Hanukkah Blessings
Tu BiSh’vat: Resources
In a few weeks we will be celebrating Tu BiSh’vat. There are numerous approaches you could take in planning your celebration.
Tu BiSh'vat: A Personal Reflection
While we have been having a relatively warm winter in the United States, it cannot compare to what winter is like in Israel. It is the rainy season there, the time of year that Israel greens up, with cooler temperatures and rain (which feels like a miracle every time I experience it) in bet
Hanukkah Matters
Black Friday
On "Black Friday," I went to the mall, and for the first time since my conversion many years ago, I felt an empty pit in my stomach.
Who Should Teach About Hanukkah and What Should They Be Teaching?
Now that my daughter is in preschool, I've come to realize that hearing about cultural and religious practices directly from the practitioners only emphasizes our otherness.
hanukkiyah
Nine-branched candelabra used during Hanukkah – eight branches for each night of the holiday, plus another branch (often taller, central, or more prominently displayed) for the shamash (helper) candle, which is used to light the others.
dreidel
"Spinning top" in Yiddish (derived from German); "sevivon" in Hebrew; toy used in a children's Hanukkah game.
gelt
"Money" (Yiddish); often given as a Hanukkah gift; used for playing dreidel.