It takes a lot of experience for a girl to kiss like a beginner.

So I promised more chanukah info- minus the "theological muckmuck"

 

 

 

Why eight nights?  myths grew up that while waiting for military reinforcements the maccabee boys were in the temple with only a small portion of oil. And miraculously the oil lasted eight days. A similar myth is that during the clean up and re-dedication the spot of oil ( used for the ner tamid- an eternal light always burning in a temple) lasted eight days until they got more. But the real truth  is that due to religious oppression the Jews had not been able to observe Sukkot the earlier fall- remember the holiday  I discussed with little booths all decorated and such?- well since they couldn’t celebrate it in the fall they would have  a celebration after cleaning and rededicating the temple and it would last the eight days that sukkot lasts.  Simple huh?

 

But why the oil myths? Ah here is where politics enters the picture. The Maccabee Boys became a dynasty known as the Hasmoneans.  They were around for quite a while and a large section of the rabbinical community came to resent them. Not wanting them to continue to get credit for the victory and the celebration ( the books of macabees were not included in the Jewish canon when the tanakh was finalized)  they started the oil stories to put a divine spirit in the picture and take the glory from the boys.

 

Early in Roman times the Jews were doing okay. Herod was appointed king of the Jews and saw over the occupied lands in the middle east but as things became rougher and rougher for the Jews they again had to go underground with many of their rituals.

 

This is where those chocolate coins we call gelt ( Yiddish for money? ) and little four sided tops called dreidels come into the picture. Jews took to surreptitiously meeting in minons. (ten Jewish men post bar mitzvah age) Probably to prayer but I bet to kvetch and plan their moved against the Romans and when they were inevitably discovered by some roman night watchman type they had these little coins and tops out and claimed they had gotten together for a little friendly gambling. Now personally I find that a hoot. A total hoot, because we have this holiday that celebrates a military victory infused with pretend miracles and kids reenacting gambling  as a way to observe it.

 

But there is one more twist on this…. The chanukiah… the eight branched menorah rather than the normal six branched. Well now you know why there are eight branches and a helper candle ( the shamash)  but there was some debate about how it should be lit.

 

Shammai and Hillel frequently had disagreements over ritual ( like should the mezuzah be vertical or horizontal- and generally Hillel won out or Shammai seriously compromised. Well Shammai thought that all the lights  should be lit the first night and one fewer each subsequent night. But Hillel thought increasing light would be nicer and he won out.  So each night we light the shamash ( it must look differentiated from the others)  and use the shamash to light one candle the first night ; two the second and so on.

 

Well I have almost exhausted my knowledge of Chanukah and for a lesser holiday I sure gave it a lot of space but the Christian world has gotten it so mixed up with their holiday and presents that I thought I would set the record straight.  ( I wont take on the biblical evidence that Jesus was not born in the dead of winter but that early Christians needed something to compete with pagan winter solstice celebrations)

 

Tomorrow night we will light a chanukiah, put it in the window and go about  our business. On Friday I am having guests and will inflict latkes on them. That’s all folks. So temple, no presents, maybe some chocolate coins and I will have to wait till Purim in the spring to get  dressed up, act goofy. Happy Holidays.