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StartLET'S CELEBRATE CHANUKAH. . .

Chanukah is an eight day holiday that begins on the 25th day of Kislev. Chanukah is celebrated in memory of the victory of the Jewish rebellion against the Greek suppression of Judaism.

Brief Historical Overview

In the second century BCE, during the time of the Second Temple, the Syrian-Greek empire, under the emperor Antiochus, began a systematic suppression of the Jewish religion. Numerous decrees were made forbidding, on pain of torture and death, important practices of Judaism, such as circumcision, and compelling the Jews to worship the Greek idols. In addition, the Greek forces massacred and enslaved thousands of Jews and plundered and defiled the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The Jewish rebellion against this oppression began as a small revolt led by the Hasmonean family, the cohen/priest Mattisyahu and his five sons. When Mattisyahu died he was succeeded by his son, Yehudah/Judah HaMacabee/the Maccabee.

Judah the Macabee led the Jews to victory, driving the Greeks out of Jerusalem. The Jews were then able to clean the Temple and to resume the Temple service. This took place on the 25th of Kislev.

At this point the famous "miracle of the lights" took place. Part of the Temple service is the lighting of the menorah. This requires ritually pure olive oil. Due to the Greek desecration of the Temple no such oil could be found except for one small container which contained enough oil to last for one day. Since it would take eight days to get the required new oil this was a serious problem. The Jews used this oil for the first day and it miraculously lasted for the full eight days till new oil was available.

The Jewish victory celebrated on Chanukah was primarily a religious victory, it ended the suppression of Judaism but the Jewish state continued to be under Greek political control to a large degree. Ultimately, the Hasmoneans did succeed in attaining political independence for the Jewish nation, but this was a long process and was not completed until some time after the death of Judah, the Macabee. The holiday of Chanukah is named after the rededication of the Holy Temple, Chanukah means 'dedication ceremony' or 'inauguration'. 

Lighting the Menorah  

The most well known law of Chanukah is the requirement to light the menorah. This requirement is binding on all Jews, men and women.

The Chanukah menorah is a kind of candelabra with eight lamps in a perfectly straight line, plus a ninth lamp, a serving lamp, which is separated from the others. The eight lamps should not be in a curve or zigzag, and should all be equal in height. Each lamp should be separated from the others with sufficient space that the flames do not touch. With wax candles care should be taken that they are separated enough that they do not melt each other. A menorah can be made from any material, but metal is best and silver is ideal.

All oils and candles are acceptable for the Chanukah menorah. Nevertheless, olive oil is the best oil for lighting, followed by any clean and smooth burning oil or candle. Electric lights are not acceptable. The candles should not be woven or twisted together (in the manner of a havdalah candle). The ideal wick is cotton, but any material which will function properly is acceptable.

Each night of Chanukah we are required to light at least one candle. The standard custom is to light one candle on the first night, two the second night, three the third night, etc. till the eighth night when eight candles are lit. The standard custom is for every member of the household to light their own menorah. Care should be taken not to crowd the lights together so that each light  can be seen separately.

The right tradition of menorah is to place it in the doorway facing the public domain. Today, since Jews live amongst non-Jews, the menorah should be placed in a window facing the public street. If this is not possible then the menorah should be placed by the door, opposite the mezuzah. In all cases, the menorah should be at least a foot off the ground and less than 35 inches above the ground.

The time for lighting the menorah is at nightfall, called tzeis hakochavim - when the stars come out. There are a variety of opinions on the exact time of nightfall in Jewish law. Sufficient oil must be provided to burn for a half-hour after nightfall.  If one was unable to light at the proper time, he can still light as long as the people in the house are awake. If they have already gone to sleep he must light without reciting the blessings.

We are prohibited from using the Chanukah lights for any use. We cannot use them to read by or to light another fire. It is for this reason that it is customary to light an additional candle, called a shamash/serving candle, so that if we use the light in the area of the menorah we will be using it's light and not the light of the Chanukah candles. 

The procedure for lighting

On each night of Chanukah one should gather the family together before lighting the menorah/candle lights. On the first night one lights the lamp to his right, each night we add an additional light/candle to the left of the previous one. Before lighting we recite two blessings:

Blessed are You, HaShem/TheName, King of the world, Who made us holy with Your commandments, and commanded us to light the candle of Chanukah.

Blessed are You, HaShem, King of the world, Who did miracles for our fathers in those days, at this time.

The first time we light we add:

Blessed are You, HaShem, King of the world, Who has kept us alive, and has sustained us, and brought us to this time.

The candles are lit left to right, starting with the candle that was added this night. After the first candle is lit we recite HaNeiros Halalu (some authorities say not to recite HaNeiros Halalu until you have lit all the candles):

These candles we light because of the miracles, the wonders, the salvations, and the wars which You performed for our fathers in those days, at this time, through Your holy cohanim/priests. For all eight days of Chanukah these candles are holy and we do not have permission to use them, but only to look at them, in order to give thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, Your wonders, and Your salvations.

After the candles have all been lit and HaNeiros Halalu has been recited many people have the custom to sing the song Ma'oz Tzur.

Lighting in the synagogue

The menorah/chanukah is also lit in the synagogue with the blessings. The menorah should be placed on the southern wall and is lit between the mincha and maariv prayers. One does not fulfill his personal obligation with the synagogue's menorah.

Shabbos/Shabbat

On Friday afternoon, one lights the menorah before the lighting of the Shabbat candles. Both must be lit before sundown. Care must be taken to provide enough oil in the menorah (or large enough candles) that it will burn for a half-hour after nightfall.

After Shabbat, there are different customs whether to light the menorah before or after havdalah/prayer at the closing of the Shabbat, on saturday night. 

Prayer Hallel

We recite Halle, a collection of prayers and psalms on every day of Chanukah.

Al HaNissim

The prayer Al HaNissim is inserted into Shemoneh Esrei (the Amidah) and into Birchas HaMazon - Grace after Meals for the entire eight days of Chanukah. In the Al HaNissim prayer for Chanukah we say:

[We thank You, HaShem,] for the miracles, the redemptions, the mighty deeds, the salvations, the wondrous deeds, the consolations, and the wars which You performed for our fathers in those days, at this time.

In the days of Mattisyahu, son of Yochanan Cohen Gadol, the Hashmonean, and his sons, when the evil Greek kingdom rose against Your nation Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to remove them from the laws of Your will. And You, in Your abundant mercy, stood for them in their time of oppression, You fought their fight, You judged their case, and You avenged their revenge. You delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the numerous into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the evil into the hands of the righteous, and the wicked into the hands of the students of Your Torah. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world, and You did a great salvation and redemption for Your nation, Israel, as [clear as] this very day. After this Your children came to the Holy of Holies of Your House, and they cleaned Your Temple, purified Your Holy Place, and lit candles in the courtyards of Your holiness. And they established these eight days to give thanks and praise to Your great Name.

Torah Reading

The Torah is read on every day of Chanukah. The sections read are from BaMidbar (Numbers) 7:22 - 8:4. In these sections the Torah speaks about the blessing of the Kohanim (Priests), the inauguration and dedication of the Mishkan (Sanctuary used in the desert) and the offerings of the tribal leaders in honor of the inauguration, and the lighting of the Menorah. This section has special significance on Chanukah because the construction of the Mishkan was completed on the 25th of Kislev. The blessing of Cohanim/priest is also significant since the miracle of Chanukah took place through the actions of the Cohanim/priests.

Customs

One should speak about the miracles of Chanukah with his family.

Tzedaka - Charity

It is customary to increase the amount of charity one gives on Chanukah, particularly to the poor.

Dreidel

There is a tradition to play with a dreidel on Chanukah. A dreidel is a four-sided top with the Hebrew letters distributed one to each side. Traditionally, these letters stand for the sentence: . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A great miracle happened there.

These letters have further significance. In the Torah portion, VaYigash, which is generally read on the Shabbos of Chanukah, we find written, - "And he sent Yehuda before him... to Goshen" (B'reishis/Genesis 46:28). The word "" - "to Goshen" is made up of the same letters which we write on a dreidel. The numerical value of these letters is 358. This is the same numerical value as the word - Moshiach (Messiah), referring to Messiah who will be a descendant of Yehuda/Judah.

Latkes

It is a widely accepted custom to eat foods fried in oil on Chanukah. One of the most common such foods eaten on Chanukah is the potato latke (pancake). Donuts are another form of popular Chanukah food. While this custom is not mentioned in any traditional sources, the most common explanation given is that this is done in memory of the miracle of the lights which involved olive oil. Of course, the fact that these foods taste good has certainly helped this custom gain popularity.