Hanukkah

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Hanukkah in Kazimierz (Krakow)

Hanukkah ( Hebrew חֲנֻכָּה / חנוכה ' Consecration, Initiation ' [ xanʊˈkaː ] Hanukkah ? / i ; Spelling: Chanukkah , Hanukkah ) or Festival of Lights is an eight-day, annually celebrated Jewish festival to commemorate the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC. BC or in the year 3597 Jewish calendar . It starts on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (November / December). Audio file / audio sample

story

Hanukkah celebration on an 18th century painting by an unknown painter in a private collection
Hanukkia (Göttingen, City Museum)
Hanukkah candlestick from Frankfurt am Main 1681

Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the Jewish year 3597 (164 BC) after the successful Maccabees uprising of the Jews of Judea against Hellenized Jews and Seleucids , as narrated in the First Book of the Maccabees , by Flavius ​​Josephus and in the Talmud is. The Maccabees ended the rule of the Seleucid Empire over Judea and reintroduced traditional Jewish temple service. They eliminated the Zeus altar, the Hellenized Jew, which had previously been set up in the Jewish templeYHWH equated with Zeus and worshiped in the Greek way.

The menorah , the seven-armed candlestick in the temple, should never go out. According to later tradition, due to the fighting with the Seleucids, only one jar of consecrated oil was to be found. This oil was only enough for one day. It took eight days to produce new consecrated oil. However, by a miracle the light was left on for eight days until new consecrated oil was produced. The eight lights of the 8 or 9-armed candlestick Hanukkia remind of this . Every day one more light is lit until all eight are on at the end.

The candlestick often has nine arms or light holders, the ninth light is the servant ( Hebrew שׁמשׁ Shamash ). Only with this the others may be lit after the necessary blessings ( Hebrew ברכה Brachot ) were spoken. Candles or oil lamps are used as lights. It is often olive oil used as the menorah in the former temple.

After the Second Temple was desecrated by the cult of Zeus, the Hanukkah miracle was celebrated in memory of the rededication ( 1 Makk 4.36-59  EU ; 2 Makk 10.5-8  EU ( Septuagint )) (a time in the New Testament ( Jn 10, 22  EU ) dates after the festival of the temple consecration ) until the temple was finally destroyed by the Romans in 3830 Jewish calendar (70 AD) . Hanukkah is celebrated in families and communities.

In the Talmud

Hanukkah is barely covered in the Babylonian Talmud . The relevant passage is Tract Shabbat, 21b. In the thematic connection with the commandments concerning the lighting of candles on Shabbat, the lighting of candles for Hanukkah and hence the origin of the festival is also discussed.

“The rabbis taught: The law of Hanukkah is one (single) candle for everyone and their families. And for the eager: A candle for each individual (in the family). And for particularly zealous: The school of Shammai says, "On the first day you light eight candles and from then on (every day) a (candle) less." And the school of Hillel says: "On the first day ignited to a (candle) and from then on (every day) one more candle. ”… The rabbis taught: It is a commandment to put up the Hanukkah candle in the doorway on the outside. Those who live upstairs put them in the window that faces the street. And in the hour of danger you put them on your table and (that's) enough. "

- Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, chapter 2, page 21b

Lighting a candle is therefore the center of the festival. The widespread way of lighting candles today corresponds to the above-mentioned commandment for particularly eager people in the version of the Hillel school, according to which one more candle is lit every day. The candles should be set up in public spaces. It is allowed to deviate from this commandment in times of persecution.

Then you will be asked about the origin of the festival.

“What is Hanukkah? The rabbis taught: On the 25th (of the month) Kislev (begin) the eight days of Hanukkah. They are not allowed to be mourned or fasted. When the Greeks invaded the temple, they contaminated all oils that were in the temple. After the kingship of the house of Hasmoneans was strengthened and they [= the Greeks] defeated, they checked [= the Hasmoneans] and found nothing, except a vessel with oil, which was (still) closed with the seal of the high priest. There was oil in it for no more than to light (the candlestick) for a day. A miracle happened and it was lit with him for eight days (the candlestick). The following year they set these (days) and made them feast days of praise and thanksgiving. "

- Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, chapter 2, page 21b

Hanukkah customs

Hanukkah is primarily a domestic festival. On Hanukkah evenings, families gather with friends for lively celebrations. Community celebrations are common, and the children receive gifts and sweets. Food baked in oil, such as sufganiyot ( donuts ) or latkes ( potato pancakes ) and other specialties of Jewish cuisine , are mainly eaten . After the lights are lit, Mao's zur and other Hanukkah songs are sung. Originally the lights were only lit in houses, later in synagogues and in public places. The festival is mentioned in literature by Heinrich Heine, among others. In his memorandum for Ludwig Börne , Heine describes a walk by the two writers of Jewish origin through Frankfurt's Judengasse in winter .

Hanukkah Prayer / O Hanukkah / Maoz Tzur

The Menorah is ignited immediately after dark. Prayers are said, songs are sung and the Hanukkah story is told. The game with the Dreidel , a top with four Hebrew characters ( Nun Gimel He Schin ) on the sides , is popular. Outside of Israel, the characters represent the initials of the Hebrew sentenceNes Gadol Haja shame 'A great miracle happened there' . In Israel the phrase is written on the dreidels:Nes Gadol Haja Po 'A great miracle happened here' . For the purpose of the game, the letters are interpreted as abbreviations of the Yiddish words 'Nisht', 'Gants', 'Halb', 'Stell ein' ( German:  nothing, whole, half and put ).

During the Hanukkah days, children are given coins and are encouraged to donate some of the money to charity ( zedaka ). The custom popular with some of preparing roast goose for Hanukkah is based on the fat that is burned in candlesticks. A game that used to be an integral part of Hanukkah evenings is bell and hammer .

The order in which the candles are lit

Hanukkia in the former synagogue in Arnsberg - Neheim

There are different traditions for the number of candles. The Hillels school prevailed : one light on the first evening and one more light on each subsequent evening, so that a total of eight lights are lit on the eighth evening. A Hanukkah chandelier with eight flames is used for this purpose. The candles are lit after the evening prayer as soon as the first stars can be seen in the sky. As long as the lights are on, all work is on hold. The lights must be on for at least half an hour.

The Hanukkah chandelier must be set up in such a way that it catches the public's eye, because behind this command is the intention to make the miracle public. The lights used must not serve any other purpose. There must be no benefit from them and they are only to be looked at. Hence, it has become common to engage in games while the lights are on. For this reason, the chandelier is placed next to a window or, especially in Israel, to the left of the house entrance. Here he would stand opposite the mezuzah , which is attached to the right. Hanukkah lights are lit every day in the synagogue . The lights in the Hanukkah candlestick are lit with another light, the shamash (servant).

There are different traditions of how the Hanukkah candlestick is lit: Originally, only one candle was lit per day, which is sufficient to perform the good deed intended for Hanukkah. Since the 13th century, different traditions have developed that provide for the lighting of eight candles of the Hanukkah chandelier.

  1. In the 13th century, Rabbi Meir von Rothenburg passed on the tradition of lighting the Hanukkah chandelier from left to right. This is the Ashkenazi Minhag (custom), which was observed in western and southern Germany and was later adopted by the Gaon of Vilna for the Lithuanian Jews.
  2. Two other traditions developed in the 14th century: Rabbi Isserlein reported a tradition in Austria according to which the Hanukkah lights are lit from right to left. This tradition was so cultivated in Poland and large parts of Eastern Europe and is known as Minhag Austrich or Minhag Polin.
  3. A third tradition was passed down by Rabbi Joseph ben Solomon Colon: The Hanukkah candles are set up from right to left and lit every day starting from the leftmost candle. This tradition, cultivated in France and some Italian communities, developed into the tradition of lighting Hanukkah candles, which is predominant in Eastern Europe. It was adopted by Hasidic Judaism (Minhag Ari) and some Sephardic communities.

Blessings

The first candle is lit on the first day of Hanukkah. Three blessings are said. The third blessing is known as Shehechejanu ( who gave us life ).

Blessings to Hanukkah
German transcription Hebrew
Praise be to You, Eternal, our God, King of the world, who sanctified us by your commandments and commanded us to light the Hanukkah light. Baruch atah Adonaj, Elohejnu Melech HaOlam, ascher kideschanu bemitzwotaw we'tziwanu lehadlik ner schel'chanukkah. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה ', אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר חֲנֻכָּה.
Praise be to you, Eternal, our God, King of the world, who did miracles to our ancestors in those days at this time. Baruch atah Adonaj, Elohejnu Melech HaOlam, she'asah nissim La'wotejnu bajamim hahem basman haseh. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה 'אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשָׂה נִסִּים לַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה.
Praise be to you, Eternal, our God, King of the world, who gave us life and preservation and made us reach this time. Baruch atah Adonaj, Elohejnu Melech HaOlam, shehechijanu, wekijemanu wehigianu la'seman haseh. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הַעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקִיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה׃

On the following days, only the first two blessings are spoken before the candles are lit. On Friday evenings, the lights for Hanukkah are lit before dark, before the Sabbath lights . After the lights are lit, the Sephardic Jews recite Psalm 30 while the Ashkenazi Jews sing the song of Mao's Zur , O Mighty Rock .

Dates of the Hanukkah festival

On the initiative of the Chabad movement, public Hanukkah celebrations are increasingly being held, for example in Karlsruhe in 2016
Hanukkah festival at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin , December 2019

The first day is always the 25th Kislew, but the actual celebration always begins with sunset the evening before. Every feast day begins the evening before, because in the Jewish calendar the day lasts from the evening before to the evening of the day - not from midnight to midnight. The beginning of the evening is denoted by the word (Hebrew ערב evening) Erev. The ending varies between the 2nd and 3rd Tevet, as the kislew has either 29 or 30 days. Hence, the date of the end of Hanukkah varies according to the Gregorian calendar , since the Jewish calendar is always recalculated according to the moon.

Jewish year Gregorian date
5781 December 10th to 17th, 2020
5782 November 28, 2021 to
December 5, 2021
5783 December 18-25, 2022
5784 December 7-14, 2023
5785 December 26, 2024
to January 3, 2025

The date of the first and last evening of the light ignition is given.

See also

literature

  • Elizabeth Breuilly, Joanne O'Brien, Martin Palmer: The Religious Festivals of the World: Do You Know What Your Neighbors Celebrate at Hanukkah? Why do they keep Ramadan? Tosa, Vienna 2009, ISBN 978-3-85003-343-5 .
  • Claudia Emmendörfer-Brößler; Office for Multicultural Affairs (Hrsg.): Feste der Welt - Welt der Feste: an intercultural reader . 2nd, revised and extended edition, VAS Verlag für Akademische Schriften, Bad Homburg vor der Höhe 2012, ISBN 978-3-88864-466-5 .
  • Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum : The feasts of Israel and their significance for the New Testament congregation (translated by Manfred Künstler), Christlicher Mediendienst, Hünfeld 2011, ISBN 978-3-939833-37-6 .
  • Cilly Kugelmann : Chrismukkah: Stories of Christmas and Hanukkah . Nicolai, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 978-3-89479-286-2 (volume accompanying the exhibition at the Jewish Museum Berlin from October 28, 2005 to January 29, 2006).
  • Hanno Loewy : "Should the Hanukkah tree be called": Hanukkah, Christmas, Christmukkah - Jewish stories from the festival of festivals (= books of November 9 , volume 9), Das Arsenal, Berlin 2014 (first edition 2005), ISBN 978-3-931109 -60-8 .
  • Antje Yael Deusel :  Hanukkah festival. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (eds.): The scientific Bibellexikon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff., Accessed on July 18, 2017.

Web links

Commons : Hanukkah  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Hanukkah  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Babylonian Talmud, Treatise Shabbat, Chapter 2, Page 21b , at sefaria.org.il (Hebrew and English).
  2. ↑ Babylonian Talmud, Treatise Shabbat, Chapter 2, Page 21b , at sefaria.org.il (Hebrew and English).
  3. ↑ It is not true that the month of Tevet is a leap month. The only Jewish leap month is Adar II. The varying end of Hanukkah comes from the fact that the month of Kislew has either 29 or 30 days.
  4. ↑ Hanukkah I (Festival of Lights) 2019, Israel. Retrieved January 8, 2019 .