeyed them, and went to the Jews with a great army, and seized their city by force, and killed many of the people whom Ptolemy favored, and sent his soldiers to plunder them mercilessly. He also damaged the temple, and stopped the practice of offering constant sacrifices daily for three years and six months.
Traditional view
When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and service was stopped, Judaism was forbidden. In 167 BC Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus which was erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.
Antiochus's actions provoked a large-scale rebellion. Mattathias (Matthew), a Jewish priest, and his five sons, Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. It begins with Mattathias's first murder, a Jew who wants to obey Antiochus's order to sacrifice to Zeus, and then a Greek official who will enforce government orders (1 Mac 2, 24-25). Judah is known as Judah HaMakabi ("Judah Hammer"). In 166 BC Mattathias had died, and Judah took the place of leader. In 165 BC the Jewish revolt against the Seleucus monarchy succeeded. The temple is liberated and rededicated. Hanukkah Festival was instituted to celebrate this event. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in the polluted place and the newly created sacred vessel. According to the Talmud, purely pure olive oil with the seal of the gadol kohen (high priest) is required to menorah in the Temple, which must be burned all night every night. According to the story, one bottle was found with enough oil to burn for one day, but burned for eight days, the time it took to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. The eight-day festival was announced by the Jewish rishis to commemorate this miracle.
The version of the story in 1 Maccabees states that the eight-day celebration of the song and sacrifice was proclaimed on the dedication of the altar, and did not mention specifically about the miracle of oil.
Academic resources
Some modern scholars argue that the king intervened in the internal civil war between the Maccabean Jews and Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem.
They competed fiercely about who would be the High Priest, with the traditionalists with Hebrew/Aramaic names like Onias who competed with Hell's High Priest with Greek names like Jason and Menelaus. In particular, Jason's Hellenistic reform will prove to be the decisive factor leading to the final conflict within the ranks of Judaism. Other authors point to the possibility of socioeconomic reasons other than the religious reasons behind the civil war.
What started in many ways when the civil war increased when the Hellenistic Syrian empire sided with Hellenistic Jews in their conflict with the traditionalists. As the conflict escalated, Antiochus took the Hellenist side by banning religious practices that had been preoccupied by traditionalists. This may explain why the king, in the total departure of Seleucid practice in all other places and times, bans traditional religion.
The miracle of oil is widely regarded as a legend and its authenticity has been questioned since the Middle Ages. However, given the famous question Rabbi Yosef Karo proposed on why Hanukkah was celebrated for eight days when the miracle was only for seven days (because there was enough oil for a day), it is clear that he believed it was a historical event. This belief has been adopted by most Orthodox Judaism, just as Rabbi Karo Shulchan Aruch is the main Code of the Jewish Law.
Timeline
- 198 BC: The Seleucid army of King Antiochus III (Antiochus the Great) ousted Ptolemy V from Judea and Samaria.
- 175 BC: Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) ascends the throne of Seleucus.
- 168 BC: Under the rule of Antiochus IV, the second temple was looted, the Jews slaughtered, and Judaism was forbidden.
- 167 BC: Antiochus commands an altar to Zeus which was erected in the temple. Mattathias and his five sons, John, Simon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah is known as Judah Maccabee ("Judah the Hammer").
- 166 BC: Mattathias dies, and Judah takes the place of leader. The Hasmonean Jewish Empire begins; This lasted until 63 BC.
- 165 BC: The Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy succeeded in retaking the temple, which was liberated and rededicated (Hanukkah).
- 142 BC: Re-establishment of the Second Jewish Commonwealth. The Seleucids recognize Jewish autonomy. The Seleucid king had an official ruler, which the Hasmidists recognized. It formalizes the period of population growth and religious, cultural and social development. These include the conquest of areas now covered by Transjordan, Samaria, Galilee, and Idumea (also known as Edom), and the forced conversion of Idumean to Judaism, including circumcision.
- 139 BC: The Roman Senate recognizes Jewish autonomy.
- 134 BC: Antiochus VII Sidetes besieged Jerusalem. The Jews under John Hyrcanus became followers of the Battalion but maintained a religious autonomy.
- 129 BC: Antiochus VII dies. The Hasmonean Jewish Kingdom waives the Syrian government completely
- 96 BC: Beginning of an eight year civil war between King Saduki Alexander Yanai and the Pharisees.
- 85-82 BC: Royal Consolidation in the eastern region of the Jordan River.
- 63 BC: The Hasmonean Jewish Empire ended because of a rivalry between the Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II brothers, both appealed to the Roman Republic to intervene and settle a power struggle on their behalf. General Roman Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) was dispatched to the area. 12,000 Jews were massacred in the Roman siege in Jerusalem. The Temple priests were beaten at the Altar. Rome annexed Judea.
Battles of the Maccabean Revolt
The battle of choice between Maccabees and Syrian-Greeks Seleucid:
- The Battle of Adasa (Judas Maccabeus led the Jews to win against Nicanor troops.)
- The Battle of Beth Horon (Judas Maccabeus beat Seron's power.)
- The Battle of Beth-zacharia (Elazar the Maccabee was killed in battle.) Lysias succeeded in the war against Maccabee, but allowed them to adore.)
- The Battle of Beth Zur (Judas Maccabeus defeated the army of Lysias, recaptured Jerusalem.)
- Dathema (A Jewish fortress rescued by Judas Maccabeus.)
- The Battle of Elasa (Judas Maccabeus died in battle against the forces of King Demetrius and Bacchides, succeeded by Jonathan Maccabaeus and Simon Maccabaeus who continued to lead the Jews in battle.)
- Battle of Emmaus (Judas Maccabeus fought against troops Lysias and Georgias).
- Battle of Wadi Haramia
Characters and heroes
- Matthiasahu the High Priest, also referred to as Mattathias and Mattathias ben Johanan. Matityahu was the Jewish High Priest who, along with his five sons, played a central role in the Hanukkah story.
- Judah Maccabee, also referred to as Judas Maccabeus and Y'hudhah HaMakabi. Judah is the eldest son of Matityahu and recognized as one of the greatest fighters in Jewish history with Joshua, Gideon, and David.
- Eleazar the Maccabee, also called Eleazar Avaran, Eleazar Maccabeus and Eleazar Hachorani/Choran.
- Simon Maccabee, also known as Simon Maccabeus and Simon Thassi.
- Johanan the Maccabee, also referred to as Johanan Maccabeus and John Gaddi.
- Jonathan the Maccabee, also called Jonathan Apphus.
- Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Emperor's cousin controlled the territory during this period.
- Judith. Recognized for his heroism in the murder of Holofernes.
- Hannah and her seven sons. Arrested, tortured and killed one by one, by Antiochus IV Epifanes for refusing to bow to an idol.
Ritual
Hanukkah is celebrated with a series of rituals performed daily for an eight-day vacation, some family-based and others communal. There is a special addition to the daily prayer service, and the part is added to the blessing after the meal.
Hanukkah is not a holiday "like the Sabbath," and there is no obligation to refrain from activities prohibited on the Sabbath, as prescribed in Shulkhan Arukh . Adherents go to work as usual but may leave early to get home to turn on the lights at night. There is no religious reason for schools to close, although in Israeli schools are closed from day two for the entire week of Hanukkah. Many families exchange gifts every night, such as books or games, and "Hanukkah Gelt" is often given to children. Fried foods (such as latkes (potato pancakes), donut jelly (sufganiyot), and bimuelos Sephardic) are eaten to commemorate the importance of oil during the Hanukkah festivities. Some also have a habit of eating dairy products to remember Judith and how she overcomes Holofernes by giving him cheese, which thirsts him, and gives him wine to drink. When Holofernes got so drunk, Judith cut off her head.
Flap the Hanukkah lamp
Every night for 8 days off, candles or oil-based lamps are lit. As a universally practiced "beauty" (hiddur mitzvah) of mitzvahs, the number of lights being lit increased by one per night. An additional light called shamash , meaning "clerk" or "sexton," is also turned on every night, and given a different location, usually higher, lower, or to the other side.
Among Ashkenazim, the tendency is for every male member in the household (and in many families, girls too) to light a full set of lights every night, while among Sephardim the usual custom is to have a set of lights for the whole household.
The purpose of shamash is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 21b-23a), against the use of Hanukkah lamps for anything other than to publish and contemplate the Hanukkah miracle. This is different from Sabbath candles intended for illumination and illumination. Therefore, if someone needs additional information on Hanukkah, candles shamash will be available, and one will avoid using illegal lighting. Some, especially Ashkenazim, turn candles shamash first and then use to illuminate the others. So all, including shamash , two lights were switched on the first night, three on the second and so on, ending with nine on the last night, totaling 44 (36, excluding shamash < ). It is Sephardic's custom to not turn on shamash first and use it to light the rest. Instead, shamash candles are the last to be lit, and candles or different matches are used to light all candles. Some Jewish Hasid follow this Sephardic habit as well.
Lamps can be candles or oil lamps. Electrical lights are sometimes used and acceptable in places where open flame is not allowed, such as a hospital room, or for very old and weak people; however, those who allow recite the blessing of the electric light only allow it when the incandescent lamp and battery are operated (incandescent light will be acceptable for this purpose), while the blessing should not be pronounced through the menorah plug-in or lights. Most Jewish homes have special candlesticks called as Chanukiah (modern Israeli term) or menorah (traditional names, quite Hebrew for 'lights'). Many families use oil lamps (traditionally filled with olive oil) for Hanukkah. Like the Chanukiah candle, it has eight axes for added light plus shamash .
In the United States, Hanukkah became a more visible festival in the public sphere of the 1970s when Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson called for public awareness and festival obedience and encouraged public menorah lighting. Diane Ashton attributes the increased visibility and reinvention of Hanukkah by several American Jewish communities as a way to adapt to American life, recreating the festival in "the language of individualism and personal conscience originating from both Protestant and Enlightenment".
The reason for the Hanukkah lamp is not for "house lighting inside", but rather for "house lighting without," so that passers-by must see it and be reminded of the magic of the holidays (ie that the only pure oil found containing enough oil to burn for one the night really burned for eight nights). Thus, the lamp is installed in a prominent window or near the door leading to the street. It is customary among some Ashkenazi Jews to have separate menorahs for each family member (varied customs), whereas most Sephardi Jews light up one for the whole household. Only when there is a danger of antisemitic persecution are the lights should be hidden from public view, as is the case in Persia under Zoroastrian rule, or in parts of Europe before and during World War II. However, most of the Hasidic classify lights near the entrance, not necessarily in public view. According to this tradition, the lamp is placed on the opposite side of the izuzah , so that when a person passes through the door he is surrounded by the holiness of the mitzvot (commandments).
Generally, women are liberated in Jewish law from time-bound, positive commands, although the Talmud requires that women engage in mitzvahs lighting Hanukkah candles "because they are also engaged in miracles."
Light candle time
Hanukkah lamps will usually burn for at least half an hour after dark. The custom of many is the light at sunset, although most of the light of Hasidim later. Many Hasidic Rebbes much later to fulfill the obligation to publish a miracle with the presence of their Hasidim when they turned on the lights.
The cheap wax candles sold for Hanukkah burn for about half an hour so should have been lighted no earlier than the night. Friday night presents a problem, however. Since the candle may not be lit on the Shabbat itself, the candle should be lit before sunset. However, they must remain lit through Shabbat candlelight lighting. Therefore, the Hanukkah menorah was lit first with a larger candle than usual, followed by a Shabbat candle. At the end of the Sabbath, there are those who light up the Hanukkah lamps before Havdalah and those who make Havdalah before turning on the Hanukkah lights.
If for any reason a person does not turn on at sunset or at night, the lights should be turned on later, as long as there are people on the street. Later on, the lights still have to be lit, but the blessing should be read only if at least someone else is up at home and present at the lighting of Hannukah's lamp.
Blessing on candle
Usually two blessings ( brachot ; single: brachah ) are read during this eight day festival when lighting candles. On the first night, thanks to shehecheyanu added, made a total of three blessings.
The blessings are said before or after the candle is lit depending on the tradition. On the first night of Hanukkah, one lamp (candle or oil) was lit on the right side of the menorah, the next night the second lamp was placed on the left of the first but ignited first, and so on, moving from placing the candle from right to left but illuminating them from left to right for eight nights.
Blessing to light candles
? ??????? ?????? ? ', ?? - ???????? ?????? ????????, ?????? ??????????? ?????????????, ?????????? ?????????? ??? ????????. ?Transliteration: Barukh or Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Translation: "Blessed are you, L ORD Our God, the King of the universe, Who sanctifies us with His commands and commands us to light Hanukkah's light."
Blessing for Hanukkah wonders
? ??????? ?????? ? '?? - ???????? ?????? ????????, ????????? ??????? ?????????????? ?????????? ????? ????????? ?????? ?Transliteration: Barukh or Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa nisim la'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'z'man ha'ze.
Translation: "Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time..."
Hanerot Halalu
After the lights are turned on, the hymn Hanerot Halalu is read out. There are different versions; the version presented here is read out in many Ashkenazic communities:
Maoz Tzur
In the Ashkenazi tradition, every night after lighting a candle, the song of Ma'oz Tzur is sung. The song contains six stanzas. The first and final agreement with the general theme of divine salvation, and the four passages facing the events of persecution in Jewish history, and praising God for survival regardless of this tragedy (exodus from Egypt, Babylonian captivity, the magic of the Purim holiday, the victory of Hasmonea), and the longing for the days when Judea would finally triumph over Rome.
The song was composed in the 13th century by a poet known only through acrostics found in the first letters of the original five stanzas of the song: Mordechai. The familiar song is probably a derivative of the German Protestant church hymn or popular folk song.
Other custom
After lighting candles and Ma'oz Tzur, singing other Hanukkah songs is a custom in many Jewish houses. Some Jews of Hasid and Sephardi read the Psalms, such as Psalm 30, Psalm 67, and Psalm 91. In North America and in Israel it is common to exchange gifts or give gifts to children at this time. In addition, many families encourage their children to give tzedakah (charity) as a reward for themselves.
Special additions to daily prayers
The addition is made to the prayer of "hoda'ah " (thanksgiving) in Amidah (three-day prayer), called Al ha-Nissim ("About/about Miracles"). This addition refers to the victory achieved over the Syrians by Hasmonean Mattathias and his sons.
The same prayer is added to the grace after eating. In addition, Hallel (praise) (Psalms 113 - Psalms 118) was sung during every morning service and the Tachanun's penance remorse was omitted.
The Torah is read daily in the morning service at the synagogue, on the first day beginning at Numbers 6:22 (according to some customs, Numbers 7: 1), and the last day ends with Numbers 8: 4. Since Hanukkah lasts for eight days it includes at least one , and sometimes two, the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). The weekly Torah section for the first Sabbath is almost always Miketz, narrating the dream of Joseph and his enslavement in Egypt. The first Hebrew reading of Hanukkah is Zechariah 2:14 - Zechariah 4: 7. When there is a second Sabbath in Hanukkah, the reading of Hagianah is from 1 Kings 7:40 - 1 Kings 7:50.
Hanukkah menorah also lit daily at the synagogue, at night with blessing and in the morning without blessing.
The menorah does not burn during the Shabbat, but before the start of Shabbat as described above and not at all during the day. During the Middle Ages "Megillat Antiochus" was read in the Italian synagogue in Hanukkah just when the Book of Esther was recited in Purim. It is still part of the Yemeni Jewish liturgy.
Zot Hanukkah
The last day of Hanukkah is known by some as Zot Hanukkah and by others as Chanukat HaMizbeach, from the verse read today in the synagogue Numbers 7:84, Zot Hanukkat Hamizbe'ach : "This is the dedication of the altar". According to the teachings of Kabbalah and Hasidism, today is the last "seal" of the Yom Kippur High Holiday season and is considered a time to repent for love to God. In this spirit, many Hasid Jews are hoping for Gmar chatimah tovah ("may you be completely sealed forever"), traditional remarks for the Yom Kippur season. It is taught in the Hasidic and Kabbalistic literature that today is very profitable for the fulfillment of prayer.
It is common for women not to work for at least the first half hour of candle burning, and some have a habit of not working at all times of combustion. It is also forbidden to fast or to praise during Hanukkah.
Customs
Music
A large number of songs have been written on the theme of Hanukkah, perhaps more than for any other Jewish feast. Some of the best known are " Ma'oz Tzur " (Rock of Ages), " Latke'le Latke'le " (Yiddish's song about cooking Latkes), " Hanukkiah Li Yesh "(" I Have Hanukkah Menorah ")," Ocho Kandelikas "(" Eight Small Candles ")," Kad Katan "(" ("Dreidel, Spin and Spin"), " Haneirot Halolu " ("The candles that we light ")," Mi Yimalel "(" Who can Retell ") and" Ner Li, Ner Li "(" I have a Candle "). Among the most famous songs in English-speaking countries are "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" and "Oh Chanukah".
Among the Rebbes of the Nadvorna Hasidic dynasty, it was a habit for Rebbes to play the violin after the menorah was lit.
Hannah Hymn Penina Moise was published in 1842 The Spiritual Song Written for the Use of Hebrew Assemblies was very important at the beginning of the American Hanukkah.
Food
There is a habit of eating fried or roasted foods in oil (preferably olive oil) to commemorate the miracle of a small pumpkin of oil that guards the Menorah of the Second Temple for eight days. Traditional foods include potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, especially among the Ashkenazi family. The Sephardi, Polish and Israeli families ate a jam-packed donut (Yiddish: pontshkes
, dir = "rtl">, bimuelos (fried) and sufganiyot fried in oil. Hungarian Jews eat cheese pancakes known as "cheese latkes".Latkes are unpopular in Israel, which has been replaced by sufganiyot due to local economic factors, the convenience and influence of unions. The bakery in Israel has popularized many new fillings for sufganiyot in addition to filling traditional strawberry jelly, including chocolate cream, vanilla cream, caramel, cappuccino, and others. In recent years, shrinkage, a "mini" sufganiyot containing half a calorie of regular versions, 400 to 600 calories, has become popular.
Rabbinic literature also records the tradition of eating cheese and other dairy products during Hanukkah. This custom, as mentioned above, commemorates Judith's heroism during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon and reminds us that women also play an important role in the events of Hanukkah. The Judith deuterocanonical book Judith (Jehudit or Yehudis in Hebrew), who is not part of the Tanakh, notes that Holofernes, an Assyrian general, has surrounded the village of Bethulia as part of his campaign to conquer Judea. After a fierce battle, the Jewish water supply was cut off and the situation became discouraged. Judith, the godly widow, told the city leaders that she had a plan to save the city. Judith went to the Assyrian camps and pretended to surrender. He meets Holofernes, who is fascinated by his beauty. He returned to his tent with him, where he showered him with cheese and wine. When he fell into a drunken sleep, Judith decapitated him and escaped from the camp, taking his head off with him (the abandonment of Holofernes by Judith has historically been a popular theme in art). When Holofernes's army finds his body, they are overwhelmed with fear; the Jews, on the other hand, became brave and launched a successful counterattack. The city was saved, and the Assyrians were defeated.
The roasted goose has historically been a traditional Hanukkah food in Eastern Europe and American Jews, although the habit has declined in recent decades.
Dreidel
After lighting a candle, it is customary to play (or play) dreidel. The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, is the top of the four sides that children play when Hanukkah. Each side is listed with Hebrew which stands for Hebrew words ?? ???? ??? ?? ? ( N es G adol H aya S ham , "The great miracle happened there"), referring to the oil miracle that occurred in Beit Hamikdash. In dreidels sold in Israel, the fourth side is written with the letter ? ? (Pe) , rendering the acronym ?? ???? ??? ?? ? ( N es G adol H aya P o , "The great miracle happens here"), referring to the fact that miracles happen in the land of Israel, although this is a relatively new innovation. The shops in the Haredi neighborhood also sell traditional shamans because they understand "there" to refer to the Temple and not the entire Land of Israel, and because the Master Hasidic considers it important for traditional letters.
Hanukkah gelt
Chanukkah gelt (Yiddish for "Chanukkah money") known in Israel by the Hebrew translation dmei Hanukkah , is often distributed to the children during the Hanukkah festival. Giving Hanukkah gelt also adds to the fun of a holiday. The amount is usually in small coins, although grandparents or relatives can give a larger amount. Tradition gave Chanukah gelt back to the habits of Eastern Europeans who had long served their teacher with a small amount of money at this time as a token of gratitude. One minhag favors Hanukkah's fifth night for giving Hanukkah gelt. Unlike the other Hanukkah nights, the fifth has never fallen on the Sabbath, it never goes against Halachic's order against the handling of money on Shabbat.
Hanukkah at the White House
The United States has a history of recognizing and celebrating Hanukkah in several ways. The earliest Hanukkah ties with the White House occurred in 1951 when Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion presented US President Harry Truman with Hanukkah Menorah. In 1979 the president of Jimmy Carter took part in the first public Hanukkah candlelight ceremony of the National Menorah held at the White House lawn. In 1989, President George H.W. Bush displays the menorah at the White House. In 1993, President Bill Clinton invited a group of school children to the Oval Office for a small ceremony.
The United States Postal Service has released several Hanukkah-themed stamps. In 1996 the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a 32 cents Hanukkah stamp as a joint issue with Israel. In 2004 after 8 years of re-publishing the menorah design, USPS issued a dreidel design for the Hanukkah stamp. The dreidel design was used until 2008. In 2009 the Hanukkah stamp was published with a design featuring a menorah photo with nine candles lit.
In 2001, President George W. Bush hosted an official Hanukkah reception at the White House in conjunction with a candlelight ceremony, and since then the ceremony has become an annual tradition attended by Jewish leaders from across the country. In 2008, George Bush linked the occasion with a 1951 reward using the menorah for the ceremony, with Ben-Gurion's grandson and Truman's grandson lighting a candle.
In December 2014, two Hanukkah celebrations were held at the White House. The White House commissioned a menorah made by students at Max Rayne's school in Israel and invited two students to join US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they welcomed more than 500 guests for the celebration. Student schools in Israel have been subjected to burning by extremists. President Obama said "these students teach us important lessons for the moment in our history, the light of hope has to live longer than the fires of hatred.That is what Hanukkah teaches us.That is what our young people can teach us - that one the act of belief can make a miracle, that love is stronger than hatred, that peace can prevail over conflict. "Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, in leading the prayer at the ceremony remarked on how special the scene was, asked the President if he believed the founders of America might be able to imagine that an Asian-American female rabbi would one day be at the White House leading a Jewish prayer in front of the African-American president.
Date
The date of Hanukkah is determined by the Hebrew calendar. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev and ends on the 2nd day or the 3rd Tevet (Kislev can have 29 or 30 days). The Jewish day begins at sunset. Hanukkah starts at sunset from the date listed.
In 2013, on November 28, the Thanksgiving American holiday fell during Hanukkah for only the third time since Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln. The last time was 1899; and because the Gregorian and Jewish calendars are a little out of sync with each other, it will not happen again in the future. This convergence led to the creation of portmanteau neologism, Thanksgivukkah.
Important symbolic
The main Jewish feast is when all forms of work are forbidden, and it displays traditional food, kiddush, holiday candles, etc. Only holidays that fit the Bible fit this criterion, and Chanukah was instituted about two centuries after the Hebrew Bible was finished. Nevertheless, although Chanukah is a rabbinic origin, it is traditionally celebrated in a big and very common way. The requirement to position the menorah, or Chanukiah, at the door or window, symbolizes the desire to give Chanukah a high profile miracle.
Some Jewish historians suggest a different explanation for the reluctance of rabbis to praise militarism. First, the rabbis wrote after the Hasmonean leaders had brought Judea into Rome's grip and probably did not want to give much praise to the family. Second, they obviously want to promote a sense of dependence on God, urging the Jews to look in the direction of the divine for protection. They may be afraid of inciting the Jews to another uprising that may end in disaster, such as the experience of CE 135.
With the rise of Zionism and the state of Israel, however, these themes are reconsidered. In modern Israel, Hanukkah's national and military aspects became, once again, more dominant.
In North America in particular, Hanukkah is increasingly important with many Jewish families in the latter part of the twentieth century, including among a large number of secular Jews, who want a Jewish alternative to Christmas celebrations that often overlap with Hanukkah. Although traditionally among the Ashkenazi Jews to provide "gelt" or money to children during Hanukkah, in many families it has been complemented by other gifts so that Jewish children can enjoy gifts like their Christmas peers do.
While Hanukkah is a relatively small Jewish holiday, as shown by the lack of religious restrictions on work other than a few minutes after lighting candles, in North America, Hanukkah in the 21st century has taken the same place as Easter as a symbol of Jewish identity. Both the Israeli and North American versions of Hanukkah emphasize resistance, focusing on some combination of national liberation and religious freedom as the decisive meaning of the holidays.
Some Jews in North America and Israel have taken environmental concerns in relation to Hanukkah's "oil miracle", stressing the reflection on energy conservation and energy independence. An example of this is the renewable energy campaign of the Jewish Environment and Life Coalition.
Gallery
The entire room of the Jewish Museum of Art and History in Paris is dedicated to Hanukkah, through the remarkable collection of Hanukkiyot, in various shapes and designs, origins and periods. This panorama stands as a metaphor for the great diversity of Jewish customs throughout the world.
See also
- Hasmonean Kingdom
- Greetings Jew
- Miracles of oil shards
References
This article combines text from publications now in the public domain: Ã, Kaufmann, Kohler (1901-1906). "POINT". In Singer, Isidore; et al. Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & amp; Wagnalls Company. < span>
Further reading
- Ashton, Dianne (2013). Hanukkah in America: A History . New York: New York University Press. ISBN: 978-0-8147-0739-5.
External links
- Hanukkah at About.com
- Hanukkah in the History channel
- Hanukkah at Jewish Encyclopedia
- Hanukkah in Jewish Virtual Library
- Hanukkah at the Jewish Agent for Israel
- Hanukkah at Chabad.org
- Hanukkah in Aish HaTorah
- Hanukkah in Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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