Hanukkah - Festival Of Lights December 12-19 ! Historically, we remember Judah the Maccabee’s victorious revolt against the Helenistic Syrians who occupied the land of Israel around 165 BCE. A great miracle occurred with this victory. It was said that only one cruse of oil was found. When the Temple was rededicated, the cruse of oil was enough to burn for 1 day but instead it burned for 8 days! ! In many parts of the world, it is customary to devote one’s life to communal & charitable affairs. The custom of giving money or “gelt” & giving gifts to children & students, is intended to spread joy, while giving the incentive to study, & hastening the coming of the Messiah. Many people have a tradition of eating dairy foods like blintzes. Also common are foods fried in oil, like potato latkes & suf ganiyot (jelly donuts). The traditional game of “Dreidel” is played using a 4 sided spinning top with the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, heyh, & shin on it’s sides. The letters stand for various gambling terms used in the game but more importantly, the letters have been reinterpreted to mean ‘new gadol hayah sham’ or ‘a great miracle happened here’. ! Hanukkah candles are lit on the Hanukkiah menorah, with the family gathered together to recite the blessings. Each night, one new candle is added and lit with the sham ash, until all 8 candles are burning on the 8th night. the menorah is placed in a doorway or a window facing the street so that people can see the lights. Candles should be lit after sunset and should burn for about 1/2 an hour. On Friday night, the Hanukkah candles should be lit before the Shabbat candles.
https://www.sinaisynagogue.org/
South Bend, IN
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