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Let your light shine…what a wonderful and empowering message. This year, the eight days of Hanukkah starts<\/a> at sundown on December 25th. My friend, Mira, has invited me to join her family for the first night. I attended this special evening before and loved everything, from hearing the stories of the origin of Hanukkah to learning the dreidel game and, of course, enjoying the tasty foods! I’m not Jewish, but I really appreciate learning about and sharing this celebration with my friends. Spelling:<\/strong><\/span> While there are several ways to spell Hanukkah in English, there is only one way to spell it in Hebrew,\u00a0 \u05d7\u05e0\u05d5\u05db\u05d4 \u00a0(meaning “dedication”). <\/em>The first letter has a “ch” sound. Some folks spell it as Chanukah in English, but it is also spelled Hanukah or Hanukkah. In fact, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 24 different ways to spell<\/a> Hanukkah! For the sake of consistency, I’ll be spelling it as Hanukkah.<\/p>\n Origin:<\/strong> <\/span>Way back in 165 BC, the Jews in Jerusalem overthrew the Greeks, who had been extremely oppressive. The ruler Antiochus IV had desecrated their Temple and denied anyone from engaging in Jewish practice, including reading the Hebrew Bible. The Maccabees, a Jewish family of priests, revolted, taking back the Temple. After winning their freedom, the Jewish people rededicated the Temple to God.<\/p>\n 8 Nights of Light:<\/span><\/strong> The real miracle of Hanukkah centers around the small amount of specially sanctified oil that lasted for 8 days and nights. This type of oil takes 7\u00a0 days to purify. When the Temple was rededicated, the priests only had enough oil to keep the menorah lit for one day. Miraculously, this small amount of oil lasted eight days, giving them enough time to purify more. This miracle became a representation of God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people. The Jewish people started the Festival of Lights to celebrate their heritage, to resist oppression and rededicate their faith. 9 Candles on the Menorah:<\/span><\/strong> The menorah has 9 candles to represent the 8 nights of light, and the ninth candle, the shamash<\/em>, is used to light the others. Each night, the candles are placed from right to left but lit from left to right. An easy way to remember is this cute rhyme: Left to right, that’s how you light!<\/em> It’s encouraged to place the Menorah in a window to spread the light. Check out this story<\/a> of one town’s rebellion against oppression by placing pictures of menorahs in windows to support religious freedom. Let’s all support one another by spreading the light.<\/p>\n Stories:<\/span><\/strong> Hanukkah is less about giving gifts than understanding the gift of faith God showed the Jewish people. Stories, lessons and blessings recounted on Hanukkah, like other religious and cultural holidays, are an important part of the celebration. Here is a lovely resource<\/a> to teach your families about the history and significance of Hanukkah as well as the importance of resisting oppression. Dreidel:<\/span><\/strong> Children (and big kids, too!) love playing with the dreidel. It was originally a game\u00a0that taught children about\u00a0the Torah,<\/a><\/span>\u00a0which was forbidden by the Greeks. If anyone came by, Israelites would pretend to be playing dreidel games to disguise their studies. The dreidel was historically made of clay, but you can also find it made from wood or metal. Today, each of the 4 sides has a letter from the Hebrew alphabet\u2014nun<\/i>\u00a0(\u05e0),\u00a0gimmel<\/span><\/i>\u00a0(\u05d2), hey<\/i>\u00a0(\u05d4),<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0shin<\/span><\/i> (\u05e9). They are an acronym for nes gadol hayah sham\u2014<\/i>a great miracle happened there. Here is a resource to learn how to play<\/a> the dreidel game. Take it from me, it’s a lot of fun!<\/p>\n \u00a0Search for more delightful recipes in your\u00a0DinnerTime Recipe Box<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use the filter function (found on the right of your DinnerTime Recipe Box search) to find desserts, main dishes, side dishes, etc.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/div>\n A tasty side dish for any meal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Irresistible! Creamy on the inside and crackly on the outside.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n The perfect accompaniment for your latkes!<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Let your light shine…what a wonderful and empowering message. This year, the eight days of Hanukkah starts at sundown on December 25th. My friend, Mira, has invited me to join her family for the first night. I attended this special… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14393"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14399,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14393\/revisions\/14399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp2.dinnertime.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Screen-Shot-2023-12-05-at-2.53.53-PM.png\")
<\/p>\nFun Hanukkah Facts to Know<\/h2>\n
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Fried Foods:<\/strong><\/span> Foods fried in oil symbolize the miracle of Hanukkah. While latkes<\/a> and fried jelly-filled donuts are probably the most recognizable Hanukkah foods, there is no specific list of “have to have” Hanukkah recipes. Typically, latkes will be served, but other vegetables may also be fried. Traditional dishes like brisket<\/a> or roast chicken<\/a> are often included in the meal. Share\u00a0this\u00a0cute video<\/a> of a man and his grandmother making latkes with your children<\/span>. Check out your DinnerTime Recipe Box<\/a> for many Hanukkah-inspired recipes.<\/p>\nHanukkah-Inspired Recipes<\/h3>\n
\n\nFried Green Tomatoes with Buttermilk-Chipotle Dressing<\/a><\/h5>\n
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\nCrispy Potato-Leek Kugel<\/a><\/h5>\n
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\nOne Minute Cinnamon Apple Sauce<\/a><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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