Questions tagged [chanuka]
Hanukkah, a holiday commemorating the miracles surrounding the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE
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Why isn't the book of the Maccabees part of the Jewish canon?
I believe they are in the Christian canon... why not Jewish?
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Can one throw out a Menorah?
Is it an issue to discard a menorah that has been used for the mitzvah of Neros Chanuka?
What if the menorah is made from something not usually used for a menorah? For example,bottles, cans, potatoes,...
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How are Spartans the son of Abraham?
I was reading the Book of Maccabees (I and II) over Shabbat and in it there is a letter written to Sparta to ask for peace, goodwill and friendship.
In the reply letter back from Sparta, they affirm ...
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What are the sources for the stories of Chanukah?
I'd like to find the sources for the stories associated with Chanukah. When I was younger, I was taught stories like:
Eliezer Maccabee being crushed by an elephant.
The rebellion staring in Mode'in ...
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Why aren't Purim and Channuka considered a violation of לֹא תֹסִפוּ?
It says in Devarim 4:2:
לֹא תֹסִפוּ עַל הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תִגְרְעוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם
Translated:
Do ...
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Who is the composer of Haneiros Halolu?
When we light the Menora we say Haneiros Halolu. Who composed these words?
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First time lighting Chanuka candles is on second night
If one didn't light Chanuka candles until the second night, how many candles should he light?
According to the reason that we add a candle a night is "Maalin Bakodesh" (we always add in holiness), ...
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Eating out Friday night of Chanukkah
If one is lighting Chanukah candles inside (for whatever reason) relying on the publicizing to himself and his family, then what should he do on Friday night if he is eating out? Must he make the ...
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Why not two days for all holidays?
For those outside of Israel the requirement is for two days of yom tov (and sometimes Rosh Chodesh), originally due to uncertainty and now due to tradition. But we don't do this for all holidays even ...
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Why are there eight days of Chanukah if there were only seven miracles?
There is a famous question asked by the Beis Yosef (R' Yosef Karo): Why do we celebrate eight days of Chanukah if the miracle lasted only seven? The jug of oil contained enough to be lit for one day, ...
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How straight do the chanukah lights have to be?
The Mechaber says (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 671:4) that the Chanukah lights may not look like a bonfire. The Remah therefore says that the Chanukah lights must be in a straight line, to make sure it ...
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Were Haman's possessions hung on a tree?
In Maoz Tzur we say:
רב בניו וקנייניו,
על העץ תלית
His many sons and his possessions,
You hung on a tree
Were Haman's possessions really hung on a tree?
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December greeting responses [closed]
How do you respond when greeted, during the Winter "holiday season" by a non-Jewish acquaintance with each of the following?
Happy Chanuka (in proximity to Chanuka)
Happy Chanuka (not in proximity to ...
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"m'nora" on Chanuka
My kid came home from school one day insisting that the thing we light on Chanuka is not a m'nora but a chanukiya. I replied that that's the word most Israelis use now but that m'nora is a perfectly ...
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Fighting Wars on Shabbat
As I mentioned in another question, I was reading the Book of Maccabees over Shabbat (I and II).
In the book of Maccabees, it mentions that early on in the struggle, there were a group of Jews hiding ...
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Why no addition to me'ein shalosh for Purim (and Chanukka)?
We add a paragraph to birkat hamzon for Purim (and for Chanukka). Why is there no phrase added to the me'ein shalosh (the bracha acharona) for Purim (and Chanukka)?
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When do you say a beracha on a minhag?
When lighting Hanukkah candles in the synagogue, we say a beracha "asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav.." on a minhag. Unlike kiddush in shul, and early counting of the omer in shul, nobody would say that one ...
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9 Days of Chanukah?
All Yomim Tovim we celebrate in Chutz Laretz an extra day because of A safek, why do we not do the same for Chanukah?
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What's the best way to make wick-and-oil work for Chanukah?
I've tried lots of fancy fluffy cotton wicks that just burn out. Some people have those little metal holder-thingies to keep the wick in place; some use bobby pins as holder thingies. If your oil ...
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Is "Festival of Lights" our traditional term or borrowed from other cultures?
I keep seeing Chanukah being referred to as "the festival of lights". However I don't recall encountering this term in any of the classic religious texts (Talmud, Midrash, Maimonides, Shulchan Aruch, ...
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What is the appropriate use of the shamash on an oil menora?
It seems that with wax candle menoras, the shamash is generally lit first and used to light the other candles, but with an oil menora this is not possible. So should you light the shamash before the ...
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What is the origin of the claim that they played games to hide Torah learning prior to Chanuka
This question makes a very commonly heard claim: "Before the miracle of Hanukkah, when those who controlled the land severely restricted Torah study, Jewish children would gather to study Torah in ...
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Why is the Miracle of Oil mentioned so much later than records of Chanukah celebrations?
The miracle of oil isn't really mentioned until the Talmud, and is absent from all earlier sources for Chanukah like the Books of Maccabees, Josephus, and others. I have seen historians claim that ...
user5540
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What can a Menorah be made of?
On Chanukkah we light candles/wicks every night. In my experience, those lights are always held in a special candelabra ("Menorah" or "Chanukiya") designated specifically for that purpose.
I'm not ...
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Babylonian Jewry and Chanukah
For many years I have been bothered by the following.
There was a large Jewish population living in Babylonia during the time that the events of Chanukah played out. Yet, I have never seen any ...
Yitzchok Levine
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Were the Books of Maccabees found in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Were there copies of any of the Books of Maccabees (and/or Megillas Antiochus) found amongst in the Dead Sea Scrolls?
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Is there an Orthodox publication of the book(s) of the Maccabees?
I would like to know if any Orthodox publisher has put out a version of the book(s) of the Maccabees.
user6641
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Pronunciation of חשמונאי
A friend today told me that the word חשמונאי traditionally pronounced "Chashmonai" should really be pronounced "Chashmunai" with the vav being read as a shuruk vowel instead of a cholom.
Is this true?...
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Making Bracha on Channukah Candles in Jail
Someone who is in jail and is able to light Channukah candles, can/should he make a bracha?
I don't know if being in Jail is considered to be like having a home that someone would have a chiyuv to ...
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Is there a minimum size for Chanuka flames?
Do the flames atop the chanukiya need to be a certain size to be valid? At the extreme, are tiny (but sustained) balls of blue flame sufficient?
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What if I've sabotaged my Chanukah candles?
The halacha as codified in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 673:2 is that if your Chanukah candles go out before the time period of their burning has elapsed, you do not need to relight them.
The Rashba ...
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What makes something a chag or not?
I have a friend who does not like it when people say 'chag sameach' on hanukah, claiming that hanukah is not a chag.
What makes something a chag vs. not a chag?
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Benefiting from channukah candles in a mirror
One is not allowed to "benefit" from the lights of the channukah candles. Rashi says the reason is in order that it should be recognizable that these candles are light for the mitzvah in order to "l'...
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Chanukah and Miketz
What is the connection between Chanukah and Miketz — as, in most years, Chanukah falls out in this Parsha?
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Proper bracha on Chanuka candles: lhadlik ner (shel) Chanukah
Why do some people have the custom to say, in the blessing on the Chanukah lights, the word "Shel" before "Chanukah" and some do not? And I have been told some people put the words together as "...
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Can a Chanukah menorah share a single oil source?
All the Chanukah menorot that I have seen each have separate oil cups / holders. Would it be permissible to have a "trough" with separate cups coming out of it and each one having a separate wick, so ...
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Why did it take so long to make new oil?
The miracle of Chanukah that we commemorate was that the oil burned for 8 days, until they were able to replenish it. Why did it take 8 days to make new oil for the menorah? The normal process for ...
user2110
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Are chanukah menorahs lit from the left or the right?
There are different authorities that state the chanukah menora should be lit from the left or the right. Which is correct?
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Bimei Matisyahu ben Yochanan Kohen Godol
In "Al Hanisim" we say "Bimei Matisyahu ben Yochanan Kohen Godol", "in the days of Matisyahu the son of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol (=high priest)".
Who was the Kohen Godol: Matisyahu or Yochnan?
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Lighting at a Chanukah Party
If I am eating at a Chanukah party in a different place than my home, may I light the Menorah at the location of the Chanukah party and be Yotzeh?
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Which minyanim light Chanuka candles?
In addition to the lighting at home, Chanuka candles are lit in shul to publicize the miracle, with the brachot (O"C 671:7).
Which minyanim do this? All maariv minyanim in the shul(*)? Just a ...
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Earliest source for "Zos Chanuka"
What is the earliest source/authority to ascribe special significance to the eighth day of Chanuka?
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What took 8 days
What took the Jews 8 days to produce new oil when rededicating the Temple in the Chanuka story? It seems the process of oil-making takes a lot less time (I have done it in Israel on one of the tourist ...
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The Chanuka Miracle of the Oil and Tumah Hutra Btzibur
In the events of Chanukah, why did they need the miracle of finding the Shemen tahor pure olive oil? After all,the Gemara says Tumah Hutrah beTzibur (pesachim 77a), meaning if all the oil is Tumay ...
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Does the Kohen Gadol place his seal on oil used for the Menorah?
The Gemara in Shabbat 21b says:
...For when the Greeks entered the Temple, they defiled all the oils
therein, and when the Hasmonean dynasty prevailed against and defeated
them, they made ...
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Is there a requirement to stay around after lighting Chanuka candles?
When lighting the Chanuka candles, I understand that they generally need to burn for a minimum of 30 minutes. Is there any requirement for the person who lit the Menorah to stay around for a certain ...
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Who are the seven shepherds at the end of Maoz Tzur?
The song Maoz Tzur ends with the line
raise up the Seven Shepherds
Who are the seven shepherds referenced?
Please cite sources.
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Lighting Hanukkah Candles Alone
If a person lived alone in an apartment, would it be okay to make the brakhot when lighting Hanukkah candles, even though there are no other members of the household to see the lights, and therefore ...
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When lighting Chanukah candles on both entrances to courtyard, can I use only one candle?
In Hilchos Channukah OC Siman 671 Sif 8 we learn the halacha that if someone has 2 entrances to their courtyard they must light Chanukah candles by both of them. This is so that passers-by won't see ...
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