Did You Know...

night, two the second, three the third
and so on. Interestingly enough, there
is no specific hour when the lights
must be kindled. Yet, as with all
mitzvot, this should be done as soon
as possible. Thus, candles should be lit
as soon as it gets dark. Moreover, to
fulfill the stated purpose of the
Chanukah lights — publicizing the
miracle — tradition
dictates that the meno-
rah should be lit at a
time when people are
on the street, such as
going home from
work.
Incidentally, transla-
tion also is behind one of what contin-
ues to be a lingering question about
exactly what to call that item into
which we place the candles: menorah
or hannukiah. The literal translation
of menorah is "lamp," which in Israel
could refer to anything from a porch
light to a table lamp. For this reason,
native Hebrew speakers generally pre-
fer hannukiah for the light used specif-
ically at Chanukah.

What's
To Do?

Although it's easy
enough to buy a
box of Chanukah
candles, you might
want to try making
your own. Here are
some ideas:
#1) You can find
candle wicks and
sheets of beeswax
at craft-supply
stores. Although not inexpensive,

Chanukah has nothing to do with gift giving. No doubt
Ndi this tradition arose solely because of the holiday's proximi-
ty to Christmas.

In Israel, huge (usually electric) menorahs are mounted
atop buildings, including the Knesset, and lit throughout
the holiday.

6

I

Although most families today use candles in their meno-
rahs, it's actually preferable to use olive oil, a much more
reasonable facsimile of the oil that lasted eight days in the
Temple.

It seems virtually every menorah you see these days is de-
signed in a straight line, with nine branches reaching out
from the bottom. But menorahs can be any shape and
size, made of any material, of any design. Menorahs from
throughout history have included one in a star-shape, from
6th-century Persia; a set of tiny chairs, from 19th-century
Germany; and a brass lamp, decorated with hearts, from
18th-century Holland.

Families have different traditions when it comes to lighting
the menorah. In some cases, this is done only by the head
of the household, using one menorah. In other families,
everyone has his or her own menorah.

these are fun and easy to make.
Simply place a piece of wick tight-
ly into a square of beeswax, roll,
then press closely at edges to se-
cure the candle.
Note: the following two pro-
jects require adult supervision:
#2)Craft stores have a number
of candle-making kits for sale,
which include fragrance and col-
or
#3)You can buy wax beads in
various colors in sizes, or candle-
grade paraffin which can be
melted and poured into pre-
molded shapes in sand. Pour

sand into a deep container
create a candle "mold" (it helps
if the sand is damp). Candles can
be any shape, so long as they
will burn for at least 30 minutes
(the minimum time prescribed
by Jewish law). Place wick in-
side before pouring hot wax into
mold. Let cool several hours,
then brush off extra sand.
(NOTE: Because it can easily
catch fire, wax should never be
melted over stove. Instead, pre-
pare in one pan sitting inside an-
other containing several inches
of boiling vvatet)

CD

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N OV E MBE R

espite the fact that it's a mi-
nor holiday, Chanukah is
probably the best-known and
most celebrated festival (next to Pe-
sach) on the Jewish calendar.
Of course, unlike Pesach,
Chanukah is easy to observe. Just
bring out a menorah and some can-
dles and that's all there is to it.
Chanukah ("dedica-
tion" in Hebrew) be-
gins on the 25th of
Kislev, this year the
evening of Dec. 5. It
was established by Ju-
dah Maccabee follow-
ing his defeat of Lysias
and commitment to rededicate the
Temple. He found the holy site in a
terrible state, and so set about to re-
pair some of the damage. Among the
items destroyed were the Temple alter
and a candelabrum.
Judah Maccabee planned a great
celebration in honor of the rededica-
tion, to be held on the 25th of Kislev.
The Hallel prayer would be said, mu-
sic would be played, and sacrifices
would be offered. It would be a com-
memoration, Judah Maccabee de-
clared, that would continue to be
observed by future gener-
ations.
Only later would the
miracle of the long-lasting
oil be added to the
Chanukah story. Accord-
ing to tradition, there was
just enough oil, poured
into the new cande-
labrum, for one day. But
then a miracle happened,
and it instead burned for
eight.
Today, Jewish families mark the
holiday by lighting one candle the first

Lighting candles in a menorah is one of the few time-ori-
ented mitzvot which both women and men are equally
obligated to observe. Although women generally are ex-
empt from such commandments, this case is different be-
cause, the Talmud states, women "also were included in
the miracle."