Happy Hanukah!

WriteThinking, I'm going to try (and fail) to do this concisely (Jews are wordy--google Torah/Mishnah/Gemara sometime).

These are the major Jewish festivals: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shimeini Atzeret, Simchat Torah, Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot. You've heard of three of those, right? Don't worry--that's right on target.

Hanukkah is a minor festival but, since gifts fit into it nicely, it has surged in importance in the Diaspora. Christmas and Hanukkah, Easter and Passover. The Jewish equivalent of a C & E Christian is someone who shows up at his mother's or grandmother's or Aunt Sylvia's for Seder, and is not recognizably Jewish at any other time.

The meaning of Hanukkah everyone knows is the oil which lasted for eight days. That part may well be a myth added later. The better meaning is religious freedom. In our religious school this morning (tiny congregation in the Bible belt), we told the story, then started asking questions:

"How do you feel about pig blood being smeared on the altar of the Temple?"

Unanimous chorus of "Awful, evil, gross, terrible"

"Interesting. I don't keep kosher. [Other teacher] doesn't keep kosher. Do you eat bacon? Do you? Do you?" (All kids nod Yes.)

"If we all eat pork, why should we care about pig's blood on the altar?"


At that point, the eight-year-olds are gawking, though not saying WTF, and the twelve-year-olds' mental gears are stripping but, a moment later, they plunged in and we had a really good discussion. As their teacher, I loved that. As the hostess of our congregational Hanukkah party next Saturday night, it will be about eating and singing and, most of all, turning all the lights off and watching the candles from two dozen menorahs reflected in the children's eyes.

Did that answer anything?

 

Yes, actually, it did, to some extent. Thank you!

 

First let's get the spelling right. It's Hanukkah. It can also be called Chanukah, Chanukkah or Chanuka.

 

Funnel cake and a four-pack of nice scotch?
That beats the heck out of anything we're doing for Xmas.

 

Love it.