How to Light the Hanukkah Menorah - Ariela Pelaia

How to Light the

Hanukkah Menorah

Instructions for Lighting Your Hanukkah Menorah

Ariela Pelaia
Judaism Expert


Lighting the Hanukkah menorah (also called a Hanukkiyah) is the most important part of celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The menorah reminds us of the miracle of the Hanukkah lights, when only one day worth of oil burned for eight days after the Maccabees reclaimed the holy Temple.

Below are instructions for lighting the menorah during the holiday of Hanukkah. In order to do the lighting ceremony you will need:

A Hanukkah menorah (Hanukkiyah)
Candles that will fit in your menorah’s candle slots
Matches
Lighting the Menorah on the First Night of Hanukkah

On the first night of Hanukkah and on all other nights during the holiday, the middle candle (called a shamash) is lit first. The shamash does not count as one of the Hanukkah candles, but is used to light all the other candles. You can learn more about this tradition in: What Is a Hanukkiyah?

Families usually light their Hanukkah menorah directly or soon after nightfall. If Hanukkah begins on Shabbat, the Hanukkiyah should be lit just before sundown.

Place a candle in the rightmost position on your menorah.


Now hold the shamash and recite the following blessings:


Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.

Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, she’asah nisim l’avoteinu, b’yamim haheim bazman hazeh.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, shehekheyanu, v’kiyamanu vehegianu lazman hazeh.

Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season.

Note that you can see Sephardic/Modern Israeli versions of these blessings in: Hanukkah Candle Lighting Blessings.

After these blessings are said the shamash is lit and the first Hanukkah candle (the one you placed in the rightmost position of your menorah) is kindled using the flame from the shamash. Place the shamash in its place on your menorah. (Usually there will be a special spot for it in the middle of your menorah.)

Lighting the Menorah on All Other Nights of Hanukkah

During all other nights of Hanukkah begin by placing your candles in your menorah from right to left. Not counting the shamash, the number of Hanukkah candles in your menorah should match the night of Hanukkah.

For instance, if it is the 5th night of Hanukkah you would place 5 Hanukkah candles in your menorah.

Light the shamash first, then kindle the remaining candles from left to right. This is the reverse order of how the candles were placed in your Hanukkiyah, so the last candle you put in the menorah should be lit first. Learn more about this custom of lighting from left to right in: What Is a Hanukkiyah?

As you light the candles recite the following two blessings:


Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.

Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech HaOlam, she’asah nisim l’avoteinu, b’yamim haheim bazman hazeh.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.

After the candles are lit place the shamash in its place on your menorah.

Singing Songs and Playing Dreidel After Lighting the Menorah

Many families like to sing Hanukkah songs after lighting their menorah. You can find many Hanukkah songs along with their lyrics and sample melodies in: Favorite Hanukkah Songs.

Another favorite tradition is playing the dreidel game after lighting the Hanukkah candles. You can learn more about the dreidel and how to play this game in: How to Play the Dreidel Game.

References: "Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holidays Handbook" by Lesli Koppelman Ross. Jason Aronson, Inc.: Northvale, 1994.

Source: About Religion

Hanukkah -- A Great Miracle Happened Here!

By Tzippe Barrow

CBN News Internet Producer - Jerusalem

Monday, December 10, 2012

 

 

 

JERUSALEM, Israel -- On the same day Israelis began celebrating Hanukkah this year, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal vowed to destroy the Jewish state. Meshaal told thousands of Palestinian Arabs celebrating the terror group's 25th anniversary that Israel will cease to exist.

 

It's a threat that's been heard for millennia. Yet, am Yisrael chai! (the people of Israel live)

On Saturday evening, Israelis and Jews around the world celebrated the first night of Hanukkah, the festival marking the victory of a small band of guerilla fighters who by sheer courage defeated the Syrian Greek forces under Antiochus IV.

On the Hebrew calendar, Hanukkah always begins on 25 Kislev. Like all Jewish holidays, it starts at sunset. This year that's from Saturday, December 8, through sunset on Sunday, December 16.

It's a festive holiday, enjoyed by children and adults alike, which has inspired Jews to strive for freedom against impossible odds for millennia -- right up to the present day.

It all started in 200 BCE when the Syrian Greeks conquered Israel and began imposing their Hellenistic lifestyle on the Hebrew nation. Life was tolerable under Antiochus III, but when his son, Antiochus IV, took over, he outlawed the Jewish Sabbath and ritual circumcision under penalty of death.

After his troops massacred thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, they defiled the Second Temple by dedicating it to Zeus and sacrificing pigs on the altar. The Jews were incensed. Within a few years, a Jewish priest named Mattathias rallied the people to revolt.

When Mattathias died, his son, Judah, took over. He was called Judah the Maccabee (the hammer), a fitting description for his small band of soldiers, who hammered away at the vastly outnumbered troops.

A year later, Judah's small army defeated the Syrian troops and set about cleansing and rededicating the Temple, which is why Hanukkah is also called the Feast of Dedication.

When they went to relight the Temple menorah, they found enough oil to last one day. Miraculously, the one-day supply lasted eight days until more could be prepared. That's why Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights.

To remember that miracle, Jews light candles on an eight-branched Hanukkah menorah every evening for eight days. There is a ninth candle called the shamash, or servant candle, used to light the others.

On the first night, one candle is lit and on each successive night, another is added until all eight are kindled on the last night.

Another tradition is to eat food fried in oil, such as potato pancakes or jelly doughnuts. Children also play a game with a four-sided top, called a dreidel (sevivyon in Hebrew).

In Jewish communities abroad, the Hebrew letters spell the acronym, "a great miracle happened there." In Israel, the fourth Hebrew letter is changed to read "a great miracle happened HERE!"

A traditional Hanukkah song called Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) describes Israel's enduring hope.

Rock of Ages, let our song praise Thy saving power! Thou amidst the raging foes wast our sheltering tower. Furious they assailed us, but Thine arm availed us. And thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us!

Islamists such as Meshaal and Gaza-based Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh are just one more link in a long line of people who have threatened Israel's survival. They won't succeed because "The Lord will not abandon His people nor will He forsake His inheritance." (Psalm 94:14)

"For the Lord has chosen Zion. He has desired it for His habitation. This is my resting place, forever. Here I shall dwell. I will abundantly bless her provision. Her priests, I will clothe with salvation and her godly ones will sing aloud with joy. Her enemies I will clothe with shame but on them crowns shall shine." (Psalm 132:13-16, 18)

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2012/December/Hanukkah----A-Great-Miracle-Happened-Here/

IDF Soldiers Learn About Hanukkah By Seeing the Sights

IDF Soldiers Learn About Hanukkah By Seeing the Sights

Some 20,000 IDF soldiers are this week attending special tours of the country, based on the history and traditions of Hanukkah

 

By David Lev, Israel National News 

First Publish: 12/9/2012

Hanukkah in the IDF

 

 

Some 20,000 IDF soldiers are this week attending special tours of the country, based on the history and traditions of Hanukkah. The “In the Footsteps of the Maccabees” program has exposed many soldiers to history and traditions of which they may have not been aware, while showing others the places where the important events from Jewish history actually took place.

Among the sites the soldiers visit are Beit Guvrin, Modi'in, Latrun, Jerusalem, and Gush Etzion. All these places were key sites in the wars between the Maccabees and their supporters against the Greek occupying forces and their Hellenist compatriots.

Participating in the tours are soldiers from all communal and religious backgrounds. The highlight of the program is a candle lighting event in the amphitheater at Latrun, where a large memorial to the IDF Tank Corps is located. Also participating are families who have lost soldiers in combat. Leading the candle lighting service is Chief IDF Cantor Ofir Sobol. Joining the soldiers on Tuesday will be President Shimon Peres and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

Speaking at one of the events, IDF Chief Rabbi Rafi Peretz said that “the best part of these events is the feeling of unity that comes out of gathering everyone from many different locations – including towns, cities, and army bases. The hanukkiyah (Hanukkah menorah) is unique. It does not have one light, but 9, which shine brightly when they are all lit. There is a place for all the lights, and this is how the IDF sees things,” said Rabbi Peretz.

 

 

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162988