Quiet Strength
Of Chanukah
Continued from Page L-1
pages of hard and soft sell. It is not
a special time of gift-giving.
Birthdays and anniversaries are. It's
not a period set aside for wearing
new clothes. Rosh Hashanah is.
The children receive "Chanukah
gelt" — and not in bank-roll
amounts! Indeed, there is an
injunction forbidding the counting of
money before the Chanukah
menorah.
The spiritual aspect must be
affirmed in the home as it is in the
synagogue with HaIlel — the
holiday psalms. Jerusalem marks
the holiday with modest building
decoration — the chanukiot are
displayed in the windows and
terraces of the homes. Schools
close for the winter recess and
those who can, travel.
If Chanukah is truly to be what
its name says, "dedication," then
we must affirm what the Macabees
achieved. Judaism understood the
importance of the beautiful in life
and the need to develop the
aesthetic sense in every act but it
stressed duty over beauty. The
Syrian Greeks embraced the
Hellenist ideal: "The beautiful is
good. The Jews said "The good is
beautiful." One spoke of the
holiness of beauty while the Jew
lived the beauty of holiness.
Are we that committed so that
our children can experience enough
in the joy, the music, the foods, the
modest gifts, the tzedakah, the
sharing and compassion which this
period should evoke, that there will
be no coveting of our neighbors'
celebration? They face the great
problem of the commercialization of
Christmas. Let us avoid that danger
by searching out the meaning of
Chanukah and realizing its quiet
strength.
Chanukah Matching Quiz
Match the items in Column One with their descriptions in Column
Two. For further information about any item, check a
temple/synagogue or local public library.
Answers on Page L-4
Discussing Miracles With Children
By DR. RON WOLFSON
University of Judaism
Jewish tradition contains
accounts of events which are
beyond nature — miracles. Though
hardly central to Jewish belief, these
stories are often presented in
Jewish schools. How should we, as
parents, discuss miracles in the
family?
Two factors will influence how
we talk about miracles with children:
the age of the child and your belief
system. For young children, the
miracle stories cause wide-eyed
wonder and delight. The message
of the miracles is a reassurance
that the innocent and just are
helped by God.
When the question arises,
"How could it happen?" your
ideology will dictate an approach. If
you believe in a God who, in fact,
can intervene in history, then a
traditional answer is that miracles
are above human reason. We
simply cannot understand them and
we accept them on faith. Moreover,
the morals underlying the miracles
are most important.
If you do not believe that the
miracles actually happened, you
might want to include these ideas in
your approach:
Liehaifrll
THE JEWISH NEWS
20300 Civic Center Drive
Suite 240
Southfield, Michigan 48076
December 2, 1988
Associate Publisher Arthur M. Horwitz
News Editor Heidi Press
Jewish Experiences for Families
Adviser Harlene W. Appleman
Illustrator Neil Beckman
L-2
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1988
The Bible stories were written
through the eyes of people who
believed God could suspend the
laws of nature to help the Jewish
people.
Something important did
happen in these miracles; and by
recalling the event in an exciting
story, we are helped to remember it.
The stories are legends and/or
metaphors and we can learn
important lessons from them.
The miracle stories tell us
something very important: that God
is on the side of those who try to do
right.
The events may, in fact, have
been actual occurrences in nature
which were exaggerated in retelling
because the timing was so
important.
Today, "miraculous" things
happen; e.g., recovery from major
illness, survival of Israel. We just
describe them in different words.
Whatever approach you use, we
encourage you to discuss miracles
with your family this Chanukah.
Pre-Schoolers,
Parents Meet
United Hebrew Schools Nursery
School will offer an evening out for
parents and their pre-schoolers at
6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the United
Hebrew School Nursery.
The evening will include crafts,
stories, games and free play.
The evenings also will feature
special guests. There is a dinner
option and an admission fee. The
Sundowners program is offered in
cooperation with Jewish
Experiences For Families and is
open to the community.
For information, call Carol Gale,
UHS nursery director, 356-7378.
Column One
A. The 25th of Kislev to the 2nd
of Tevet
B. "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham"
C. Chanukiah
D. Latkes
E. Sufganiyot
F. Modin
G. Judah Maccabee
H. Antiochus Epihanes
I. The Feast of Dedication
The Festival of Lights
J. one-half hour
K. "Ma-oz Tzur"
L. "s'vivon"
M. 169-166 BCE
N. Judith
Column Two
1. Hebrew for dreidel
2. Eastern European holiday
food tradition
3. Menorah used especially
during Chanukah celebration
4. Leader of the Maccabees
5. The minimum length of time
a Chanukah candle should
burn
6. Brave, righteous widow who
killed Syrian general
Holofernes by using her wits
and wiles
7. Hebrew dates for the eight
days of Chanukah
8. Dates of the struggle
between the Maccabees and
the Syrians
9. Israel's holiday food tradition
(jelly doughnuts)
10. Syrian King who outlawed
Judaism
11. Town where Mattathias the
priest and his five sons lived
and were asked to bow down
to idols
12. Words abbreviated by the
Hebrew letters (nun), (gimel),
(heh) and (shin) `/A great
miracle happend there."
13. Other names for Chanukah
14. Traditional song sung by
Ashkenazic Jews on the first
night
This matching quiz was prepared by Pat Milner, assistant
administrator, Jewish Federation Apartments.
Stinky Pinky
A stinky pinky is a word
riddle. The answer must consist
of an adjective and a noun that
rhyme. For example: What is
Chanukah gelt? Dandy candy!
If the two words of the answer
have only one syllable each, the
answer is called a "stink pink."
What is a stink pink for a
controlled fire?
A stinky pinky for a wrecker of
light?
A stinky pinky for Lysias?
A stink pink for Chanukah candle?
A stink pink for a welterweight
boxing match?