Happy Chanukah!

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Thu December 2nd, 2010, 4:01 pm

Happy Chanukah everyone! I married a secular Jew and for years after our daughter was born, we lit the candles, ate the latkes and spun the dreidle. Then we'd pack up for Grandma's house...lights, Christmas tree, presents, fudge and cookies. Eventually, Chanukah lost out.

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Thu December 2nd, 2010, 5:07 pm

Happy Chanukah from me too - our local menorah was standing proudly last night....next to a Christmas tree! I'm sure they'll look nice together.

Re the Sabbath "hours" - I was also told that the very orthodox wait until 2 hours after the sun has set before they consider the Sabbath to have truly started, which probably goes in with the theory of waiting for the stars to come out, although if it's a cloudy night you wouldn't be able to see the stars, so perhaps they use the 2-hour timeframe as a guide?

Doughnuts are another popular dish at this time of year - it's not a healthy eating festival is it?! But tasty though.....

Telynor · Post by **Telynor** » Thu December 2nd, 2010, 5:22 pm

Oh anything cooked in oil wins during Hanukah. I love latkes, especially with a bit of onion in them, and applesauce on the side. It's not that important of a holiday in the Jewish scheme of things -- Passover (Pesach), Rosh haShanah, and Yom Kippur, and of course the Sabbath, are much more important.

As to the slightly longer hours on holidays and the Sabbath, it's a bit of a buffer zone, to try and put a label to it. Just as it is customary to light Sabbath and holiday lights about twenty minutes before the actual sunset, it's common to wait an hour before returning to weekly activities -- the custom is to wait until the first three stars can be seen in the sky -- just to make certain that you're not intruding on the Sabbath (or Yom Kippur). One hour is customary, but I've never heard of two.

I think that having children is the reason why some people celebrate Hanukah and others not -- the kids get a big kick out of all the games and festivities, and little gifts, but for adults, it's pretty much light the candles, have a glass of wine, and say the appropriate blessing. And of course, the latkes... Goose is also a popular gift.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Fri December 3rd, 2010, 12:51 am

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]It's a bit more complicated, though (we should make it straightforward already?). The early scholars disputed what sunset actually meant: whether it meant when the sun started to set or when sunset was complete and the stars started to appear. Therefore, for Sabbaths and holydays, to be on the safe side and avoid desecrating the day, they are deemed (in Orthodox Judaism, at least) to start when the sun starts to set on the first day and to end when the stars appear on the following day, which means they last just over 25 hours. (Plus a Jewish hour is not the same as a secular hour but that's another story...)[/quote]

I am not sure if its every day or just during Ramadan, but IIRC the islamic faith uses the moment when a white thread can no longer seen as their guidepost to when night time starts.

As to the slightly longer hours on holidays and the Sabbath, it's a bit of a buffer zone, to try and put a label to it. Just as it is customary to light Sabbath and holiday lights about twenty minutes before the actual sunset, it's common to wait an hour before returning to weekly activities -- the custom is to wait until the first three stars can be seen in the sky -- just to make certain that you're not intruding on the Sabbath (or Yom Kippur). One hour is customary, but I've never heard of two.

Im remembering a Reb at the Chabad House telling us another reson for the longer hours - you want the holiday to last longer, to delay just a little bit the day to day grind afterwards.

Re Chanukah, it's thought likely that Christmas is on 25 December because Chanukah starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev though, as Ash explains, these will typically fall on different days because one calendar is solar and the other lunar.

I hadn't heard that - I thought it was more focused on the Roman holiday of Saturnalia. But that does make sense as well.

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Fri December 3rd, 2010, 2:31 am

As I was driving home tonight, I saw someone drive by with a working lit menorah on the car's roof. Quite creative!

Happy Chanukah to those celebrating!

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Fri December 3rd, 2010, 3:57 pm

This video is rather cool.