Hanukkah's Last Night - the 8 Candles Lit by the Server (Shamash) Candle - The Light of the World

Hanukiyah on the 8th night

The Light of the World

Jesus Christ

Yeshua HaMashiach

The Eternal Oil

The Everlasting Messiah

We lit the eight candles 

with the shamash candle,

the Server, 

in celebration of this 

last night of Hanukkah.

May Yeshua (Jesus) be the 

Light in your world.

Blessings and ahava,

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

Hanukkah's last night in 2013 - the 8th candle is lit!

 On the 8th day of Hanukkah...

 

The Lion of Judah

- Yeshua HaMashiach

- the Light of the World

Hanukkah Time at Beit Yeshua - 3rd night of the Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights

Laurie and I enjoyed our evening on Nov. 29, 2013, the third night of Hanukkah, with our friends in Lincolnton, NC for the Hanukkah evening. Below are a few photos I took. I recorded 9 videos which you can see on the Love For His People YouTube channel also.

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People

Which hanukiyah (Hanukkah menorah) 

do you like best?

"David's Harp" hanukiyah

All shapes and sizes.

Curtis Loftin - Beit Yeshua

Carolyn Loftin

See the videos on our YouTube channel:

Love For His People - Hanukkah videos

Messianic Jewish Candle Lighting Ceremony For Hanukah

Messianic Jewish Candle Lighting Ceremony For Hanukah

 

In seeking a practical expression for this holy day, believers in Messiah Yeshua can incorporate many beautiful traditions. The observance is centered on the hanukiyah (9 candle menorah) and what it represents. 

Each evening during  Hanukah family and friends gather to light the hanukiyah with the appropriate number of candles. The branches of the hanukiyah represent the eight days of Hanukah, plus one shamash candle used to light the others.

Note: the appropriate numbers of candles are placed in the hanukiyah from right to left, yet they are kindled by the shamash from left to right. 

On the first night of Hanukah, after sundown, the shamash (servant) candle is lit, which in turn is used to kindle the first candle in the Menorah. The second night, we light the shamash again and use it to light the two right candles. This continues through the eight nights of the Hanukah.

During the lighting of the shamash and the appropriate number of candles, the following blessings are chanted:

(Traditional)

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us to light Hanukah lights.

Baruch Ata Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, ah-sher kid-shah-nu b'mitz-voh-tayv v'tzee-vah-nu l'had-leek ner shel Hanukah.

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in those days at this season.

Baruch Ata Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, she-ah-sah ni-seem la-ah-vo-tay-nu ba-ya-meem ha-hem baz-man ha-zeh.

 (Messianic version)

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has given us holidays, customs, and times of happiness, to increase the knowledge of God and to build us up in our most holy faith.

Baruch Ata Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, ah-sher nah-tan lah-nu cha-gim, min-ha-gim, oo-mo-ah-dim l'sim-cha, l'hag-deel et da-at Adonai, v'liv-not oh-tah-nu b'emunah ki-do-shah v'na-ah-lah.

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our fathers in those days at this season.

Baruch Ata Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, she-ah-sah ni-seem la-ah-vo-tay-nu ba-ya-meem ha-hem baz-man ha-zeh.

(On the first night you can add

)

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the universe, who granted us life, sustained us and permitted us to reach this season.

Baruch Ata Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha-olam, she-he-che-yanu v'kee-ma-nu v'hi-gee-ah-nu laz-man ha-zeh.

Note: Traditionally, the candles are lit from right to left. The first candle is placed on the right side of the Menorah, and the second one placed directly to the left. But lighting them starts from the left and moves to the right. Thus the first candle that is lit is the new candle added for that day. The Shammash candle (the tallest) is used to light the others.

Meaning of the Candles

Shamash (Servant) Candle

Messiah Yeshua stated in Mark 10:44-45:

    Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

First Candle

Genesis 1:3-4 describes the creation of the first light:

    God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Second Candle

Exodus 13:21-22 reveals that God is the source of Israel's light:

    And the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Third Candle

King David reminds us in Psalm 27:1 and Psalm 18:28 that God Himself is the source of our own individual light:

    The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? For You light my lamp; the Lord my God illumines my darkness.

Fourth Candle

Psalm 119:105 and Psalm 119:130 describe the light that comes from God's Word:

    Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Fifth Candle

Messiah Yeshua is the greatest light of all:

    In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:4-5). As Messiah Yeshua was in the Temple in Jerusalem watching the illuminating lights, He declared: "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). 

Aged Simeon was promised by the Lord that he would not die until he saw Israel's Messiah. When he saw Yeshua as an infant in the Temple, he knew that this One was the light of Israel and the Nations. 

Simeon declared: "My eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light of revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:30-32). For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah (2 Corinthians 4:6).

For further info: Beth Hamashiach.com - Hanakah Instructions

Thanksgivukkah: When Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Collide

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 |  Ariel Rudolph  

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Bible

As most of us know, Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of the oil. Once the Maccabees restored the Temple to Jewish control, the Temple oil burned for eight days when there was only enough oil to burn for one.

One of the traditions of Hanukkah is to eat foods cooked in oil and to give thanks to God for the miracle He gave to His faithful servants.

The American holiday of Thanksgiving is all about fellowship. It is about spending time with others we care about, sharing all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, and lets us show the others in our lives the good fortune we have through faith in God.

Let’s look at Leviticus 7:12. This is a passage about the Fellowship Offering and it says, If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.

As we can see in Leviticus 7, the Fellowship Offering of Thanksgiving involves food with oil! Wow. Not only that, but this type of offering was meant to be eaten in a fellowship meal, much like our Thanksgiving dinners today, The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning(Leviticus 7:15).

This year as we cook the turkey and prepare the other family tradition favorites, you might want to consider adding some Hanukkah favorites as well. Latkes are potato pancakes cooked in oil; they would be the perfect addition to a Thanksgiving meal, and fulfill a biblical Thanksgiving offering of unleavened wafers with oil.

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The Yeshiva Boys Choir - "Those Were The Nights (of Chanukah)"

Here's a link to buy the Album (YBC 5 "Chanukah" - Available as a download or CD):
http://theyeshivaboyschoir.com/albums...

"Those Were The Nights (of Chanukah)"
The Yeshiva Boys Choir

Song Composed, Arranged & Produced By Eli Gerstner (EG Productions)
Lyrics By Yossi Toiv & Eli Gerstner
Video Edited & Directed By Mario Costabile
Music by The Yosis Orchestra
Choir Conducted By Yossi Newman
Vocals Recorded @ EG Studios By Yossi Newman & Eli Gerstner
Mastered By Larry Gates @ Gater Music
Mixed By Eli Gerstner @ EG Studios

Bubby burned the Latkes every Chanukah
Forgot them in the frying pan each year
While we were having fun playing Dreidle
Smoke alarms were wailing everywhere
Firemen were breaking all the windows
Zeidy closed his eyes, began to pray
Those Latkes had no luck
Our mouths bit down & stuck
But Bubby made us eat them anyway

CHORUS:
Those were the nights of Chanukah
I remember long ago
When our family got together
Little eyes aglow
Multi-colored candles burning
As the joyous songs were sung
How I miss the Menorah lights
When we were all so young

Uncle Jake brought donuts by the dozen
He warned us that Aunt Bertha couldn't bake
But Uncle Hymie ate one singing Maoz Tzur
And that was Uncle Hymie's big mistake
Our parents stood there beaming as they called us
And handed us our presents one by one
Bathed in the light
The Menorah burning bright
Sweet memories as brilliant as the sun

CHORUS

Where are those nights? Full of fun, full of lights
I can still hear their laughter and songs
But though they are gone, their spirit still lives on
For Bubby's love is still alive and strong

Those were the nights of Chanukah
Spent with family and friends
Filled with dreams and laughter
That we thought would never end
So cherish your moments together
It's what Bubby would have done
And we wish a happy Chanukah
To everyone!


© Copyright Eli Gerstner 2010. All Rights Reserved.
For More Information About YBC:
Please Call EG Productions @ 718-853-9403
www.theyeshivaboyschoir.com

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Hanukkah - Hebrew song and video

What is Hanukkah (Chanukah)? (Nov. 27-Dec. 5, 2013)

What is Hanukkah?

Chanukah occurs in the Hebrew calendar month of Kislev. This year, 2013 the date is November 27-December 5.

Chanukah -- the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev-- celebrates the triumph of lightover darkness, of purity overadulteration, of spirituality over materiality.

More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.

When they sought to light the Temple's menorah (the seven branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah (candelabrum) lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.

On Chanukah we also add the Hallel and Al HaNissim in our daily prayers to offer praise and thanksgiving to G-d for "delivering the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few... the wicked into the hands of therighteous."

Chanukah customs include eating foods fried in oil -- latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (doughnuts); playing with the dreidel (a spinning top on which are inscribed the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hei and shin, an acronym for Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, "a great miracle happened there"); and the giving ofChanukah gelt, gifts of money, to children.

Click here for the complete story of Chanukah, and here for a comprehensive "How To" guide for the observances and customs of Chanukah.

From: Chabad.org

Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish Friends! (The Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights starts Nov. 26 Wed. PM for 8 Days)

Blessings on ye heads!

Steve & Laurie Martin

Love For His People

Image Courtesy: wikiPedia

Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication celebrated by the Jewish community all over the world. This festival takes place in December every year right around the same time that Christmas is celebrated for non-Jewish Christians. The festival lasts for eight nights where a candle is lit every night on a menorah hence being given the name the festival of lights. The literal meaning of Hanukkah is to dedicate. The Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple on that day.

There is series of rituals performed by the Jews during these eight days of the Hanukkah festival. Some of them are family based and some are collective. There are significant addends to the daily prayer and an additional prayer is added on to the blessing after a meal. It is different from other rituals because there is no special celebration where Jewish people are able to get off of work. Jewish people go to their work as usual but typically leave work early to light the candles before nightfall. Because of the fact that this is not considered as one of the primarily religious holidays schools typically don’t close. In Israel school remains closed from day two of the festival through to the last day of Hanukkah.

Over the course of this eight day festival many families give each family member and even friends one gift per night. Additionally, people eat an abundance of friend food during this time to celebrate the important role oil plays during Hanukkah celebration. There are three kinds of blessings which are recited throughout this eight day festival. There is a particular procedure of their recitation. On the first day all of three blessings are recited. On the next night they recite only two and so on.

There are other ways that Hanukkah is celebrated depending on what part of the world you live in. For some families, they may sing Hanukkah songs instead of lighting candles on the menorah. Other activities that families often do together for Hanukkah, are making baked goods such as pastries, cookies and other traditional Jewish food and playing games with a dreidle, which is a wooden octagon shaped “top” that has certain Jewish related symbols. Depending on the symbol that shows up when you spin it and it stops you have a specific action to do. This is a favourite amongst children in the Jewish faith.

Thanksgivukkah

Hanukkah and Thanksgiving overlap this week. The result: 'Thanksgivukkah'

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Nov. 23, 2013

The two are not expected to occur simultaneously again until 2070, then 2165, then in another 70,000 years. Both holidays pay tribute to national resilience and are celebrated around the family table with rich food, games and fellowship. They just usually don't take place at the same time.

No wonder people are finding Hanukkah and Thanksgiving to be a comfortable match, even if a rare one.

The first day of the eight-day Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins on Thanksgiving this year (actually starting the evening before), and for many Jewish families locally and beyond, that provides a fitting opportunity to mash up traditions along with potatoes.

"This year really serves as a reminder to me of the idea of giving thanks and being grateful," said Katie Whitlatch of Highland Park. "There's no reason that can't be a focus for every Hanukkah. It's a good opportunity to reinvigorate the holiday."

Her family will be combining some food traditions as well. Normally she makes a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, but this year will be making sweet potato latkes (potato pancakes, traditionally served during Hanukkah). Some people are also planning to use cranberry filling in the jelly doughnuts that are a Hanukkah staple.

"We actually for the last couple of years have been deep-frying turkey anyway" for Thanksgiving, Ms. Whitlatch added. "That has a dual meaning now because of the oil and the Hanukkah."

Hanukkah is rooted in an ancient war for Jewish independence from Greek-Syrian occupiers who had desecrated their temple in Jerusalem.

Tradition says that after Jews retook the temple, they only had enough oil to keep a ritual lamp lit for a single day, but miraculously the supply lasted eight days. In a nod to that tradition, Jews often serve foods in which oil is a featured part of the recipe.

Hanukkah is a minor religious holiday in Judaism, but has gained larger cultural significance in the United States as an alternative winter holiday for Jews during the Christmas season. Also, the ancient struggle for religious freedom resonates with the American narrative -- such as that of the English religious dissidents known as Pilgrims, who settled in New England to pursue their own religious liberty and survived against desperate odds.

Other traditions include lighting a menorah, or candelabra, each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, and playing games with a dreidel, or a square top with Hebrew lettering.

It's been at least a century since the start of Hanukkah -- which is determined by lunar calculations -- coincided with Thanksgiving, always the fourth Thursday of November. The JTA news service said the two are not expected to occur simultaneously again until 2070, then 2165, then in another 70,000 years.

So when Pittsburgh native Dana Reichman Gitell thought about the rare confluence last year, she coined and trademarked the term "Thanksgivukkah." A marketing specialist who lives in suburban Boston, Ms. Gitell pushed all the right buttons and the concept went viral, both on social media and elsewhere. The mayor of Boston recently proclaimed Nov. 28 to be "Thanksgivukkah."

"I was driving to work and came up with the word, and I thought 'this should be a Facebook page,' " Ms. Gitell said.

"Both are festivals of gratitude, so there are a lot of layers and a lot of things in common," she said. "This is an opportunity to celebrate the Jewish American experience and celebrate this country."

Ms. Gitell credits her childhood in Squirrel Hill with establishing her firm footing in Jewish religion and culture.

"I had an incredible childhood in one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the country," she said.

Some have taken up the Thanksgivukkah theme with other word blends, such as planning to use a "menurky" -- a turkey-shaped menorah.

While Hanukkah is a family celebration, it is "usually not the excuse to travel and get together" with extended family, Ms. Whitlatch said. So as she, her husband and son travel to see relatives in New Jersey for Thanksgiving, "this year we have the opportunity to celebrate it and make more of a foodfest."

Lauren Bartholomae, director of the Family Life Department at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, will be traveling to visit her husband's uncle's farm in Ohio, a Thanksgiving tradition they have begun in recent years. Since he and his family are not Jewish, it's a chance to bring "Hanukkah to people who don't know about Hanukkah and have never celebrated it before."

She plans to introduce the menorah lighting, a dreidel game and other activities. "Hanukkah is all about miracles," she said. "You can think about Thanksgiving in the same way."

Ms. Gitell said the overall response to the Thanksgivukkah celebration has been positive. "I think that's because there is some depth to it, and some legitimate religious ties between the two holidays."

She plans to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime event, but will put it to rest after this year. "I felt in my heart like this was a love letter to America, and an opportunity for American Jews to celebrate both holidays and enjoy them together."

Peter Smith: petersmith@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1416, Twitter @PG_PeterSmith. Kim Lyons: klyons@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1241.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/life/holidays/2013/11/24/These-holidays-go-well-together/stories/201311240159#ixzz2lbdJitYl

Hanukkah (Chanukah) paintings by Alex Levin.

Thank you Alex Levin. 

Great work! 

More here: Alex Levin's website