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Hanukah FAQ's: Some Hanukah Basics Q: Okay, so what's with the different spellings? Is it Chanukah, Hanukah, Hanukka, or what? A: Because the name of this holiday is a transliteration of Hebrew
word, there are many possible ways to spell it in English. The
"Ch" at the beginning reflects the fact that in Hebrew, the first
of the letter of the holiday is not the exact equivalent of the
English "h," but rather a more guttural, throaty letter that does
not appear in English. Think of the "ch" of the "Bach." However,
it is acceptable to spell it with just an "H" at the beginning,
as we have here, just to simplify matters. A: It's called a hanukiah (han-oo-kee-yah). People usually call
it a menorah, which is the generic word in Hebrew for a candelabra.
But a regular menorah only holds seven candles, and a hanukah
menorah, or hanukiah, holds nine. A: Legend tells us that there are eight nights because when the
Maccabees regained control of the holy Temple in Jerusalem and
purified and rededicated it to the service of God, they only had
enough oil to last for one day. But miracle of miracles, it lasted
for eight days. However, there is another tradition that doesn't
mention the miracle of the oil at all and instead states that
the eight days of Hanukah are based on the eight days of Sukkot,
the closest holiday to Hanukah that the Jews hadn't been able
to properly celebrate while the Temple had been in the hands of
the Greek- Syrian forces. According to that recounting of the
Hanukah story, the first Hanukah celebration was really a delayed
Sukkot celebration. A: There is one candle for each night of Hanukah, plus the shamash,
the candle that lights all the others. This is most likely because
the Hanukah lights themselves were only supposed to be used to
fulfill the rabbinic injunction to "publicize" the miracle of
Hanukah, and not to be used for any practical function. Therefore,
in order to actually light the Hanukah lights, a "servant" or
"worker" candle was needed. While all eight of the Hanukah lights
should be the same height, the shamash is used placed higher or
lower, to differentiate itself from the actual Hanukah lights. Q: How should the candles be placed in the hanukiah? Is there a correct order? A: Yes, there is actually a correct order. The candles should
be placed from right to left. On the first night, there should
be one candle on the far right of the hanukiah, plus the shamash.
On the second night, there should be two candles on the right,
plus the shamash, and so on. There was actually once a Talmudic
dispute about whether all the candles should be lit on the first
night and then decrease each night, or whether they should increase.
The way that won out became the normative way, which is to increase
the lights each night. The reason given is that sanctity should
always be increased, not decreased. A: The candles are lit in the opposite direction from how they
are placed in the hanukiah. They are lit from left to right, so
that the newest candle is always lit first. The helper candle,
or shamash, is lit first, and that candle is used to light all
the other candles. A: There are three blessings said on the first night of Hanukah, and then two each subsequent night. Each night:
BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHENU MELECH HA-OLAM ASHER KIDSHANU B'MITZVOTAV V'TZIVANU L'HADLIK NER SHEL HANUKAH. Blessed is Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, by whose mitzvot we are sanctified and who commands us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.
Blessed is Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who performed wonderous deeds for our ancestors in days of old, at this season. The first night only:
BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHENU MELECH HA-OLAM SHE-HE-CHE-YANU V'KI-YE-MANU V'HI-GE-YANU LA-ZMAN HA-ZEH. Blessed is Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, for giving us
life, sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season. A: The rabbis taught that the hanukiah is supposed to placed outside
the house for all to see. That is why many old hanukiah have a
hook at the top, because they were hung outside the house. If
it wasn't possible to hang one outside, it was to be placed in
a window, still visible to the outside. However, in a time of
danger for Jews, it was permitted to place the hanukiah inside,
where it could not be seen from outside. Today the general custom
is to place the hanukiah in a window. Q: What are special hanukah foods? A: Different Jewish communities developed different hanukiah delicacies. But what they all have in common is that they cooked in oil. Why oil? Perhaps to commemorate the important role that oil from the Temple has in the hanukah story. Below are some hanukah recipes from different Jewish communities.
A: A dreidel is a four-sided top that originated in Easter Europe. It is known in Hebrew as a sevivon. There are four Hebrew letters on the dreidel. Most dreidels have the letters Nun, Gimmel, Heh, Sham, which stands for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham. Those words mean "A Great Miracle Happened There." By the way, today dreidels in Israel have the letters Nun, Gimmel, Heh, Peh, which stands for Nes Gadol Haya Poh, or "A Great Miracle Happened Here." In order to play dreidel, you need a whole bunch of small items like peanuts, M & M's, pennies, raisins, or jelly beans, which are divided between the players. To start, each player puts one of their goodies into the center. Take turns spinning the dreidel. The letter that faces up when the dreidel stops spinning stands for a Yiddish word that will tell the player what to do next.
Q: What is gelt? A: Literally, gelt means money in Yiddish. Traditionally on Chanukah,
children were given coins as presents. These coins were used for
playing dreidel. Gelt also refers to the chocolate coins given
on Chanukah, to be used for playing dreidel or just enjoyed.
Rabbi Hara E. Person was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. She is Editor of clickonJudaism.org, as well as Editor of the UAHC Press. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
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