THIS IS PROMPTED BY A NEW YORK TIMES SLAM of yet another Jewish “thing.”
The NYT published a letter from a woman who wrote that neither she nor her wife (correct) intended to raise their children as Jews.
Why SHOULD they?
Neither is Jewish.
The writer’s father was a non-observant Jew married to a Roman Catholic and the writer’s “wife” is a non-practicing Roman Catholic.
For the moment forget WHY the NYT decided to print a “Hanuka story” that trashed the holiday.
So much for Jews controlling the media.
The letter writer’s ignorance of anything “Jewish” is astounding, but — unfortunately — not surprising given her background.
She complained that she didn’t know what the Hebrew words meant.
She COULD have read the blessings in whatever language she knew best.
Her father could have read the blessings in whatever language he knew best.
But obviously the father was as ignorant as his daughter — and apparently preferred it that way.
Perhaps the writer’s next epistle to the NYT will trash Pesach or Yom Kippor.
Surely the NYT will find space for her next screed.
Hanukah “hagadah”
MAYBE WE NEED a Hanukah “hagadah” similar in purpose to the Pesach hagadah.
If not a hagadah, perhaps a Hanukah story akin to the Purim story, although unlike Hanukah, Purim did “make the cut” as the Book of Esther.
The basic story is in the first Book of Maccabees. 1 This would be the basis for a Hanuka hagadah. Unlike the Exodus, the Hanukah story is not part of the TaNaK.
Jews, particularly non-observant Jews, seem to consider Hanuka a “Jewish Christmas.”
In truth, from a commercial point of view, it is.
Jews in the “west” have turned the eight days into a gifting spree, trying to keep up with their non-Jewish neighbors.
This (still) is less prevalent in Israel where non-Jews are minorities.
As Jonathan S. Tobin opined on the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) site (https://tinyurl.com/y6rg5zhv): For most American Jews, the holiday is merely a blue-tinseled version of Christmas that allows us to participate in the holiday season on something like an equal footing. If, for many assimilated families like that of Prager’s, Hanukkah represented the last vestige of the Judaism they observed, it was because it gave them a chance to compete with Santa Claus.
But WHY Hanukah?
In a nut shell
Almost all children of observant families — and even “semi-observant” families — know about the Maccabees – the historical heroes, not the beer. (They may learn about the beer when they are a little older.)
The Maccabees were a family of cohanim that refused to bow down to the Assyrian Greek gods.
The father and his sons led a revolt that eventually drove out the aliens.
The sons cleaned up the Bet HaMikdash and wanted to rekindle the menorah (that, incidentally, only has seven branches).
For the record, the image of the Bet HaMikdash menorah was carved on a wall in Rome to celebrate the Roman defeat of the Jews. The Romans are gone; the Jews remain.
ANYWAY, the menorah wicks were fueled by oil — presumably pure olive oil. According to the story, the Maccabees found a single cruise of oil, sufficient to last one day.
We celebrate Hanuka for eight days because the oil miraculously lasted eight days.
Hanukia then and now
For observant Jews, there are several “Hanukah” specific things, in addition to lighting the wicks.2
Each day of Hanukah full Hallel is recited.
The reason for this is that each day of the original Hanukia was considered a separate miracle. There is no “hol hamoed” (intermediate days) with Hanukah as there are with Pesach and Succot.
There is a unique haftarah for Hanukah: Zechariah 2:14 > 4:7. (If in the very rare case there are two Shabatot during Hanukah, the haftarah for the second Shabat is 1 Kings 7:40-50)
Different traditions have different “traditional” foods. (The ideal neighborhood in which to live consists of many different ethic groups — delicious.)
On the topic of food, there is an additional paragraph in the post-meal blessing noting the holiday.
Sefardim typically light only a single, family hanukia.
Ashkenazim typically have a hanukia for each member of the family.
The Ashkenazim established the custom of “Hanuka gelt” — money gifts. That has “grown like Topsy” especially among the less and non-observant communities.
All the rabbinical laws of Hanukah can be found on multiple web sites:
✡ The blessings and songs
✡ When to light the hanukia wicks
✡ Where to put the hanukia
✡ How high or how low
✡ How long must the wicks burn on weekdays and on erev Shabat
THERE IS NO EXCUSE for ignorance with “Rabbi Google” close at hand
While it is sad that too many parents lack the knowledge to transmit to their children, it is even sadder that they fail to take advantage of all available assets.
You don’t have to be observant — fully or partially — to celebrate Hanukah.
No hanukia? No problem. Line up eight “tea” candles in a row and set a ninth candle a little higher than the rest.
Happy Hanukia חג חנוכה שמח
Notes
1. The First Book of the Maccabees Source: https://tinyurl.com/rpeold2 I Maccabees presents a historical account of political, military, and diplomatic events from the time of Judaea’s relationship with Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria (reigned 175–164/163 bce) to the death (135/134 bce) of Simon Maccabeus, high priest in Jerusalem. It describes the refusal of Mattathias to perform pagan religious rites, the ensuing Jewish revolt against Syrian hegemony, the political machinations whereby Demetrius II of Syria granted Judaea its independence, and the election of Simon as both high priest and secular ruler of the Judaean Jews.
I Maccabees is the only contemporary source for the civil wars in Judaea, and the only surviving one for Judaean-Syrian relations after the reign of Antiochus IV. The historical integrity of the book, which was compiled from official written sources, oral tradition, and eyewitness reporting, is attested to by the absence of almost all of the conventions of the Hellenistic rhetorical school of historiography and by its uncritical use by the later Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.
2. Why “wicks” and not “candles”? Some people, this scrivener among them, who prefer oil hanukiot. They are a closer reminder of the menorah in the Bet HaMikdash. Moreover, it is easier to control the “burn time” with oil hanukiot. Candles are fine and can be colorful. Mess? That’s a toss up. Both oil and candles are great, but they should not be mixed.
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