Chanukah
Spell it however you want Chanukah, Hanukkah, Hannukah is a beautiful Holiday. Enjoy the festival of light by lighting your Menorah, playing the Draidel, and eating latkes with your friends and relatives.
Chanukah History
As we all know during the period of the Second Temple, the Greek kings issued harsh decrees against the inhabitant of Israel; they forbade them to engage in the study of Torah and their practice of Mitzvot, laid hands upon their money and their daughters, outlawed their religion, even entered the Sanctuary, Beit Hamikdash, and ravaged it, and defiled all that had been ritually pure. Only after a long war the Macabees succeeded to enter the Sanctuary where they found only one jar of ritually pure oil that was sufficient to burn only for one day; but they lit the lights of the Menorah from it for eight days, till they pressed olives and extracted additional pure oil. HAPPY CHANUKAH
Chanukah Today
Chanukah is a festival best shared with family. All members of the family should gather and be present at the kindling of the Chanukah lights. Each member of the family, all generations and all genders, should be encouraged to purchase, prepare and light their own Menorah.
Each Menorah should be owned and prepared by the person who will light it, children too. Every evening of the holiday, the proper number of candles, or wicks suspended in oil, preferably olive oil, as was used in the Temple, are prepared and placed in the Menorah from right to left - with today's flame being the last one set up.
The candles or wicks should be placed in a straight row, and even; that is, none being higher or lower than the others, none receding or protruding, and none in a circle. There should also be sufficient space between one flame and the other, so that the flame of one might not be joined to that of the other; and so that the heat of one candle, if candles are used, might not melt the wax of another. TO FIND OUR CHANUKAH MENORAHS, PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK.see Menorah
Traditions of lighting the candles
Lighting the candles in the Chanukiah, the Hebrew name for the Chanukah Menorah, is considered the most important part of the celebration commemorating of the miracle of the Hanukkah lights.
It is a tradition that at least one Menorah is lit for the entire family when in most homes each member of the family and guests uses their own Menorah.
The candles are usually lit after nightfall, when stars appear in the sky when one candle is added to the menorah each night and at the eighth night all of the candles are lit. The candle is lit using a Shamash, server, which is not counted as candle.
Traditionally the candles are added to the Menorah from right to left and by the eighth night all of the candles are lit.
Customary the Chanukah Menorah with the burning candles is placed in or near a window for everyone including passerby to see, enjoy and be reminded of the miracle of Chanukah.
When lighting the candles the blessings are recited. Please note that the first two blessings are recited each night while the third blessing is only recited on the first night of the Holiday when the first candle is kindled.
Chanukah Food
What would a celebration be without food? Come Chanukah we serve a lot of fried food as this reminds us of the oil miracle. So serve your guests or just eat together as a family after lighting the Chanukah Menorah all those things that will make your mouth water, like a variety of latkes or doughnuts. We prepared Chanukah recipes that are easy to make and a lot of fun to serve and eat. TO FIND OUR CHANUKAH RECEPIES PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINKsee recepies
Chanukah Songs
What will Chanukah celebration be without some Chanukah songs?
After reciting the Hanerot Halalu and lighting the candles it is time to rejoice with Chanukah songs.
Maoz Tzur, which translates from the Hebrew as ''Rock of Ages'', is traditionally sung after reciting Hanukkah blessings and kindling Hanukkah lights.
As far as we know the lyrics were written some 800-900 years ago in Europe. The tune we consider traditional in most parts of the Jewish world today is an adaptation of a German folk song.
Maoz Tzur is an acrostic poem with five stanzas. The first letter of each stanza spells the poet's name, Mordechai, in Hebrew: mem, reish, dalet, kaf, yud.
There are many other songs in Hebrew and English. Here just one.
Chanukah, Oh Chanukah, come light the Menorah
Let's have a party, we'll all dance the hora
Gather round the table, we'll all have a treat
Sivivon to play with, and latkes to eat.
And while we are playing
The candles are burning bright
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago.
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long agoChanukah Games
The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, is a four-sided spinning top that children play with on Hanukkah. Each side is imprinted with a Hebrew letter.
The meaning of the letters is Ness Gadol Hayia Poh meaning a great miracle happened here. Each letter stands for one of those words. In America and other places outside of Israel the dreidel traditionally has the letter shin (instead of the Pe) for the word there or a great miracle happened there, instead of here in Israel. We sing: Sevivon, sov, sov, sov. Chanukah, hu chag tov, Chanukah, hu chag tov, Sevivon, sov, sov, sov!
Dreidel, spin, spin, spin. Chanukah is a great holiday.Chanukah is a great holiday.Dreidel, spin, spin, spin.
TO SEE ONE OF DREIDELS, PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK.see Dreidel
Dreidel Playing Rules
Players start with an equal amount of coins or other object like nuts
Each player puts one in the center
Players take turns spinning the dreidel
According to which letter shows when the dreidel lands, the player makes his move
If dreidel shows “nun” you do nothing
If dreidel shows “gimmel” player takes all and everyone adds one , him included
If dreidel shows “ hey” player takes half the pot
If dreidel shows “pay” player adds one to the pot
Chanukah Gelt
Chanukah was always a traditional time of giving, but in a different way than is popular today. The tradition is to give Children Chanukah Gelt, Yiddish for money.
It seems that originally the custom of giving Chanukah Gelt enabled the poor to get the candle money they needed without feeling great embarrassment.
Today during Chanukah it is customary to give Gelt to children in order to teach them to increase in charity and good deeds; and to add to the festive holiday spirit.
Chanukah Gelt can be given any time throughout the course of Chanukah aside for Shabbat. In many homes there is the custom of Gelt-giving each weeknight of Chanukah. GIVE YOUR FRIENSDS AND FAMILY CHANUKAH GELT FROM GANS. TO SEE ONE OF OUR CHANUKAH GIFT GELT SUGGETIONS PLEASE CLICK THE LINK.
see an example
