Like many Jewish Holidays, some of the most important aspects of Chanukah happen in the home. It is a time of great joy and light, a time when we celebrate our identity as a holy nation.
Chanukah, which means “dedication,” commemorates the victory of the Jews over their Assyrian oppressors in 165 B.C.E. The holiday celebrates our dedication to our heritage, our culture and our God. The Rabbis taught that after the military victory, when the Jews rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, one day’s worth of oil miraculously lasted for eight full days. By lighting one candle each night, we too are afforded the opportunity to reflect on the light in our lives — the miracles great and small that we see around us each day.
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Scroll down to see Rules for Dreidel
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First candle is lit Tuesday, December 20th. Last candle is lit Tuesday, December 27th.
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BLESSING 1:
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Ba-rukh a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu
Meh-lekh ha-o-lam, a-sher ki-d’sha-nu
b’mitz-vo-tav v’tzi-va-nu l’had-leek
neir shel Chanukah.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign
of the Universe. You hallow us with Your
Commandments and command us to
kindle the Chanukah lights.
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BLESSING 2:
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Ba-rukh a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu
Meh-lekh ha-o-lam, sheh-a-sa nee-seem
la’a-vo-tei-nu ba-ya-meem ha-heim
ba-z’man ha-zeh.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign
of the Universe. You showed wonders to
our ancestors in days of old and at this season.
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BLESSING 3 (RECITED ON THE FIRST NIGHT ONLY):
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Ba-rukh a-ta Adonai, Eh-lo-hei-nu
Meh-lekh ha-o-lam,
she-heh-kheh-ya-nu v’kee-yeh-mah-nu
v’hee-gee-ah-nu lah-z’mahn ha-zeh.
We praise You, Eternal God, Sovereign
of the Universe, for giving us life, for
sustaining us and for enabling us to
reach this season.
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BLESSING 4: MAOZ TZUR — ROCK OF AGES
(SUNG AFTER LIGHTING THE CANDLES)
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| All items can be found in the Temple's gift shop. |
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מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ
תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָתִי וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּחַ
לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָר הַמְנַבֵּחַ
אָז אֶגְמֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִזְבֵּחַ
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Ma-oz Tzur Y’shu-a-ti Le-cha Na-eh L’sha-bei-ach
Ti-kon Beit T’fi-la-ti V’sham To-da N’za-bei-ach
L’eit Ta-chin Mat-bei-ach Mi-tzar Ha-mi-ga-bei-ach
Az Eg-mor B’shir Miz-mor Cha-nu-kat Ha-miz-bei-ach.
Rock of Ages, let our song,
Praise thy saving power;
Thou amidst the raging foes,
Wast our shelt'rng tower.
Furious they assailed us,
But Thine arm availed us,
And Thy word broke their sword,
When our own strength failed us.
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What is a dreidel ?
It has four sides: נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hey), ש (Shin), and is usually played with coins, chips, or gelt (chocolate coins). Collectively, these letters are interpreted as, "a great miracle happened there," or, without the nikkud.
In Israel, one letter on the dreidel are different. The shin has been replaced with a pei, transforming the Hebrew phrase into Nun, Gimel, Hey, Po.
“A great miracle happened here.” |
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- נס גרול היה שס (hebrew is read right to left)
Before beginning, each player starts with 10 or 15 coins, and then each player puts one in the pot. Before spinning the dreidel each player deposits a fixed proportion of the amount received into a "kupah" or kitty. One of the players spins the dreidel. The dreidel stops and lands with one of the symbols facing up and the appropriate action is taken:
- Nun - nischt - "nothing" - the next player spins
- Gimel - gantz - "all" - the player takes the entire pot
- Hey - halb - "half" - the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
- Shin - shtel - "put in" - the player puts one or two in the pot
Each player is given a turn to spin the dreidel. The game may last until one person has won everything.
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