December 6 -- Hanukkah Day One -- Lights

Because Hanukkah is an extended holiday -- eight crazy nights after all -- I will break this explanation up to discuss eight different aspects of celebration.

Festival of Lights
Most non-Jewish people know that Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, celebrated with the lighting of candles in a menorah and often associated with the dreidle game. But few know about the reason we celebrate the lights. Based on the story from the Apocrypha books -- Maccabees I & II -- Syrian officials desecrated the Holy Temple and outlawed public celebrations of Jewish holidays as they tried to replace the Jewish God with their Greek idols. Jews had two options: conversion or death. Though outnumbered, Judah Maccabees led a revolt against the Syrians and miraculously won two heroic battles. Hanukkah translates to "dedication". It is a reminder to Jews to rededicate themselves to their religion and rise up against those who would try to destroy it. Though the books of Maccabees made no mention of the story of the oil lamp that has become so closely associated with Hanukkah, the holiday was originally intended to parallel the eight day long festival of Sukkot, in which Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple. Centuries later the oil lamp story appeared in the Talmud. The legend goes that after Maccabees reclaimed the Temple from the Greeks, he immediately relit the ner tamid (eternal light) -- a candle that is still paralleled in synagogues to this day. But there was only one jar of oil, enough to last only one night. They sent a messenger for more oil, but it would be an eight day journey. Miraculously, the single jar of oil continued to burn until the messenger returned with more oil. It is this miracle that we celebrate during the eight days of Hanukkah.

The menorah, a candelabra holding nine candles, is meant to represent the eight days that the oil burned. The middle candle is called the Shamash. It is a utilitarian candle that sits a bit higher than the others and is used to illuminate and to light the other candles. It is preferred that one use olive oil and a cotton wick, but nowadays even electronic menorahs are a popular way to display one's faith. There are two preferred placements for a menorah: either in a window where passersby can see or in the doorway opposite the mezuzah -- a parchment scroll, containing portions of the Shema, fixed to the doorpost of a Jewish home. Menorah candles must burn for thirty minutes. Some light theirs just after sundown, while others wait until the first stars appear in the sky, but the ritual can be postponed if waiting for a family member who wants to be present during the lighting, as long as it is lit at least a half-hour before dawn. Light the Shamash and use it to light the candles, one for each night.

Because I had to work the first night of Hanukkah, I was unable to be present for the first night's lighting. My husband discovered quickly that it was unwise to leave all the candles in the menorah while lighting only the Shamash and the first night's, as the heat from them started to melt the other candles. He was able to remove the unlit ones before much damage was done.

If it looks like they are all lit, it's because they might kind of all be melting. Whoops!

We found on the third night that we had been placing them incorrectly on the menorah-- they are to be added from right to left, but lit from left to right. We turned the menorah around to correct our error. Rookie mistakes. I wonder if all new Jews make this mistake. Maybe only the converts. I suppose most have elders who teach them the proper rituals from an early age. My husband* felt really bad about his blunders and asked, "Am I a bad Jew for not realizing these things?" I told him, "I think you are probably a good Jew for feeling guilty about it." A little Semitic humor.

Where is that mirror-flip option on the editing?

We were disappointed at the Hanukkah selection in most stores. We went to Party City, Walmart, Hallmark, Hobby Lobby, Christmas Tree Shoppes, and Michael's, before finally finding a suitable menorah at Target in their tiny Hanukkah display. Some stores had no Hanukkah supplies at all, some only the bare minimum. We got our geld and dreidle from Party City -- more on the games later.

We found great Hanukkah candles at Christmas Tree Shoppes. The package comes with 45 beeswax candles, exactly enough for each day. (Which meant no room for error on that first day when the others began to melt!) The candles are meant to burn for just over a half-hour. When I timed it on the second night, they burned for about 45 minutes.

Osiris, our cat, likes the pretty lights.

On the first night of lighting, we say the following blessing, but only on this night:
"Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higianu laz'man hazeh," which means, "Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season."

Then, each night as we light the Shamash, we say:
"Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah," which means, "Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."

And as we light the subsequent lights for each night, we say:
"Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim laavoteinu v'imoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz'man hazeh," which means, "Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who performed wondrous deeds for our ancestors in days of old at this season."

And while the lights burn, we sing songs like Hanerot Halalu or Hava Nagila, dance the horah, and play games like dreidle. More on the music later.

(*Husband is born and raised Lutheran Christian, not Jewish at all, though he is enjoying learning about their religion and history.)