ACK!  I think I missed a day of Chanukah.  My plan to blog everyday failed.  I am trying to find a way to say that since Jewish days start at sunset, I am really OK.  But I am not sure....  Yesterday was busy, but I also wasn't sure what else I really had to say about Chanukah.

I wracked my brain and came up with a topic -GELT!!  I have mentioned gelt a couple of times, so I should probably explain what it is.  Gelt means "money".  The traditional Chanukah gift is to give your children some coins every night.  Nowadays they also make chocolate coins, which is my favorite part of the holiday. LOL

The reason for the gelt is to help teach your children the value of charity (tzedekah in Hebrew).  Chanukah has the same root word as the Hebrew word chinuch which means "education" which is of course a crucial part of the Chanukah story.  As I mentioned a few days ago, many Jews had adopted Greek ways.  After the rebellion, they needed to be re-taught and brought back to Torah.

By giving the children gelt, we encourage them to increase in good deeds and charity.  Chanukah gelt celebrates our freedom and teaches us to use our material weath for spiritual means.