Hanukkah

Hanukkah? Chanukah? Hannukah? Regardless of the way you spell it, HANUKKAH is the Jewish celebration often overlooked by most.  I am offering you an education today on behalf of my Jewish colleagues and friends.

8 crazy nights!

Let's first look at spelling.  The Hebrew word is not simple to translate into English which is why there are so many spellings.  Hanukkah is the most common spelling with Chanukah popular among traditionalists and scholars.

Hanukkah is the celebration of the re-dedication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

It is celebrated for 8 nights beginning on the 25th day of Kislev, and can occur any time from late November to late December.

The festival of lights is observed by the lighting of the menorah and festivities include playing dreidel and eating oil-based foods such as doughnuts and latkes.  The menorah represents the miracle that happened when the Macabees, Jewish rebels, took back the Holy Temple from the their conquerors. The Macabees cleaned and restored the Temple but had only one small flask of oil to light the menorah. The small amount of oil lasted for eight days, which was considered a miracle, so people now celebrate to remember this event and thank God.

Truthfully, most of my knowledge comes from Friends and specifically, "The One with the Holiday Armadillo" and Adam Sandler, but Hanukkah deserves just as much spotlight as Christmas or Solstice or Kwanzaa or those that do not celebrate at all.

To my Jewish friends and colleagues, Happy Hanukkah and L'Shanah Tovah!