Happy Hanukkah!

For those who celebrate, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights is currently under way, running this year from sundown on December 22^nd through December 30^th. The Hebrew word Hanukkah (or Chanukah) means “dedication,” and the holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabean Revolt in 164 BCE. Like most holidays, Hanukkah is celebrated with a variety of traditions, from lighting candles to eating fried foods, but even for those who celebrate, the history of these traditions can sometimes get lost over time. So today, I thought I’d take a moment to examine the significance of some of the most common Hanukkah traditions.

• The Menorah or Hanukkiah: Although the word “menorah” is often used interchangeably with hanukkiah, they are not exactly the same. A menorah is a candelabra with seven branches used in synagogues year-round, whereas a hanukkiah is a nine-branched candelabra used specifically on Hanukkah. Lighting the hanukkiah is probably the most important tradition of the holiday. The significance is as follows: After the Jews reclaimed the Holy Temple from the Syrian-Greeks, they wanted to light the menorah in the temple. At that time, menorahs were lit with special ritually-pure olive oil, which took more than a week to prepare. Although they were only able to find enough oil to last for one night, miraculously, the oil burned for eight continuous days, giving them enough time for new oil to be prepared. Today, Jews light the hanukkiah for eight nights to commemorate this miracle. Special blessings are recited before the menorah is lit, and traditional songs are often sung afterward.

• Fried Foods: Another way Jews commemorate the miracle of the oil is by eating fried foods. The most common are latkes (fried potato pancakes), but jelly donuts (known in Hebrew as sufganiyot) are also common.

• Dreidel Game: A dreidel is a spinning top with a different Hebrew letter printed on each of its four sides. The letters stand for the phrase nes gadol haya sham—”a great miracle happened there.” (Or in Israel, “a great miracle happened here.”). The significance of the dreidel game is somewhat unclear. One story is that before the Maccabees re-dedicated the Temple, Jews were forbidden from practicing their religion–however they continued to do so in secret. Legend has it that when patrols would come by, they would quickly hide their religious texts and pull out the little tops, pretending to be playing with them. Another possibility is that the amusement derived from a similar 16th century game played in Ireland that made its way to Germany. According to Rabbi David Golinkin, President Emeritus of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, “By 1720, the game was called T- totum or teetotum, and by 1801 the four letters already represented four words in English: T = Take all; H = Half; P = Put down; and N = Nothing.”

• Chocolate Gelt: These foil-wrapped chocolate coins are often used as gambling chips when playing dreidel, however the significance of the coins may have evolved from a few different traditions. One theory is that following the re-dedication of the Temple, Jews used original “gelt” (gold) as a way to reward children for Torah study. Another possible explanation is that coins used to be minted for special occasions and were used as an end-of-the-year tip for itinerant workers. As customs changed, people shifted from giving real money as tips to giving chocolate money as gifts to their children. Also, at one time, Jewish mothers would give their children a small coin on each day of Hanukkah that they could use to buy sugar powder and red coloring that they’d make into a kid-friendly “Hanukkah wine.”
• Gift Giving: To be honest, gift giving (apart from small things like chocolate gelt given to children) is not a traditional part of the Hanukkah celebration. However, as giving gifts started to become a Christmas tradition in the 19^th century, and since Hanukkah generally falls at the same time of year, Jews began to incorporate the exchanging of gifts in their celebration of Hanukkah as well.

Thanks for reading! Regardless of what you celebrate, I wish everyone a joyous holiday season and all the best in the new year.

Until next time!

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Sources: The Most Important Hanukkah Traditions, myjewishlearning.com; 5 Hanukkah Traditions Explained, Bustle.com; The Surprising Origins of 5 Hanukkah Traditions, Time.com; What is Hanukkah, Chabad.org