Many Jewish holidays commemorate events vested with historical
and religious meaning. Hanukkah means "dedication," and it commemorates
the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration
by foreign forces. The celebration also reaffirms the continuing
struggle to live by God's commandments and to lead Jewish lives.
Hanukkah is accompanied by a rich set of traditional foods, games,
and rituals. Key to these traditions are the items pictured below:
gelt, or gold-foil wrapped chocolate coins; potato pancakes called
latkes and other foods; the menorah; and dreidels, or spinning tops.
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Savings bonds, checks, and small
chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil--these are the modern incarnations
of the traditional gift known as Hanukkah gelt. "Gelt" is a
Yiddish term for "money." |
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A favorite Hanukkah food is latkes,
or potato pancakes. Originally, the pancakes were made
of cheese. From the custom of eating cheese delicacies grew
the custom of eating pancakes of all kinds. |
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Menorah is a Hebrew word meaning
"candelabrum." In relation to Hanukkah, it refers
to the nine-branched ceremonial lamp in which the Hanukkah candles
are placed and then blessed.
The menorah originated as a religious symbol
in biblical times. The Torah records how the great artist
Bezalel fashioned a seven-branched menorah for the desert
tabernacle in fulfillment of a Divine commandment (Exodus
25:31-40; 37:17-24). Such a seven-branched menorah adorned
the Temple in Jerusalem and was carried away by the Roman
legions at the time of its destruction in 70 C.E.
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Dreidel is a derivative of a German
word meaning "top" and the game is an adaptation of an old gambling
game. Hanukkah was one of the few times of the year when
rabbis permitted games of chance. The dreidel, therefore, was
a natural candidate for Hanukkah entertainment.
The four sides of the top bear four Hebrew
letters: nun, gimel, hei, and shin. Players would begin by
"anteing" certain number of coins, nuts, or other objects.
Each one in turn would then spin the dreidel and proceed as
follows: nun ("nichts") - take nothing; gimel ("ganz") - take
everything; hei ("halb") - take half; shin ("shtell") - put
in.
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