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Jewish Life & Celebrations

Chanukah

Hanukkah Youth Celebration

HIN-NAY MA-TOV OO-MA NA-YEEM

SHE-VET AH-KHEEM GAM YA-KHAD

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brothers and sisters to dwell together.
Psalm 133:1


Hanukkah is Special!

Hanukkah is a very special holiday because it comes at a very special time.

In the middle of winter, when the days are short and the nights are long, we need light to keep us warm. We need family and friends to keep us warm. We need hot food and fun games to keep us warm. And Hanukkah has all of these!

We celebrate Hanukkah because we believe in the power of hope.

HA-NOO-KAH, HA-NOO-KAH
KHAG YA-FEH KOL KAKH
OR KHA-VIV MEE-SA-VEEV
GIL L’-YEH-LED RAKH

HA-NOO-KAH, HA-NOO-KAH
SIH-VEE-VON SOV SOV
SOV SOV SOV, SOV SOV SOV
MA NA-EEM VA-TOV

Hanukkah, Hanukkah, such a beautiful day
A warm light surrounds us,
Joy makes the children shout.
Hanukkah, Hanukkah, the Dreidl spins,
Spin spin spin, spin spin spin,
How pleasant and good.
Jewish Folk Song


Hanukkah is Important!

The Story of Hanukkah is a story of courage. The Story of Hanukkah is a story of identity. The Story of Hanukkah is a story of freedom.

The Story of Hanukkah goes back to ancient times, over two thousand years ago. The Jews had their own land, with their own temple. Then a new people called the Greeks arrived. The Greeks wanted everyone to be like them – to speak Greek, to eat Greek food, and to follow Greek religion. The Greeks and their Jewish allies even took over the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to make it a Greek Temple. There were only a few Jews compared to the Greeks, but the Jews wanted to decide for themselves what to believe and how to be Jewish.

A brave family named the Maccabees stood up to the Greek king Antiochus. The bravest of them, Judah Maccabee, led the rebels to victory and took back the Jerusalem Temple. The Jews entered the Temple, cleaned it up, and re-lit the Menorah with new oil. They dedicated the Temple, and they made a new holiday to remember that day – the Hebrew for “Dedication” is Hanukkah.

Today, there are only a few people who celebrate Hanukkah compared to everyone else – they are the Jewish people, all over the world. The Jews still decide for themselves what to believe and how to be Jewish. The Jews still celebrate Hanukkah. The Jews still remember how good it is to be free.


MEE Y’-MA-LAYL
G’-VOO-ROT YIS-RA-EL
OH-TAN MEE YIM-NEH
KAYN B’-KHOL DOR
YA-KOOM HA-GIB-BOR
GO-EL HA-AM

Who can retell
The things that befell us?
Who can count them?

In every age
A hero or sage
Came to our aid.


The Power of Light

Today we celebrate Hanukkah with fire. Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights.

When we light the Hanukkah candles, we are part of a long tradition. When Hanukkah first started, everyone would put their Menorah in their doorway, and the whole town would light up. Every time we light the candles of Hanukkah, we can remember how important fire is to our lives. The power of fire cooks our food, keeps us warm, and makes our lives better.

Fire is like our Temple family, our community. Our family cooks our food, keeps us warm, and makes our lives better. And our family goes back a long way, part of a long tradition. The Festival of Lights is a Festival of memory and tradition, too.


AY-FO OH-REE? OH-REE BEE
AY-FO TIK-VA-TEE? TIK-VA-TEE BEE
AY-FO KO-KHEE? KO-KHEE BEE
V’-GAM BAKH

Where is my light? My light is in me.
Where is my hope? My hope is in me.
Where is my strength? My strength is in me.
And in you.

Rabbi Sherwin Wine


HUMAN + MENORAH = HUMANORAH

Hanukkah is Bright!

Lighting the first candle of the Menorah is very special. That candle lights all the rest.

The Hanukkah Menorah has four candles on each side, eight lights for the eight day holiday. The Ninth candle, right in the middle, is called the Shammes, from the Hebrew word Shemesh, which means “Sun.”

After we light the Shammes, we know that our work is not done. We still have to use the Shammes to light the other candles on the Menorah. As we light more candles each night, the light grows brighter.

From one light, we can make a lot of light. From one person with hope, we can make a lot of hope. We need to be the candle that lights all the rest.


BA-ROOKH HA-OR BA-O-LAM
BA-ROOKH HA-OR BA-A-DAM
BA-ROOKH HA-OR BA-KHA-NOO-KAH

Blessed is the light in the world.
Blessed is the light of humanity.
Blessed is the light of Hanukkah.


O Hanukkah, O Hanukkah
Come light the menorah
Let’s have a party
We’ll all dance the Hora

Gather ‘round the table
We’ll give you a treat
S’vivon to play with
And Latkes to eat.

And while we
Are playing,
The candles are
Burning bright.

One for each night,
They shed a sweet light
To remind us of days
Long Ago.


Hanukkah is Fun!

Tonight, we have celebrated the Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.

We have tasted the tastes, we have lit the lights, and we have sung the songs, tasted the tastes. And now it’s time to play the Hanukkah game!

When the Dreidel was invented in the Middle ages, the letters on the Dreidel were the Yiddish rules for the game – n Nun for Nisht (nothing), h Hay for Halb (half), c Shin for Stet arein (put in), and g Gimmel for Gantze (the whole thing).

These Dreidel rules are still the rules we play with today! We also have a new meaning for the letters – Nes Gadol Haya Sham – A Great Wonder Happened There. Whatever the letters mean to us, we know that the game is fun, and that our holiday has begun.

Now it’s time to wish each other “A Fraylikhe Hanukeh! Happy Hanukkah!” Good Luck!

I have a little Dreidel
I made it out of clay.
And when it’s dry and ready,
A Dreidel I shall play

Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,
I made it out of clay.
And when it’s dry and ready,
A Dreidel I shall play

It has a lovely body
With leg so short and thin;
And when it is all tired,
It drops and then I win.

Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,
With leg so short and thin,
And when it is all tired
It drops and then I win.

My Dreidel is so playful
It loves to dance and spin;
A happy game of dreidel
Come play, now let’s begin.

O Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
It loves to dance and spin;
A happy game of dreidel
Come play, now let’s begin.




This Youth Service for Chanukah was developed by Rabbi Adam Chalom for The Birmingham Temple, and is provided courtesy of Rabbi Chalom.

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