Happy Chanukah, Jewish DU-ers!

[Padraig18]

Shalom! :hi:

[brainshrub]

1. I second that!

Thannks for posting this Pad.

[Padraig18]

2. Please, help me keep it kicked.

:)

[MuseRider]

3. Why thanks!

I, myself, am not Jewish but my husband is so we do both holidays. My boys are undecided so they also join in on both holidays. Looks like I get to light the candles and say the prayer tonight since my poor hubby has the flu, BAD! Poor guy. For me it is exciting to get to do the honors, usually the boys split it. Anyway, thanks from all of us at our house!

[Zomby Woof]

11. I have a question

Just my idle curiosity with too much free time...

I notice on my calendar that Hanukkah begins at sunset Friday, and Saturday is the first full day, and the following Saturday is the last full day.

I understand that the menorah has one candle for each of the 8 days, but what is the center candle? I take it that it is lit every night? Also, I thought (pardon my ignorance, which is why I ask) the other 8 candles were lit in succession, as each night progressed, rather than lighting all nine at once every night. Or is this something that varies in each household, the way other holidays have various customs in other households?

So what I imagine is: The center candle gets lit tonight, the first candle on the left gets lit tomorrow night, then next Saturday, all nine candles will be lit to cap the observance.

I love that DU allows us to learn these things. :hi:

[blueraven95]

19. candles

Candles:

The one higher than the others (usually in the middle) is the shamash, or worker candle. By tradition, holiday candles are not supposed to do any work, so another light is alway lit, and another candle is used to lit them. Each of the other 8 candles stands for one night that the oil lasted. So each night of Hanukah you light an additional candle, that is on the first night the shamash lights one candle, on the second two, and so on until the eighth night when all the candles are lit. (Nine all together). Incidentally, the menorah used on Hanukah is actually called a Hanukiah. A normal menorah has fewer candles.

Please excuse any typing errors, I am in a rush to go celebrate.

Happy Holidays.

[Zomby Woof]

20. thank you Blueraven!

Welcome to DU, and Happy Hanukkah :-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Thanks

[wakfs]

5. Eight crazy nights!

Yeah baby.

[agingdem]

6. Shabbot shalom!

Just spent two hours making potato latkes...not exactly a hear-smart dish. Happy Hanukkah!

[MuseRider]

7. MMmmmmmmmm

sounds good!

[LuLu550]

8. from me, too

Happy Hanukkah! :bounce:

[Kamika]

9. question

Is chanukkah such a big deal? honestly? :)

[Padraig18]

10. Chanukah is a HUGE deal!

Long ago in the land of Judea there was a Syrian king, Antiochus. The king ordered the Jewish people to reject their G-d, their religion, their customs and their beliefs and to worship the Greek gods. There were some who did as they were told, but many refused. One who refused was Judah Maccabee

Judah and his four brothers formed an army and chose as their name the word "Maccabee", which means hammer. After three years of fighting, the Maccabees were finally successful in driving the Syrians out of Israel and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees wanted to clean the building and to remove the hated Greek symbols and statues. On the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the job was finished and the temple was rededicated

When Judah and his followers finished cleaning the temple, they wanted to light the eternal light, known as the N'er Tamid, which is present in every Jewish house of worship. Once lit, the oil lamp should never be extinguished

Only a tiny jug of oil was found with only enough for a single day. The oil lamp was filled and lit. Then a miracle occurred as the tiny amount of oil stayed lit not for one day, but for eight days

Jews celebrate Chanukah to mark the victory over the Syrians and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. The Festival of the Lights, Chanukah, lasts for eight days to commemorate the miracle of the oil. The word Chanukah means "rededication".

http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/story.html

[Zomby Woof]

13. Also...

It fits in with the tradition of many religions having their own version of a winter celebration. It's no coincidence that the Christians' December observance of Christmas did not only supplant the Roman pagan winter festival of Saturnalia (Christ brings light into the world being one metaphor for Christmas), but that the Jewish culture has their own way of bringing light ("Festival of Lights", the menorah, etc.) into the wintertime darkness with the observance of Hanukkah. That thread runs from the pagans to the present: The winter solstice is the darkest day in the northern hemisphere, and the various rituals and festivals celebrate the return of longer days. Even if this is indirectly so - the roots are there.

In any event,if it's important to your family, your culture, your heritage, and your identity, then it's important.

On edit: Saturnalia celebrated the birth of the sun, and Christmas celebrates the birth of the son. (ha, so clever)

Disclaimer: I am an atheist, who takes a Campbellesque scholarly angle to analyzing these matters. :-)

[VelmaD]

14. Absolutely correct Zomby

I always get a warm fuzzy when I remember how the religions parallel each other on so many things. The shortest day of the year is coming soon and we can all celebrate together the return of the "light" back into the world no matter what faith we espouse (or if we espouse no faith at all).

I hope the holidays bring fun and family and light and love to all my fellow DUers. :grouphug:

[Kamika]

16. okay

I just talked to a friend in Israel she went on how she will move to USA so she gets gifts and stuff :) apparently it's a pretty minor thing there. Not at all like Yom Kippur or so

[foo_bar]

12. it emulates Christmas

if that's what you're asking. It's a pretty minor holiday next to Yom Kippur or even Simchat Torah, but this is America. Easter was once a solemn holiday, believe it or not.

[Padraig18]

15. Kick!

Shalom! :)

[Ellen Forradalom]

17. Shalom to your bad self too!

My four-year-old is wound up like an alarm clock. "I love Hanukkah! It's so much fun! Can I have more chocolate?"

[roguevalley]

18. shalom! --from RV, about 300 miles south of the north pole.

[AlFrankenFan]

21. Thankies :)

[tishaLA]

22. Happy Chanukah

and Shalom. So what did I get this first night, you ask? A ricer! Now I can make perfect ghocci, even if I can't spell it.

Had some potato latkes TO DIE FOR tonight. Yes. With sour cream, but no applesauce.

[FDRrocks]

23. Happy Chanukah!