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 Halle! — 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: Zfehaffall 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" H. Antiochus Epihanes I. The Feast of Dedication The Festival of Lights C. Chanukiah D. Latkes E. Sufganiyot J. K. L. M. F. Modin G. Judah Maccabee one-half hour "Ma-oz Tzur" "s'vivon" 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?