Found something interesting today while surfing around

All About Hanukkah

Hanukkah Story

Celebrating Hanukkah

In commemoration of these miracles, a Hanukkah Menorah (also called a Hanukkiah) is lit during each of the eight nights of Hanukkah. Lighting the Hanukkah Menorah is the central observance of the festival. One candle is lit the first night, and an additional candle is lit each successive night. Thus, on the last night of Hanukkah, all eight candles of the Hanukkiah are lit. The candles should be lit by a window or door in order to fulfill the commandment to "publicize the miracle." While lighting the candles, blessings are recited and the ancient chant Hanerot Hallalu is traditionally sung. After lighting the candles, it is a tradition to sing Maoz Tzur.

Hanukkah is a fun festival, especially for children. After lighting the Hanukkah candles together, families (and often invited guests) will eat and play games. Traditional Hanukkah food is oil-rich in commemoration of the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. Potato pancakes (Latkas in Yiddish, Livivot in Hebrew) are a Hanukkah favorite. Israelis eat Hanukkah doughnuts called soofganiot. Dreidel (sivovon in Hebrew) is a traditional Hanukkah game, with game rules so simple that the whole family, from toddlers to grandparents can play together. The custom of giving Hanukkah gelt (money) to children has evolved into a gift-giving tradition in many Jewish families today.

Recipe for Latkes
Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes

4 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
2 eggs
3/4 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)
salt and black pepper 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 a few dashes of salt and black pepper. (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!

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

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 Maccabbees, 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. The candles are allowed to burn out on their own after a minimum of 1/2 hour.

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, Gimmel, Heh 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 n Nun, nothing happens; on Gimmel (or, as we called it as kids, "gimme!"), you get the whole pot; on Heh, 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.

What are the standard rules for a draidel game?
by Rabbi Naftali Silberberg

There are many ways to play the game; the following is one of the most popular ways:
Everyone puts the ante, usually a penny, nickel or dime, in the pot.

The first person spins the draidel. (For the sake of shortning the game, many people will knock down the draidel, instead of waiting the 10-15 seconds for the draidel to fall itself).

There are four Hebrew letters on the draidel.

If the draidel lands on the Nun, nothing happens and the next person spins. Nun stands for the Yiddish word "nisht," which means "nothing."

If the draidel lands on the gimmel, you win the entire pot and the next round commences. Gimmel stands for the Yiddish word "gantz," which means "whole."

If the draidel lands on the hay, you take half the pot and the round continues. Hay stands for the Yiddish word "halb," which means "half."

If the draidel lands on the shin, you have to add the equivalent of the ante to the pot. Shin stands for the Yiddish word "Shenk," which means "give."

another recipe for Chanukah Latkes
by Spice and Spirit

By the light of the Chanukah Menorah, young and old enjoy this crisp, holiday treat!

Ingredients:

5 large potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
? tsp. pepper
? cup oil for frying

Use: 10-inch skillet
Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Grate potatoes and onion on the fine side of a grater, or in a food processor; or put in a blender with a little water.

Strain grated potatoes and onion through a colander, pressing out excess water. Add eggs, flour, and seasoning. Mix well.

Heat ? cup oil in skillet. Lower flame and place 1 large tablespoon batter at a time into hot sizzling oil and fry on one side for approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. Turn over and fry on other side 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue with remaining batter until used up, adding more oil when necessary.

Serve with applesauce on the side.

Variation: Zucchini or Carrot Latkes: Substitute 5 medium zucchini or 5 medium carrots for potatoes.

Shalom all!

Check out this link for one messianic perspective:

http://ffoz.org/magazine/archives/category/holy_appointments/000215.shtml#000215

Here's another interesting one:

http://biblicalholidays.com/Hanukkah/messiah_in_hanukkah.htm

Originally posted by Yaffa:

Shalom all!

Check out this link for one messianic perspective:

http://ffoz.org/magazine/archives/category/holy_appointments/000215.shtml#000215

Originally posted by Yaffa:

Here's another interesting one:

http://biblicalholidays.com/Hanukkah/messiah_in_hanukkah.htm

Chanukah

The uniqueness of the holiday of Chanuka is apparent in the fact that it is so widely celebrated amongst the Jews the world over and no matter what their level of Jewish observance is. It is not only that Chanuka has the "good fortune" of always falling in the month of December that accounts for this level of interest in it. This is definitely a factor, but I do not believe it to be the deciding factor. I think rather that Chanuka represents the last refuge of Jews who want to be Jewish but are unable to verbalize or express in their actions that inner desire. So, Jews allow Chanuka to speak for us. For Chanuka declares clearly that there is a God in the world, that there are basic principles of faith and godly behavior that are worth great sacrifices, that a little light can overcome a sea of darkness and that God demands a certain greatness from the Jewish people and He will perform miracles to guarantee human realization of His presence in world events. Jews really believe in these ideas but somehow they are not publicly expressed in our lives. It may be that in our modern world that has cast away so much of the positive of the past, it is embarrassing to mouth these eternal truths. Certainly in this century when Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler and other representatives of the new, modern, progressive world, were ascendant, the lights of Chanuka were certainly dim and the ideas they represented were only capable of being whispered but not proclaimed. So the Jewish person retreated into Chanuka and let the holiday itself speak for them and their inner being and hopes.

One of the qualities of Chanuka, which the Talmud emphasizes, is the concept of pirsuma nissa - the requirement to publicize and make known the miracle of Chanuka. Thus the lights of Chanuka are lit in a window that opens to the outside street. In Israel we light the lights of Chanuka in the passageway of our outside doors so that they shine on the street and the passerbys. The lights of Chanuka, the symbol of the miracle and the lessons of this holiday, thereby become a public statement of Jewish faith and of our deepest instincts and godly intuition. What we cannot say in words, either out of ignorance, shame, or weakness, we say therefore with the lights of Chanuka themselves.

The problems in Jewish life that Chanuka records for us are still present today in the Jewish world. The Hellenistic Jews no longer go by that name but their program of advocating unchecked Jewish assimilation, no matter what the cost, still lives on. There are other Jews in our time that advocate putting all of our trust in our own might and power, even though all of the history of the events of this bloody century seem to deny the validity of such a strategy. There are still other Jews that are blind to the realities of being subjugated and are unappreciative of the benefits, spiritual and physical, of being an independent nation. All of these groups existed within the Jewish world of the Hasmoneans almost twenty-two centuries ago. The victory and miracles of Chanuka stand as a stark reminder to all of us that we have been through this trial once before. A wise people learn from its past history. Chanuka and its lights are a powerful memory aid for all of us.

The Torah records for us in this week's reading the story of the fulfillment of Yosef's dreams. The Torah reading of Miketz almost invariably coincides with the Sabbath of Chanuka. The message here is also clear. Chanuka and Jewish dreams are inseparable. In order to have a meaningful, spiritual, Jewish life, one must be a dreamer. One must have a maximum vision of one's self and one's importance and contributions to Jewish life and destiny. Without that vision, it is difficult to appreciate the lights of Chanuka. For Chanuka not only commemorates our past, it is meant to illustrate our future. It gives hope for our dreams' fulfillment and a sense of confidence - Jewish confidence - that somehow all will yet be right for us and for all of humankind.

Happy Chanuka.
Rabbi Berel Wein

Today's Chanuka Miracle

By Rabbi David Begoun
Although we generally relate to the holiday Chanuka as being of Rabbinic origin, Chasam Sofer (1) explains that the obligation to establish a festival on the day on which a miracle occurred is, in fact, a Torah requirement. Rabbi Sofer writes, “therefore observing the days of Purim and Chanuka are indeed a Torah obligation and one who fails to do so is nullifying a positive precept in the Torah.” It is a long-standing Jewish custom to hold celebratory meals during Chanuka to provide an opportunity to sing and recite praises to G-d for the miracles He performed on our behalf. Doing so, explains Rabbi Sofer, is the fulfillment of a positive Torah commandment.

How does the consumption of a temporal meal express our gratitude for Divine benevolence? Indeed, this custom has its origins in the Torah itself. The general law regarding the Temple peace-offerings is that the one bringing the offering is allowed two days and one night to consume the meat. The exception is one who brings a “thanksgiving offering,” for surviving a life-threatening crisis, who is only allotted until midnight of the same day to eat the meat and the forty accompanying loaves. This, Abarbanel (2) explains, serves to publicize the miracle that the individual experienced. As it is impossible for him to consume that volume in such a limited time, he will be forced to invite friends and neighbors to participate in the feast. Throughout the course of the meal the guests are bound to inquire as to the events that warranted this banquet, and the host will inevitably detail the miracles and wonders that G-d performed on his behalf. Had he been allowed two days and a night to consume the offering, as is the case with all other peace-offerings, the miraculous events would likely go unknown. In this sense, holding a festive Chanuka meal becomes a vehicle for broadcasting the awesome events that occurred and, according to Rabbi Sofer, is therefore considered to be the fulfillment of a Torah commandment.

Further, a thanksgiving feast can serve the dual purpose of helping us to recover a fraction of the initial feelings of gratitude that our ancestors felt at the time these events transpired. Medrash Tanchuma relates that when Yosef returned from his father’s funeral he passed the pit into which he had been cast years earlier, and stopped to recite the blessing, “Blessed is the One who performed a miracle for me in this place.” His brothers, watching this take place, became fearful that Yosef would now seek revenge for having left him to die in the pit. Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz(3) points out, however, that there should have been no reason for the brothers to be fearful as Yosef was merely fulfilling his religious obligation to recite the blessing upon seeing a place where one experienced a miracle. Rabbi Shmulevitz explains that the brothers’ fear resulted in hearing that Yosef recited this blessing using G-d’s name. One is only allowed to do so if he is currently experiencing the same degree of emotion as when the actual event occurred, otherwise he must omit G-d’s name from the blessing. When the brothers heard Yosef including G-d’s name in the blessing they realized that Yosef was reliving the events in vivid detail, and they now feared he would seek revenge.

So, too, is our Chanuka celebration today. In discussing and relating the details of the awesome events that transpired we are able to reawaken the original feelings of gratitude and appreciation for G-d’s constant protection of His people and deepen our awareness of the reality that He is slowly leading us towards the fulfillment of our ultimate destiny.

Have a Good Shabbos and a Happy Chanuka!

(1) Rabbi Moshe Sofer of Pressburg; 1762-1839; acknowledged leader of Hungarian Jewry of the time; in his Responsa, Yoreh De’ah 233

(2) Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel of Lisbon; 1437-1508; Torah scholar, financier, Spanish Royal Minister, Kabbalist and leader of the Spanish Jewish community; in his Responsa, Parshas Tzav 17

(3) Rosh Yeshiva/Dean of the Mir Yeshiva, who led his students from the ashes of the European Holocaust to the glory of Jerusalem

Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann
Thank Goodness for Small Miracles

Parshas Vayeishev, of course, centers around mechiras Yosef, the sale of Yosef to the Egyptians. The original plan to kill Yosef was averted when Yehuda suggested that instead of killing him, they could simply sell Yosef as a slave. In the spirit of the dictum of Chazal, our Sages, that, "Hashem creates the solution to the problem before he creates the problem (Megillah 13b)," even before the Torah introduces Yehuda's suggestion, it describes the caravan of Ishmaelites that were ultimately to become Yosef's purchasers/saviours (37:25):

They sat to eat food; they raised their eyes and saw: Behold - a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, their camels bearing spices, balsam, and lotus, on their way to bring [the spices] down to Egypt.

Rashi (ibid.) questions the need for the Torah to apprise us of what the Ishmaelites were carrying:

Why did the Torah publicize their load?... Normally, Arabs [in those times] transported foul smelling cargo, such as naphthalene and tar. But in order to spare Yosef from their offensive odor, Hashem arranged that this caravan be an exception [and carry fragrant spices].

It kind of makes you wonder: If, on a scale of life-harrowing experiences from one to one hundred, being sold into slavery by your own brothers to a tar-bearing caravan ranks say a 95, then what does being sold into slavery by your brothers to a spice-bearing caravan rank? - Perhaps a 94.99? After such a distressing and life-changing occurrence, was the cargo of his abductors really cause for celebration?

Everyone knows the story of Chanukah: The occupying Greek forces overtook the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) and defiled all its vessels. A three-year war ensued, and ultimately a small, untrained Jewish army comprised mainly of Torah scholars emerged victorious. A small jar of pure, undefiled, olive oil was found which should have only been capable of burning for one day. To produce new oil would take a full eight days. The Jews lit the Menorah for one night, and a miracle occurred and the one-day oil lasted for a full eight days. In gratitude for this miracle, our Sages decreed that every year we should light Chanukah candles for eight days.

The part of the Chanukah story that usually eludes us, however, is this: How many days until that point had the Beis HaMikdash stood barren, and the Holy Menorah bereft of her lights? On a grand scale, is the difference between three years of destitution, or three years and seven days of destitution, so great that it is a cause for celebration and Yom Tov?

A woman calls her husband to chat while he's at work. "I'm sorry," he says, "but I'm up to my neck in work here. Maybe we can talk later."

"But I've got something important to tell you. Actually, I've got good news and bad news - which would you like first?"

"Okay, but I've really got no time now - just give me the good news."

"Well - the air bag works."

Perhaps the above questions, puzzling as they may at first seem, are in fact erroneously rooted in the perfectionist, excessively-indulgent attitude of self-centeredness that permeates modern society. When everything works out just the way we expected, when things go just as planned, then there is cause for thanks and celebration. But if, Heaven forbid, there was a hitch in our daily routine; the doctor kept us waiting, someone broke our favorite coffee mug, or - and this is certainly the most distressing of all - someone messed up our carpool arrangements, then, as they say in Yiddish, we have every reason to be ois mentsch! How dare someone (or G-d for that matter) have the audacity to completely ruin our otherwise picture-perfect day! Let's face it: The conveniences of the "civilized world" have produced a generation of shamelessly spoiled brats.

How different and refreshing, then, is the attitude of the Torah and Chazal. Not only is a bad-sheitel day not due cause for mourning and lamentation - to the contrary: A small measure of grace, hidden within a mountain of hardship and adversity, is still reason for joy and gratefulness. The Torah, in its description of Yosef's abductors, and Chazal, in their formation of the mitzvah of Neiros Chanukah, are impressing upon us the need to seek the good within bad, and not to focus on the negative. Instead of declaring a national day of sadness over the bitter war and destruction, we focus on the small measure of goodness granted us by G-d: The candles were able to burn for seven more days!

As we gaze intently at our Chanukah candles this Sunday night, perhaps it is an appropriate time to ponder over the small (or large) sparks of light and joy within our lives, and remember that small miracles are cause for celebration too.

Have a good Shabbos, and a freilichen Chanukah.

Dear Friends,

As we enter the Feast of Dedication (i.e. Hanukkah) this Friday evening, let us remember that we are following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah, who also observed Hanukkah during His time with us (John 10:22-23).

Keep in mind that Hanukkah is a story about religious persecution against God’s Torah (Law) and those who follow His Commandments. Jesus even used events in the Hanukkah story to warn us that they will happen again during the reign of the antichrist in the last days (Mark 13:13-16; Matt. 24:15-1. Consequently, Hanukkah serves as a time of testing that God uses to call His people away from pagan celebrations and back to the biblical feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23).

Hanukkah is also called the "Festival Lights" which calls us to use the light of Torah (Pr. 6:23) to cleanse our human temples from worldly defilement. In doing this, we are changed from glory to glory into the image of Jesus (2 Cor. 3:1, who is the light of the world (John 12:.

We at Ascension Ministries, wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah. And we pray that the Holy One of Israel enlighten your hearts and strengthen your resolve to return to the ancient paths of His Torah and walk fully in His ways (Jer. 6:16) as together we prepare the way of the Lord.

In God's Love,

Norm Franz