Chanukkah
Level:
Basic
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Significance: Remembers the rededication
of the Temple after it was defiled by the Greeks
Observances: Lighting candles
Length: 8 days
Customs: eating fried foods; playing with a dreidel (top)
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On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which
are eight... these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of
praise] and thanksgiving.
-Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud
Chanukkah, the Jewish festival
of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day
festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Chanukkah is probably one of
the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious
significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews
(and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish
Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate
gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday,
which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the
suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular
holiday on our calendar.
The Story
The story of Chanukkah begins
in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and
Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing
their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this
relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic
culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks,
in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular
American society.
More than a century later, a
successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in control of the region. He
began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple,
massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and
desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher
animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically
nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah
Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the
forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the
modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt
against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by
the Seleucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple
was rededicated.
According to tradition as
recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication,
there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks.
Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which
was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only
enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight
days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah.
An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that
the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military
victory: Jews do not glorify war.
Traditions
Our rabbis taught the rule of Chanukkah: ... on the
first day one [candle] is lit and thereafter they are progressively
increased ... [because] we increase in sanctity but do not reduce. -Shabbat 21b, Babylonian Talmud
Chanukkah is not a very
important religious holiday. The holiday's religious significance is far
less than that of Rosh Hashanah, Yom
Kippur, Sukkot, Passover,
and Shavu'ot. It is roughly equivalent to Purim
in significance, and you won't find many non-Jews who have even heard of
Purim! Chanukkah is not mentioned in Jewish
scripture; the story is related in the book of Maccabees,
which Jews do not accept as scripture.
 The only religious observance related to the holiday
is the lighting of candles. The candles are arranged in a candelabrum
called a menorah (or sometimes called a chanukkiah) that holds nine
candles: one for each night, plus a shammus (servant) at a different
height. On the first night, one candle is placed at the far right. The
shammus candle is lit and three berakhot
(blessings) are recited: l'hadlik neir (a general prayer over candles),
she-asah nisim (a prayer thanking G-d
for performing miracles for our ancestors at this time), and she-hekhianu
(a general prayer thanking G-d for allowing us to reach this time of
year). See Chanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings for the
full text of these blessings. After reciting the blessings, the first
candle is then lit using the shammus candle, and the shammus candle is
placed in its holder. Candles can be lit any time after dark but before
midnight. The candles are normally allowed to burn out on their own after
a minimum of 1/2 hour, but if necessary they can be blown out at any time
after that 1/2 hour. On Shabbat, Chanukkah candles are normally lit
before the Shabbat candles, but may be lit any time before candlelighting
time (18 minutes before sunset). Candles cannot be blown out on Shabbat
(it's a violation of the sabbath rule against igniting or extinguishing a
flame). Because the Chanukkah candles must remain burning until a minimum
of 1/2 hour after dark (about 90 minutes total burning time on Shabbat),
some Chanukkah candles won't get the job done. On one of the earlier
nights, you might want to make sure your candles last long enough. If
they don't, you might want to use something else for Chanukkah on
Shabbat, such as tea lights or even Shabbat candles.
 Each night, another candle is added from right to left
(like the Hebrew language). Candles are lit from left
to right (because you pay honor to the newer thing first). On the eighth
night, all nine candles (the 8 Chanukkah candles and the shammus) are
lit. See animation at right for the candlelighting procedure. On nights
after the first, only the first two blessings are recited; the third
blessing, she-hekhianu is only recited on the first night of holidays.
Why the shammus candle? The
Chanukkah candles are for pleasure only; we are not allowed to use them
for any productive purpose. We keep an extra one around (the shammus), so
that if we need to do something useful with a candle, we don't accidentally
use the Chanukkah candles. The shammus candle is at a different height so
that it is easily identified as the shammus.
It is traditional to eat fried
foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil to the holiday.
Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes
latkes (pronounced "lot-kuhs" or "lot-keys" depending
on where your grandmother comes from. Pronounced "potato
pancakes" if you are a goy.) My recipe
is included later in this page.
Gift-giving is not a
traditional part of the holiday, but has been added in places where Jews
have a lot of contact with Christians, as a way of dealing with our
children's jealousy of their Christian friends. It is extremely unusual
for Jews to give Chanukkah gifts to anyone other than their own young
children. The only traditional gift of the holiday is "gelt,"
small amounts of money.
Another tradition of the
holiday is playing dreidel, a gambling game played with a square top.
Most people play for matchsticks, pennies, M&Ms or chocolate coins.
The traditional explanation of this game is that during the time of
Antiochus' oppression, those who wanted to study Torah
(an illegal activity) would conceal their activity by playing gambling
games with a top (a common and legal activity) whenever an official or
inspector was within sight.
 A dreidel is marked with four Hebrew
letters: Nun, Gimel, Hei and Shin. These letters stand for the
Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham", a great miracle happened
there, referring to the miracle of the oil.
The letters also stand for the
Yiddish
words nit (nothing), gantz (all), halb (half) and shtell (put), which are
the rules of the game! There are some variations in the way people play
the game, but the way I learned it, everyone puts in one coin. A person
spins the dreidel. If it lands on Nun, nothing happens; on Gimel (or, as
we called it as kids, "gimme!"), you get the whole pot; on Hei,
you get half of the pot; and on Shin, you put one in. When the pot is
empty, everybody puts one in. Keep playing until one person has
everything. Then redivide it, because nobody likes a poor winner.
You can play a virtual dreidel
game here! Requires JavaScript.
Chanukkah Music
Ma'oz Tzur (Rocky Fortress) 
The lyrics of this song date back to approximately the 13th century
C.E. It is believed to be written by a man named Mordecai, because that
name is encrypted in the first letters of the five stanzas. The music
dates back to at least the 18th century, and possibly as far back as
the 15th century. Most people are only familiar with the first stanza,
which is reproduced below. This very literal translation is not what
most people are used to seeing (it is usually translated as "Rock
of Ages").
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Rocky Fortress of my
Salvation
It is delightful to praise You
Restore my House of Prayer
And there we will give thanks with an offering
When you have prepared the slaughter
for the blaspheming foe
Then I will complete with a song of hymn
the dedication of the altar
Then I will complete with a song of hymn
the dedication of the altar
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Ma'oz tzur y'shuati
L'kha na-eh l'shabei-ach
Tikon beyt t'filati
V'sham todah n'zabei-ach
L'eit tachin matbei-ach
Mitzar ha-m'nabei-ach
Az egmor b'shir mizmor
Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach
Az egmor b'shir mizmor
Chanukat ha-mizbei-ach
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A less literal but more
singable translation:
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Rock of Ages, let our song,
Praise Thy saving power
Thou amidst the raging foes, Wast our sheltering tower
Furious they assailed us, But Thine arm availed us
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.
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Mi Y'maleil? (Who Can
Retell?)
Although the translation is not quite literal, it's the closest thing
to a literal translation I've been able to find. For some reasons, this
popular Chanukkah song is usually translated with great liberties.
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Who
can tell of the feats of Israel
Who can count them?
In every age a hero arose to save the people.
Who can tell of the feats of Israel
Who can count them?
In every age a hero arose to save the people.
Hear!
In those days at this time
Maccabee saved and freed us
And in our days the whole people of Israel
Arise united to save ourselves.
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Mi
y'malel g'vurot Yisrael
Otan mi yimneh?
Hein b'khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am.
Mi yemalel g'vurot Yisra-el
Otan mi yimneh?
Hen b'khol dor yakum hagibor, go-el ha-am.
Sh'ma!
Ba-yamim ha-heim ba-z'man hazeh
Maccabee moshiya u'fodeh
U'v'yameinu kol am Yisrael
Yitacheid yakum l'higa-el.
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A popular less literal but
more singable translation:
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Who
can retell the things that befell us, who can count them?
In every age a hero or sage came to our aid
Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them?
In every age a hero or sage came to our aid
Hear!
In days of yore in Israel's ancient land
Maccabeus led the faithful band
Now all Israel must as one arise
Redeem itself through deed and sacrifice
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Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah
There are many variations on this popular Chanukkah tune. I've provided
singable versions in both English and Yiddish. The lyrics of these two
versions don't really correspond to each other, but both versions speak
of the fun of the secular trappings of the holiday, with slight
reference to the religious aspects.
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Chanukkah,
Oh Chanukkah
Come light the menorah
Let's have a party
We'll all dance the hora
Gather round the table, we'll have a treat
Shiny tops to play with, latkes to eat
And
while we are playing
The candles are burning low
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
To remind us of days long ago
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Chanukkah,
O Chanukkah
A yontev a sheyner
A lustiger a freylicher
Nito noch azoyner
Ale nacht in dreydl shpiln mir
Zudigheyse latkes esn mir
Geshvinder
tsindt kinder
Di dininke lichtelech on
Zogt "al ha-nisim," loybt G-t far di nisim
Un kumt gicher tantsn in kon
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And no list of Chanukkah songs
would be complete without a link to the Maccabeats' brilliant music
video, Candlelight, a parody of Taio Cruz's
"Dynamite" that tells the story of Chanukkah. The Maccabeats
are an a cappella group from Yeshiva University, so you know they'll get
all the details right!
Recipe for Latkes
Makes approximately 12
palm-sized latkes
- 4 medium potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup matzah meal
(flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. each salt and
black pepper (more or less to taste)
- vegetable oil
Shred the potatoes and onion
into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid.(if using a food
processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out
liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah
meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (you
may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the
veggies). Add the baking powder, salt and pepper and mix well. (don't
taste the batter -- it's really gross!). Don't worry if the batter turns
a little orange; that will go away when it fries.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to
medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of
your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much
flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the
bottom is golden brown.
Place finished latkes on paper
towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat OK in
a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right.
If you'd like to try something
a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or
other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add
a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add
some diced jalepeño peppers to the batter! This should definitely be
served with sour cream!
I have put a video on YouTube that illustrates some hard-to-describe
aspects of latke making: how deep to make the oil, how to tell when the
oil is ready, how to tell when the latkes are ready to flip and so forth.
Time-saving
substitutions:
Grocery stores now provide
many time-saving options for cooking. The substitutions below will save
you time in preparing the batter and cleaning up. Sorry, nothing I can do
to speed the frying time. You can substitute any or all of these:
- Substitute 3 cups
hash-brown style shredded potatoes for the potatoes (Simply Potatoes
brand works well and is kosher-certified)
- Substitute 1 cup frozen
chopped onions (thawed and drained) for the onion
- Substitute 1/2 cup egg
whites from a carton for the eggs
List of Dates
Chanukkah will occur on the
following days of the secular calendar:
- Jewish Year 5773: sunset
December 8, 2012 - nightfall December 16, 2012
(first candle: night of 12/8; last candle: night of 12/15)
- Jewish Year 5774: sunset
November 27, 2013 - nightfall December 5, 2013
(first candle: night of 11/27; last candle: night of 12/4)
- Jewish Year 5775: sunset
December 16, 2014 - nightfall December 24, 2014
(first candle: night of 12/16; last candle: night of 12/23)
- Jewish Year 5776: sunset
December 6, 2015 - nightfall December 14, 2015
(first candle: night of 12/6; last candle: night of 12/13)
- Jewish Year 5777: sunset
December 24, 2016 - nightfall January 1, 2017
(first candle: night of 12/24; last candle: night of 12/31)
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