Chanukah
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Establishing Chanukah as a Holiday
Why do Rabbis insist that there was a”miracle”. Judah declared an 8 day celebration to begin on 25th of Kislev and to last 8 days. He decreed that it was to be celebrated annually in honor of the victory. Josephus…
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The Oral Tradition of Chanuka
Why can’t I find anything written in the Torah about Hanukkah? I was told that the events of Hanukkah occurred after the Torah was written but how do people know about the story? Was the story of Hanukkah only verbally…
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Chanukah and Religious Identity
What universal message can be drawn from Chanukah? Answer: Chanuka is a holiday about Jewish identity. The Assyrian Greeks (Yevonim) weren’t interested in the physical destruction of the Jewish People rather they wanted to destroy the Jews separate identity. They…
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Chanukah Gelt
Why do we give money to children on Chanukah? Answer: It was customary to give coins to children to induce them to study (Maimonides’ Mishnah commentary on Sanhedrin Ch.10). Giving coins to children on Chanukah is therefore appropriate, because Chanukah…
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Chanuka Candles, Shofar, and Sabbath Prohibitions
The Rabbis decreed that we should not fulfill the commandments of shofar, lulav, and megillas Esther in order that we not come to desecrate the Sabbath (i.e. by carrying these religious articles through a public thoroughfare in violation of Sabbath…
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Proper Chanukah Greeting
I felt a bit foolish the other day, because I had no idea as to how I should wish two of my friends, both practicing Orthodox Jews, a good Chanuka. What are the traditional greetings used in the Jewish community,…
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Chanuka for 8 Days?
In the Chanuka story, the flask of pure olive oil was enough to last for one day. Therefore, only the 7 other days that the oil remained lit was a miraculous. So why do we light eight candles and not…
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The Story of Judith
What is the story of Judith? Can you tell me if there a Jewish source for information. I read that at one time this story was told and related to Hanukah. A friend told me other religions tell the story…
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Hallel
What is Hallel? Why do we say Hallel? When do we say Hallel? Hallel is a group of Psalms, written by King David about 2500 years ago. The primary theme is that G-d controls the ups and downs of life.…