Chanukah At Bubbe’s House
Over in the dining room the grandchildren are spinning dreidels. Would you like to play? You don't know how? Ahh...come along we will teach you.
What are they singing? Oh it is a song, "I have a Little Dreidel, I made it out of clay..." Why clay? Well it was easily accessible back in 165 BC, just dig in the ground a find a lump of clay to bake in the oven.
You see back in 165BC the Greeks were demanding that the Jews forsake their G-d, their temple, their way of life, even their language. Hedonistic Jews went along with these changes but many did not. So in secret they would meet together and teach the children their language and Alpha-bet. When the Greeks would pop in and check on them, they would pretend to be gambling, spinning tops and betting coins.
Today the Dreidle has four letters painted on its sides, outside of the land of Isreal the letters are; Nun, Gimmel, Hay and Shin. Which stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Shom, "A Great Miracle Happened There". Inside Israel the Letters are different because "A Great Miracle Happened HERE" so the letters are Nun, Gimmel, Hay and Pay "Nes Gadol Hayah Po" Now you have even had a Hebrew lesson today. Just like a Homeschooler, always making a lesson out of everything!
The children gather around and take turns spinning their dreidels hoping to win the Gelt in the center of the table. No Not GUILT, Gelt, chocolate coins covered in gold foil. The letter determines the amount he will win or loose. Like this...
Nun" means Nothing, you win nothing, you lose nothing.
"Gimmel" means you Get to take the whole kitty.
"Hay" means you win half of what's in the kitty.
"Shin" (or in Israel - "Pay") means "share" or "put in" - you lose, and must put one more into the kitty
Now that you know how to play would you like to make a paper dreidel? go here
Or for the BOYS who love Star Wars...a Droidel
And of course you can play with a virtual dreidel online here
So please come and play with us as we get ready to celebrate Chanukah for the next Eight Days Starting the EVENING of December Eleventh! We will light the Chanukiah (a Menorah with nine branches) have Latkes with dinner, tell stories about the brave Maccabees, Hannah and her Seven sons and play dreidel. We may even have a present or two!
Oh You have never seen a Chanukiah? Never eaten a Latke? and do not know about the Maccabees nor Hannah???? Oh dear we have much to talk about. You better pour another cup of tea and seat here with me and I will tell you all about it.
The History Channel has a wonderful 4 minute video on Chanukah as well. Just incase you can't wait until then. http://www.history.com/video.do?name=culture&bcpid=1681694254&bclid=1675979339
In a few moments my home will be filled with Grandchildren with busy, very busy hands as we get ready for the Congregational Dinner and making lots of Latkes. Oh How I love Latkes!
You see part of Chanukah has to do with Sacrifice and my favorite Chanukah Story is about Sacrifice as well. Chanukah is also about rising above oppression and defeating your enemies. So before I share about Chanukah lighting I would like to share my favorite story of Chanukah, a story about women and children Torture and Faith. Hannah (Chana in Hebrew) and her seven sons.
This first time I read this story to my children through tears I prayed Lord may I teach my children to have faith to die for you. Being saved in the late seventies and KNOWING Jesus was returning any day; I knew they had to be prepared. Very gently the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, not only do you have to teach them to die for me, you must teach them to live for me and to teach their children the same. At the time being a grandparent was no where in my realm of thinking, yet it immediately changed my way of teaching my children from just learning to teaching them to being able to infuse their children with Truth as well.
Hannah is the mother of Seven Jewish sons during the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus is determined to destroy the Jews faith in G-d by issuing edict after edict; you can not observe the Sabbath, you cannot read Torah, you cannot circumcise your sons, You must eat unclean meats. Everything G-d had commanded them to do, they were being commanded to not do. Can you imagine what this was like? You can't go to church, You can't read your Bible, You cannot pray. You can't baptize new believers, you cannot tell anyone about Jesus? What would you do?
For Hannah the price was so dear. It began with her eldest son. He would not obey the King He would not abandon Torah and eat the unclean meat set before him. The King ordered his tongue cut out, His hands and feet cut off and burned in the fire, as his mother and brothers watched. The King thought surely this will make them see I am serious and they will do as I command.
Each son was presented to the King and each deadly torture became worse than the next as Hannah watched each of Her sons shout their devotion to God and enter into His Presence. Finally her last and youngest son appear be for the Monster Antiochus. The Seven year old Showed the same courage and devotion as his other brothers had. The King Pleaded with Hannah, save this boy your last child, make him obey me! So Hannah asked to speak to her little boy and in Hebrew so the King could not understand this is what she said...
"My son, I carried you in my body for nine months, I nursed you for two years and I have fed you until today. I have taught you to fear G-d and uphold His Torah. See the heaven and the earth, the sea and the land, fire, water, wind and every other creation. Know that they were all created by G-d's word. He created man to serve Him and He will reward man for his deeds. The king knows he is condemned before G-d. He thinks that if he convinces you, G-d will have mercy on him. G-d controls your life's breath and can take your soul whenever He desires. If only I could see the greatness of your glorious place where we would be illuminated with G-d's light and rejoice and exult together."
and lastly when you see Abraham tell him your mother says "'You bound only one son upon an altar, but I bound seven."
With That the King ordered the littlest son to be tortured worse than all his brothers before him. Hannah surrounded by the bodies of her beloved sons Exalted her G-d in Prayer.
Hannah stood by the heaped bodies of her sons. She prayed for three things:
1) for the souls of her children
2) for the strength of the Jewish people
3) to be taken by God rather than be killed by the Greeks
As Hannah finished her prayer, she breathed her last breath and fell dead beside her children.
A Child's version of this Story can be found here http://www.torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chana7.htm
Now This story may seem so far from your imaginings that it is hard for you to comprehend, yet there women and children are suffering the same evil today, some for their faith ,some for the pleasure of their tormentors. Daily they choose what is best for their families, their children, their souls. Many martyrs for Christ are in their numbers.
One year in Honor of Jesus’ and Hannah’s sacrifice the children decided to sacrifice (or fast) one of the days of Chanukkah and give all the money that would have been spent on the celebration and the presents to Voice of the Martyrs. Just one way for Chanukah to become real for their tender hearts.
As you hold your children in your arms, praying for them and singing to them, remember you are called to train them to Live for Jesus and each celebration and tradition you instill in their hearts is doing more than you imagine. Chanukah is one such Tradition.
And so we ask, did Jesus celebrate Chanukah? And if He did, should we? What does the Bible say on this subject?
John 10: 22-30 says this in the Living Bible Translation
22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah. 23 He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father. 26 But you don't believe me because you are not part of my flock. 27 My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. 30 The Father and I are one."
This was a time to celebrate Miracles and Jesus is trying to explain “Plainly” that during this time of Miracles of G-d, He is the greatest Miracle of all. He says Yes I have told you, yes I am He but You do not listen. The Proof is in what I do in the Name of the Father. Many think Chanukah is about a great battle. And it is about a great battle. Not only the battle of the Maccabees and the Greeks, but also about a daily battle against Light and Darkness. It is said many times if there is a Jewish Celebration it goes like this. “What are you celebrating now?” The replay is “They tried to Kill us, G-d defeated them, Let’s eat!” And very often that is true. The Maccabees did not save the people, G-d saved the People. G-d raised up these warriors against The Mighty Greek army and won. As we well know Our G-d loves to take the foolish things of the world and confound the wise.
The Temple that they rededicated is no less a temple than the one Jesus is now asking us to rededicate to God the same way. Just as the Miracle of the Oil came into the Temple, The Holy Spirit often symbolized as oil comes into you, the Temple of the Lord. Just as the prayers of Dedication were prayed, for Chanukah is the Feast of Dedication, we are asked to rededicate ourselves to the Lord as well. Jesus is tell them in John, Believe the Miracles, know who I am, Rededicate yourself to G-d. And still today many do not see it.
So we Light our Chanukiahs, shouting to the World, Jesus is the Messiah, come to the Light, rededicate your hearts and lives to Him.
He is the “Light” of the Celebration. Jesus the Light of the World came as a Servant to light us ablaze with the Truth. Just as the Chanukiah has a servant candle, one set apart from the others to ignite the others, so Jesus is the Light set apart to ignite our souls. Jesus is the Light of the World and it is that Light He passes on to us to make us the Light burning brightly for all to see., A City of a Hill. Jesus, Himself said I did not come to be served but to serve. As the Shamash it is Jesus that kindles the Lights of Chanukah.
Lighting the servant candle you start from the Right to the Left (Just as Hebrew is read Right to Left) and light the first candle marking day One. The Next day still lighting on the right side you light the candle closest to the shamash first (left to right) and so on. Yes it can be confusing and causes many debates as to which candle was lit first. Thus we are Thankful for Grace! Each night a Candle is lit and Prayers are lifted up, songs and sung and laughter is heard in every home. The Servant candle shares His light with all the others until the blaze can be seen by passerby.
Prayers can be found here…. http://www.sbmessianic.net/Chanukah.shtml
My prayer is that you will see it, lighted candle by Lighted candle. Jesus is very visible in Chanukah; just as He is Visible in the Passover and every other Celebration. They are all designed to bring us to the Messiah, to train our Children and be set apart from the world.
When the parents forgot to tell their children about the Miracles of the Lord they fell away. The Bible says “they did what was right in their own eyes.” When we fail to teach the Children the depth of truth, past the presents, and good food, we fail to bring them to Messiah. Notice these next few weeks how many times you hear “Christmas is about getting together with family” and nothing about the Messiah it is honoring. When we remove the truth of the celebration whatever it is, the children are lost.
Does it Matter How You Spell Hanukkah?
How do you spell Hanukkah? Hanukkah is a Hebrew word; the Hebrew alphabet is different from the English one. In English, Hanukkah is spelled as it sounds when spoken. However the true beginning sound of the word is not used in English. It comes from the back of the throat - it sort of like clearing your throat when you say the word. So there are different ways to spell Hanukkah, take your pick.
At least it’s always the same in Hebrew: You will just have to trust me on this one, it is five letters long and looks nothing like the words Below! It does however look like this.
Hanukkah (rededication) has only five letters in the original Hebrew. In English there are at least 16 ways to spell it, including: Channuka, Channukah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanuko, Hannuka, Hannukah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukkah, Kanukkah, Khannuka, Khannukah, Khanuka, Khanukah, Khanukkah, and Xanuka.
When typed into your spell check these are your most common spellings Chanukah, Hanukah, and Hanukkah. Now when you say it, it is not a soft “H” sound! The “CH” is not quite as hard as the “CH” in Christmas but not the “Ch” in Church. It is more like the “Caw” of a crow. Thus since most Americans say Hanukkah with a soft “H” they spell in that way.
The Importance is not in the spelling, it is in the heart. It means Rededication. This is a Rededication of the Temple, their rededication to worship, the rededication to Torah. They had fought the whole Greek Army and won! This was a time to Praise God who delivers His People against all odds.
For the Believer in Messiah Jesus this is not just a moment to reflect on the Rededication of the Defiled Temple in The Time of the Maccabees, which is the central focus of Chanukah. For us it is a time to look at 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17 more closely and rededicate ourselves to G-d as well. We also are a Miracle. We are to be set apart. Just as the Maccabees knew they could not conform to the world around them; we must be set apart as well. Just as the Jewish Household is to place their Chanukiah in a doorway or a window to let their light shine for all the world to see, our light is also to shine forth and call out those in darkness .
Does that sound familiar to you? The verse that rings out first in most Advent calendars is Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. This is a Messianic prophecy. This verse is immediately followed by verses 6 and 7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty G-d, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Oh how Holy is the Light of the World!
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
So know you know, it is not the spelling of Chanukah, it is in the heart that the difference is truly made.
Now the reason for Latkes….
Now the big question is why do we eat Latkes??? Well it has to do with the Miracle. What Miracle? Well the Miracle of the oil of course! The same Miracle that the letters on the Dreidel stand for Nes Gadol Hayah Shom..A great Miracle Happened there.
But back to the Miracle.... The Greeks said no Jew could be a Jew, they needed to be a Greek. That sounds so familiar even today doesn't it? Everyone is forcing everyone else to conform to what they think is right. Anyway after a while the Jews said no more and fought back. A little rag tag group of everyday people against the whole Greek Army (only G-d can bring victory) and He does. But when they return to their temple, the altar is covered with PIGS blood ( Can you even imagine such a horrific sight?)and statues of Antiochus filled the Holy of Holies! So they begin to scrub and clean so they could rededicate the temple, and themselves to the Lord. This is the same feast of Dedication Jesus celebrated. Here is where the tricky part comes, you see there is only one flask of oil to fill the menorah with and it will only burn one day. Once it is lit it must remain lit. It can’t go out and the priests refill it only once a week. It has to continuously burn for eight days. If it were up to me, I would have said, ”Hey let’s wait a week and make more oil first”, but G-d’s does things differently to show us He is there in our midst. The problem is there is NO MORE purified oil and whether it took eight days to purify it, or eight days to get some from somewhere else is debated (Jews love to debate thing). What is not debated it the Miracle! What only would have lasted one day lasted eight days! It just kept burning. Because it kept burning the Temple could become a Holy Place for G-d to abide once more. Oh how wonderful it is when the Lord enters His Holy temple and takes up residence there.
G-d loves replenishing Oil, remember the widow’s flask of oil that filled up as long as Elijah was in their home?
So now you know why OIL is so important to Chanukah.
Now I will tell you how to make the Latkes!
Here is our favorite recipe which we triple for the family and make at least ten times this for the congregation.
6 potatoes (I like Yukon gold)
1 yellow onion
2 eggs beaten
3 TBSP of flour or Matzo meal (I use both)
Salt and pepper
and schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) or oil (we used oil) for frying
Peel and grate potatoes and place them in a large bowl of ice water to keep them from graying (if you have the time with kid-lings underfoot!) because now you have to squeeze them dry! add onion (which I also grate but feel free to chop if you like) also add the beaten eggs the flour salt and pepper. mix well! heat the oil and drop large tablespoons full of the mixture into the skillet and flatten. Brown on both sides drain on paper towels and serve with....applesauce, sour cream and even caviar if you dare. Me, I like Sour cream and Crystal Hot Sauce!!!
That should be enough to get you started. I hope you find this Chanukah season to be a wonderful time of growing closer to your Messiah Jesus and to your children. Share some of “His” light with those around you. G-d bless you all.
Here are some great links
http://www.sbmessianic.net/Chanukah.shtml
http://biblicalholidays.com/hanukkah.htm
http://www.torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chanuk.htm
http://www.jewishmag.com/85mag/chanukaoil/chanukaoil.htm
Hag Sameach!
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