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Hanukkah Blessings
Learn how to say the blessings and light the hanukkiyah, the Hanukkah menorah.
hanukkiyah
Hebrew Spelling
חֲנֻכִּיָּה
Alternate Spelling
chanukiah, chanukiyah
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
Hebrew Spelling
סְבִיבוֹן
"Spinning top" in Yiddish (derived from German); "sevivon" in Hebrew; toy used in a children's Hanukkah game.
gelt
Hebrew Spelling
כֶּסֶף
"Money" (Yiddish); often given as a Hanukkah gift; used for playing dreidel.
Hanukkah
Hebrew Spelling
חֲנֻכָּה
Alternate Spelling
Chanukah, Hanukah, Chanuka, Hanuka
"Dedication;" the joyous eight-day celebration during which Jews commemorate the victory of the Macabees over the armies of Syria in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent liberation and rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Vayeitzei for Tots: Tikkun Olam in the Everyday Lives of Our Families
A guide to help adults learn how to engage young children in a discussion about this week’s Torah portion.
Mark Baby's First Hanukkah with a Handprint/Footprint Menorah
As a fairly new family, making this holiday keepsake was such a fun way to introduce our infant daughter to Jewish culture.
Hanukkah: Customs and Rituals
Learn about the music, rituals, and food associated with the celebration of Hanukkah.
Ner Shel Tzedakah: Candle of Righteousness
Hanukkah can be a time for us to rededicate ourselves to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, repair of the world.
Tu BiShvat: Customs and Rituals
The Jewish mystics of the 17th century, the Kabbalists, created a special ritual—modeled after the Passover seder—to celebrate God's presence in nature. Today in modern Israel, Tu BiShvat has become a national holiday, a tree planting festivaTu BiShvat is not mentioned in the Torah. Scholars believe the holiday was originally an agricultural festival, corresponding to the beginning of spring in Israel. But a critical historical event helped Tu BiShvat evolve from a simple celebration of spring to a commemoration of our connection to the land of Israel. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. and the exile that followed, many of the exiled Jews felt a need to bind themselves symbolically to their former homeland. Tu BiShvat served in part to fill that spiritual need. Jews used this time each year to eat a variety of fruits and nuts that could be obtained from Israel. The practice, a sort of physical association with the land, continued for many centuries.l for both Israelis and Jews throughout the world