Showing posts with label potato pancakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potato pancakes. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Why is Chanukah So Unique? (it’s not what you think…)




Why is Chanukah So Unique? (it’s not what you think…)


By Rabbi Ari Enkin, rabbinic director, United with Israel

Is Chanukah unique because we eat latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot(jelly donuts) and play with dreidels (spinning tops)? The real uniqueness is our victory celebration over an enemy that didn’t actually want to kill us!

The story of Chanukah takes place during the Second Temple period (approx. 200 BCE), when the Syrian-Greeks occupied the Land of Israel. In contrast to most enemies of the Jewish people, the Syrian-Greeks essentially had no interest in murdering Jews. Rather, they wanted the Jewish people to adopt the Greek religion and way of life.

I guess you could say that the Syrian-Greeks desired death by assimilation for the Jewish people. Jewish practice was officially against the law. Torah study, circumcision and even resting on the Sabbath were all punishable by death.

As the saying goes with regards to all Jewish holidays, “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat!” Chanukah is no different. The primary victory was apparently the military victory of the small Jewish army, known as the Maccabees, over the huge and well-armed army of the Syrian-Greeks. When the battle was over, the Maccabees made their way to the Temple Mount (as did the “Maccabees” of theSix Day War). What they found, however, was a desecrated and defiled sanctuary.


In order to formally rededicate the Temple, the Maccabees had to light the Menorah. But to do so, they had to overcome another obstacle: They had to find pure olive oil that had been certified by a High Priest. And in what was yet another miracle, they did! They managed to find a single flask of certified oil!

On to the next miracle: The small flask of oil that contained enough oil to burn for only one day burned for eight days! The eight-day holiday of Chanukah was born!
The Only Miracle that Must be Publicized

In order to commemorate these miracles, Jews light the menorah, often called a chanukiya, on each night of Chanukah and recite the accompanying blessings. These menorahs are generally lit at the entrances of the home or at a window that faces the public thoroughfare in order to better publicize the miracles of Chanukah. Indeed, with minor exception, the miracle of Chanukah is the only miracle that we are obligated to publicize! It is commendable to remain alongside the candles for at least 30 minutes after lighting, studying Torah, singing songs and talking about the Chanukah story. Gifts are often given to children at this time.

A Deeper Understanding

Let’s take a deeper look into the miracle of Chanukah. What was it about the events of Chanukah that inspired our sages to institute a holiday in its honor? The answer is that Chanukah is different from all other holidays. It is the only holiday that truly commemorates a spiritual victory, not a physical one. If the Syrian Greeks would have simply demanded that the Jewish people paint their homes pink with blue polka-dots, that would have have been one thing. But to demand that the Jewish people dispose with their Torah and religion was truly another!

A flame flickers and rises, representing the soul of Man.

The oil that was miraculously found and then burned for eight days was nothing less than a Divine wink that a battle for religious freedom is a battle that’s worth it. Many things in life, most things in fact, are not worth fighting for. In most of life’s battles we should usually compromise for the sake of keeping the peace. But when it comes to tradition, especially Torah tradition, compromise and concessions are not an option.

Chanukah is indeed different. They did not try to kill us, they tried to assimilate us. And the Maccabees would have none of it.

The fact that a flame was the center of attention makes Chanukah the spiritual holiday that it is. This is because a flame flickers and rises, which represents the soul of all mankind that ‘flickers’ in its desire to rise higher and get closer to God.

Presents, sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes) are nice traditions, but don’t let the eight days of Chanukah slip by without recognizing them for the spiritual focus and victory that they are! Yes, and publicize it!

Chanukah begins this year on Tuesday night, December 16. Chag Sameach!

VIEW OUR AMAZING COLLECTION OF INSPIRING ARTICLES ABOUT CHANUKAH!

Hanukkah begins sundown on Dec. 16, 2014 and ends sundown Dec. 24, 2014.


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgivukkah: When Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Collide

Thanksgivukkah: When Hanukkah and Thanksgiving Collide

Wednesday, November 27, 2013 |  Ariel Rudolph  
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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