Hanukkah
Maoz Tzur
Each night after the lighting of the candles, while remaining within sight of the candles, Ashkenazim (and, in recent decades, some Sephardim and Mizrahim in Western countries) usually sing the hymn Ma'oz Tzur written in Medieval Germany. The song contains six stanzas. The first and last deal with general themes of divine salvation, and the middle four deal with events of persecution in Jewish history, and praises God for survival despite these tragedies (the exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian captivity, the miracle of the holiday of Purim, and the Hasmonean victory).
Other customs
After lighting the candles and Ma'oz Tzur, singing various other Hanukkah songs is customary in many Jewish homes. Various Hasidic and Sefardic traditions have additional prayers that are recited both before and after lighting the Hanukkah lights. This includes the recitation of many Psalms, most notably Psalms 30, 67, and 91 (many Hasidim recite Psalm 91 seven times after lighting the lamps, as was taught by the Baal Shem Tov), as well as other prayers and hymns, each congregation according to its own custom. In North America it is common to exchange presents or give children presents at this time.
Additions to the daily prayers
- Hasmonean
- Maccabees
- Jewish holidays
- County of Allegheny v. ACLU on the constitutionality of Hanukkah displays on public property in the U.S.
- Hanukkah bush
- Hellenistic Judaism
References
- ^ Talmud Gittin 57b tells a story of a woman and her seven sons killed by "Caesar". The name "Hannah" is not stated.
- ^ See also Maharsha on Talmud Shabbat 21b
- ^ Scherman, Nosson. "Origin of the Name Chanukah". ArtScroll . http://innernet.org.il/article.php?aid=11 .
- ^ Ran on Rif 9b
- ^ A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice By Isaac Klein p.227
- ^ http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Talmud/shabbat2.html
- ^ Zvieli, Benjamin. "The Scroll of Antiochus" . http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/miketz/zev.html . Retrieved on 2007-01-28 .
- ^ a b The Scroll Of The Hasmoneans
- ^ The Scroll of Antiochus
- ^ 1 Macc. iv. 59
- ^ 1 Macc. iv. 36
- ^ Macc. x. 6 and i. 9
- ^ Jewish Antiquities xii. 7, § 7, #323
- ^ Telushkin, Joseph (1991). Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know about the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History . W. Morrow. p. 114. ISBN 0688085067.
- ^ Johnston, Sarah Iles (2004). Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide . Harvard University Press. p. 186. ISBN 0674015177.
- ^ Greenberg, Irving (1993). The Jewish Way: Living the Holidays . Simon & Schuster. p. 29. ISBN 0671873032.
- ^ Schultz, Joseph P. (1981). Judaism and the Gentile Faiths: Comparative Studies in Religion . Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. p. 155. ISBN 0838617077. "Modern scholarship on the other hand considers the Maccabean revolt less as an uprising against foreign oppresion than as a civil war between the orthodox and reformist parties in the jewish camp"
- ^ Gundry, Robert H. (2003). A Survey of the New Testament . Zondervan. p. 9. ISBN 0310238250.
- ^ Grabbe, Lester L. (2000). Judaic Religion in the Second Temple Period: Belief and Practice from the Exile to Yavneh . Routledge. p. 59. ISBN 0415212502.
- ^ Freedman, David Noel; Allen C. Myers, Astrid B. Beck (2000). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible . Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 837. ISBN 0802824005.
- ^ Wood, Leon James (1986). A Survey of Israel's History . Zondervan. p. 357. ISBN 031034770X.
- ^ Tchrikover, Victor. Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews .
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 670:1
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 671:2
- ^ a b Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 673:1
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 676:1-2
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 676:4
- ^ Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 682:1
- ^ Rema on Shulkhan Arukh Orach Chayim 670:2
- ^ Mishna Berurah 670:2:10
- ^ Babylonian Talmud: Shabbat 23a
- ^ Shalom Center on Hannukah and the environment
- ^ Jerusalem Post: Green Hanukkia' campaign sparks ire
- ^ Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL): Green Hannukah ceremony
- ^ Ohr Somayach :: Chanukah :: The Secret of the Dreidel
- ^ The Biblical and Historical Background of Jewish Customs and Ceremonies by Abraham P. Bloch. Published by KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 1980. Pp. 277.
External links
General
- Hanukkah guide on chabad.org
Even more about Hanukkah
Hanukkah
Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה , alt. Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in ...
Hanukkah - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Festival of Lights ... Hannukah Dates (from sundown to sundown of the following dates)
