Ask the Rabbi - 331
- Please Pass the Candelabra
- Happy Holidays
- Chanukah Blessings
- Where's Chanukah?
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Please Pass the Candelabra
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From: Debra R.
Dear Rabbi,
For about a week now a friend and I have been arguing over whether or not a chanukiah and a menorah are the same thing. When I went to Israel, in a store in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem's Old City, I asked to see the "menorah" in the display case and the clerk proceeded to lecture me on the differences between a chanukiah and a menorah. The clerk was adamant that they were distinct from each other. Then we visited the Knesset and saw the great seven-branched menorah outside. I asked our tour educator if there was a difference between a chanukiah and a menorah and she agreed with the clerk - they were two distinct things. She pointed out that the menorah, not the chanukiah, was the national emblem of the State of Israel. She added that American Jews foolishly mistook chanukiahs for menorahs. My friend has never had the "pleasure" of having an Israeli store clerk call him "an idiot" and insists that a menorah and a chanukiah are the same thing. Who is right?
Dear Debra R.,
When reading a question like yours - which is basically a question of semantics - some people will say, "who cares?"Those people are anti-semantic. What they don't realize is that a situation could arise where someone says, "pass the menorah" and everybody reaches for something different and all havoc breaks loose. So, I think your question deserves special attention and that the answer will resolve an argument between you and your friend and bring peace on earth.
Menorah means candelabra (Exodus 25). A gold menorah with seven lamps was part of the "furnishings" in the ancient Temple. This was chosen by Israel as a national symbol, and it appears on some Israeli coins.
On Chanukah we light a special eight-candle menorah. There is a ninth candle to provide light because the Chanukah candles themselves may not be used for light. Modern Hebrew has coined the word "chanukiah" to refer to this Chanukah menorah. This new word, while not in any classical Jewish text such as the Talmud or Shulchan Aruch, is nevertheless quite a clear and useful word.
So, in the classical sense, the clerk and tour guide are wrong. But in the modern Hebrew sense, I think they are right. So…please pass the chanukiah!
Happy Holidays
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From: David S. Jenks
Dear Rabbi,
With the "holidays" approaching, I am again concerned about dealing with my being "different" (or more accurately, "set apart"). There are many friendly forgetful co-workers. I will hear "Merry Christmas" about 4,000 times in the next three weeks. Normally, I smile and say "Thank you." If I'm feeling especially bold, I'll smile and say, "I'm Jewish, but thanks anyway!" Do you have any thoughts on this?
Dear David S. Jenks,
Greeting people cheerfully is important any time of year. The sage Shammai said: "Greet every person cheerfully" (Avot 1), and the Talmud relates that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai would always be first to cheerfully greet every person, no matter who it was. (Berachot 17a).But what should the greeting be?
Without meaning to deprecate any positive contributions of Christianity to society, a Jew should remember that at its root, Christianity believes in something that was the hallmark of all pagan religions: A man-god. This concept is anathema to Judaism, contradicting the very first two of the Ten Commandments. Therefore, a Jew should not pay lip service to this idea by wishing someone "Merry Christmas."
The best defense may be good offense: If you always greet others first, then you won't be left "owing" a greeting back if they respond with "Merry Christmans." And saying "Happy New Year" is fine, as this has mainly secular connotations. "Happy Holiday" is also okay, as this could refer to the New Year.
Chanukah Blessings
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From: Christina K. in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania
Dear Rabbi,
I work at the Devereaux Foundation with mentally and physically challenged men and women. To help some of them celebrate Chanukah, I was wondering if you could give me an English translation of the prayers said each night the candles are lit.
Dear Christina K.,
There are three blessings the first day of Chanukah:
- Blessed are You L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to light the Chanukah candle.
- Blessed are You L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has done miracles to our forefathers, in those days, at this time.
- Blessed are You L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who has given us life, established us, and has enabled us to reach this moment.
On the remaining nights, the third blessing is omitted. There are some optional prayers after candle-lighting. See the ArtScroll prayer book for their translations.
Where's Chanukah?
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From: Debbie
Dear Rabbi,
Why isn't the story of Chanukah in the Bible? Where is it written? Why if the miracle of the oil isn't written in the Bible do we light the Chanukah candles?
Dear Debbie,
Questions about the "Bible" invariably raise confusion among many readers as to which Bible we are talking about. So let me state that we are Jewish Rabbis, and when we say Bible we mean the Jewish one, called the Tanach.The Chanukah incident occurred during the Second Temple period, about 200 years after the end of the period when there was prophecy in the world. The Tanach, on the other hand, was written during the time of prophecy. This was a time when the Jewish nation was on a much higher spiritual level. Thus, the Tanach is not just a history book, but a work of prophetic writings such that each line and word, and even each letter, has prophetic significance.
Once G-d stopped "talking" to us directly through the prophets, the Sages didn't feel they were on the spiritual level to give any of their writings the status of being part of Tanach.
The Chanukah incident and the instructions to light Chanukah candles are recorded in the Talmud and commentaries. Also, the Scroll of Antiochus and the Book of Macabees, while not part of the Bible or Talmud, contain information regarding the events of Chanukah.
Last week, Zvi Freund in Kew Gardens wrote us with the following riddle:
When in Jewish law can a person say five blessings of "L'hadlik ner…" (Blessed is He who commanded us to light the candle…") within a 24-hour period?
Answer:
If his wife is away, or he is single, and he is the shamash (caretaker) of a synagogue. On Thursday night of Chanukah, after dark, he lights Chanukah candles in synagogue at the evening service. (The custom is that Chanukah candles are lit in synagogue as well as at home and that a blessing is said.) He then goes home and lights again. Then, on Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours later, He lights Chanukah candles at home. He then lights Shabbat candles. Then he goes to synagogue and lights Chanukah candles there. Each time he says a blessing "L'hadlik ner."Gotta Riddle? Send it to ohr@ohr.edu
The Public Domain
Comments, quibbles, and reactions concerning previous "Ask-the-Rabbi" features.
Re: Lost Tribes (Ohrnet Vayishlach)
You blow my mind, Rabbi...your column about the Lost Tribes was incredibly interesting and encourages more research and thought. Blessings every moment.
Veronica Bailey, FloridaChanukah Hints
Here's a hint as to why the Torah portion "Miketz" occurs during Chanukah: In a Chumash (Pentateuch) that prints the number of verses at the end of each Torah portion, after the portion of Miketz the number of words is written as well. (Miketz is the only such portion where this is done.) The words total 2,025. This is a hint to Chanukah. How? The numerical value of the word ner (candle) is 250. Multiply that by 8 (days of Chanukah) and you get 2,000. Plus 25, signifying the 25th of Kislev, when Chanukah begins; hence the number of words in the Torah portion of Chanukah, 2025. (Source: Bnei Yissaschar)
Reuven & Nechy Perry
Written by various Rabbis at Ohr Somayach Institutions / Tanenbaum College, Jerusalem, Israel.
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