Hanukkah - A Feast of Lights
"Hanukkah, 18th century" - Anon.
Oy khanike, oy khanike, a yontev a sheyner / A lustiger, a freylekher, nito nokh azoyner!
[Hanukkah, Hanukkah - a lovely, happy, joyous festival: there's no other like it!]
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More songs have probably been written to celebrate Hanukkah than any other Jewish festival. Whatever the reasons for the enduring popularity of Hanukkah, its music provides us with a fascinating insight into Jewish history and culture.
Hanukkah quizzes are a favourite way of teaching about the festival. Here are eight questions - one for each light - representing various Hanukkah themes. Come along to the singalong lecture to find out the answers!
1. Which messages do Hanukkah lights convey?
2. Which popular Hebrew songs were originally written and sung in Yiddish?
3. Which two famous American folksingers, one Jew and one non-Jew, wrote original Hanukkah songs in English?
4. How do you count up to 8 in Ladino?
5. Which heroines are remembered on Hanukkah?
6. Which special foods are eaten on Hanukkah? (Hint: they're all SOAKED in oil!)
7. What is the origin of the Hanukkah spinning-top (dreydl, sevivon)?
8. Besides lighting candles and playing with the top, which other Hanukkah customs do Jews around the world observe?
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Here's another quiz for those interested in a little Internet research! (Some of the articles cited below are connected with the questions above, and will provide you with deeper insights into the Hanukkah festival, its customs and its songs).
1. What, exactly, was the Hanukkah miracle?
For interesting insights into historical sources, look at these articles:
♦ Bob, Channa L. Hanukah: The people's holiday. Vehigadet Levitech, JOFA.
♦ Rosenberg, S. The First Word: Shedding light on the Hanukka story. The Jerusalem Post, December, 2005.
♦ Rosenber, S. G. What miracle of the oil? The Jerusalem Post, December, 2007.
♦ Strassfeld, Michael. What's Hanukkah?
2. "Candles" and "flames" are concepts which lend themselves readily to metaphor. How are these terms treated in Jewish sources and thought?
As we read in the Book of Proverbs, "the candle of God is the human soul." (Mishlei [Proverbs] 20, 27). Here are a couple of articles which develop this idea:
♦ For Chanukah: The Kabbalah of Candle Light
♦ Safran, Eliyahu: Jewish Candles: The Power of Discernment. OU.
These ideas are also expanded to include the pursuit of social justice, the Jewish ethical value of which is embodied in Tikkun Olam [world repair].
3. What's so special about the hanukkiyah?
As we all know, the Hanukkah candelabrum is an unending source of artistic inspiration. Read this brief article about the hanukkiyah, and then have a look at the endless array of lamps on the following sites.
♦ Jewish Heritage Online
♦ Israel Museum
♦ The Jewish Museum
♦ Gallery Judaica
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[Jewish Encyclopedia, 1901-1906]
4. What are the stories behind Hanukkah games and customs around the world?
Spinning-top (dreydl, sevivon):
♦ Dreidel. Wikipedia.
♦ Golinkin, D. The Origin of the Dreidel. My Jewish Learning.
Hanukkah Gelt
♦ Segal, E. From Gelt to Gifts.
♦ Tameanko, M. The Original "Chanukah Gelt". American Israel Numismatic Association.
Customs around the Jewish World
♦ Evolving Traditions: Chanukah. Reprinted from Tikkun: A Bimonthly Jewish Critique of Politics, Cultre & Society.
♦ Sephardic Customs. Midrash Ben Ish Hai
5. What are the stories behind some of the Hanukkah songs?
♦ "Hava narima" - "See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes"
Read a fascinating background to the oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus" in "Getting a Handel on Hanukkah", by Eliezer Segal. (I also recommend "Around the Calendar" - Segal's other articles about Jewish festivals).
♦ "Maoz Tsur" (Versions: Traditional; Slonim Hasidim; Marcello; Morocco; Bukhara)
My Jewish Learning; Cantor Feldman's Cantorial comments; Chazzanut Online
♦ "Nerotai haze'irim" - "O, ir kleyne likhtelekh"
Article in Hebrew by Eliahu HaCohen about Yiddish and Hebrew versions of "My Little Candles"
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6. What are some Hanukkah recipes around the world?
♦ Hanukkah Food
♦ Brook, D. & Schwartz, H. Another Miracle of Chanukah [vegetarianism]
♦ Davidson, Nancy. A Sephardic Chanukah. New York Sun, November 28, 2007
♦ Dickerman, S. Sephardic Jews' Hanukkah treats have a rich history, too. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
♦ Griffin, P. From latkes to bimuelos, Hanukkah's foods are most delicious. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
7. What about Hanukkah humor?
♦ Jacob Richman
♦ Humor matters
♦ Gilbert & Sullivan-style latkes by the Maxwell St. Klezmer Band
♦ Tom Lehrer
8. Last and least: which modern Jewish heroes does Adam Sandler list in his Chanukah songs?
"When you feel like the only kid in town, without a Christmas tree, here's a list of people who are Jewish, just like you and me!"
♦ Original Chanukah Song
♦ Chanuah Song #2
♦ Chanukah Song #3
HANUKKAH SONGS
1. Medley of children's songs (Hani Nachmias & Uzi Hitman)
2. The songs featured in this lecture
3. Hebrew songs and English lyrics
4. Lists of song sites and CD's (English, Yiddish and Ladino)
(See Hebrew section for lists of song sites and CD's in Hebrew)
