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Hanukkah
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 Many
non-Jewish Americans mistakenly believe that Hanukkah is the most
important Jewish holiday. Hanukkah is, indeed, an important Jewish
holiday, but there are many other important holidays in the Jewish
faith. In fact, there is much that Americans do not understand about
Hanukkah. Here is a quick guide to Hanukkah… for the gentiles.
What is Hanukkah?
This Jewish holiday is also known as the festival as lights. The
day commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. This
rededication occurred after a successful revolt against the Selucid
Greeks. The most famous and celebrated part of this rededication
was the lighting of the Temple's menorah. (See below for further
explanation on the menorah.)
Why are there so many different spellings of Hanukkah?
In the United States, the most common spellings are Hanukkah, Chanukah,
and Hanukah. The reason for so many alternate spellings is because
the word Hanukkah is originally a Hebrew word, and Hebrew using
a completely different alphabet than English. Therefore, it is hard
to pinpoint a direct translation of letters and words.
Why does Hanukkah fall on different days every year?
In a sense, it does not. It always falls on 25th of Kislev. The
date for Hanukkah is constant on the Jewish calendar. The date just
happens to fall on a different day every year on the calendar that
most of the world uses, the Gregorian calendar. The Jewish calendar
loses about 11 days every year in comparison to the Gregorian calendar,
but every few years a month is added on. This is why Hanukkah will
consistently fall within the same months, but on different days.
What is a dreidel?
The dreidel is, perhaps, one of the most recognized symbols of
Hanukkah (besides, perhaps, the menorah.) It is a four-sided spinning
top. Each of the four sides is engraved with a different Hebrew
letter. In English, we call these four letters nun, gimel, hey,
and shin. These letters are actually an acronym for the translated
phrase, “A great miracle happened there.” This refers
to the miracle of the oil that took place in the Beit Hamikdash.
Essentially, the game played with a dreidel is a gambling game.
Each letter on the dreidel corresponds to an action. Nun = the next
player spins. Gimel = the players takes the entire pot. Hey = the
player takes half the pot. Shin = the player puts one or two pieces
in the pot. To start the game, everyone must put two pieces into
the “pot” – coins, nuts, etc.
What is a menorah?
A menorah is, essentially, a candelabra. In relation to Judaism,
though, a menorah is much more than just a candelabra. It is a symbol
of the miracle that took place long ago. Oil was needed for the
menorah in the Temple. But there was only enough oil to burn for
one day. Somehow, though, quite miraculously, this small amount
of oil burned for eight days. To celebrate these 8 days of light,
Jews will light a single light each night for 8 nights on the menorah.
This is, quite obviously, a much simplified version of why the menorah
is important and the ritual that is connected to it during the time
of Hanukkah.
Is Hanukkah just a Jewish version of Christmas?
No, it most certainly is not. Greeting card companies and stores
often try to market Hanukkah as such, but it is not. In truth, in
the scope of Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is only a minor holiday.
Nonetheless, in a country that Christmas is revered as the most
important holiday, Hanukkah gives Jews something to celebrate around
the same time. Generally, though, Hanukkah is not a time of major
gift-giving and huge celebrations. It is a time of lighting candles,
playing games for gelt, and opening a few gifts.
What is gelt?
Gelt is Yiddish for money. Children receive gelt (usually small
coins) during the holiday of Hanukkah in part to enhance their enjoyment.
Oftentimes, gelt is used during games with the dreidel. Recently,
chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil have become a popular form
of gelt.
What are latkes?
Latkes are tradition potato pancakes (it is the Yiddish word).
Latkes are a traditions food during the holiday of Hanukkah.
Final note:
It is important to realize that this information on Hanukkah
is not complete! There is much more to know about Hanukkah, much
more than could fit into this article.
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