What is Hanukkah?
By Judy Campf
Starting at sundown on Thursday, December 7, 2023, Jewish families all around the world begin their celebration of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days, and each evening families gather together to eat special foods, light the Hanukkiah, say prayers, sing songs, and play games. Some families exchange gifts each night, too.
Hanukkah is called the festival of lights because of the history of the holiday. The word hanukkah means dedication and the holiday commemorates a time when Jewish soldiers fought the Syrian Greek army thousands of years ago. During the war, the Syrians tried to conquer the land in which the Jewish people lived and require them to give up their religious beliefs. The Syrians captured Jerusalem and its most holy temple. Under the leadership of Judah the Macabee, the Jewish army fought hard, and the fighting lasted for several years. Eventually, the Macabees recaptured Jerusalem and Judah and his army marched into the Holy Temple.
The temple was completely destroyed. All the holy vessels on the altar were broken, dirt was found everywhere, and the everlasting light set high above the altar had burned out. The Macabees cleaned the courtyard and rebuilt the altar. When it came time to relight the everlasting light with oil, the high priest could only find enough oil to last one day. But a great miracle happened — ness, godol, hayah, shom — a great miracle happened there! The oil in the everlasting light burned for eight days and nights!
In Hebrew, “ness” means great, “godol” means miracle, “hayah” means happened, and “shom” means there, as in there in Jerusalem, Israel.
Each night, Jewish families light candles in the hanukkiah (an eight-branched menorah) to celebrate the great miracle. On the first night of Hanukkah, families use the shamash, or helper candle, to light the first candle on the hanukkiah. On the second night, the shamash is used to light two candles. On the third night, the shamash is used to light three candles. This pattern repeats each night until the eighth night when the shamash is used to light eight candles. Families say prayers in Hebrew and sing Hebrew songs as they reflect on the miracle of light.
After lighting the hanukkiah, Jewish families feast on latkes, fried potato pancakes often served with sour cream or applesauce and eat jelly donuts, or sufganiyot. They play games using a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. Each side has a Hebrew letter to represent ness godol hayah shom. When the dreidel lands on each of the letters, players add or remove gelt, or chocolate coins, from the center of the table. Each player begins with an equal and even number of coins and the spinning begins.
When a player lands on the Hebrew letter “nun,” they do nothing.
When a player lands on “gimel,” they take all the gelt in the center of the table.
When a player lands on “hay,” they put half their gelt in the center of the table.
And, when a player lands on “shin,” they put one coin in the center.
The game continues until one person has won all the gelt.
Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish families and may you enjoy the holiday traditions with your family and friends.
Head to our instagram and message us about some of your favorite holiday memories and traditions.