[Sca-cooks] RE: Hanukah (LONG)

[Sharon R. Saroff]

Hi to the list from HL Sindara Lind Rachael Fessel of the Falconshield,

This is an article I wrote for the Barony of Elfsea (Kingdom of Ansteorra)
newsletter when I lived there.  It later became a part of a research paper
on period Jewish food for the different holidays.  Enjoy! Chag Sameach
(Happy Holiday)


	At the end of the ninth month on the Jewish Calendar-the month of
"Kislev", is the joyous holiday of "Chanukah". "Chanukah" commemorates the
victory of the Maccabees over the evil Assyrian king Antiochus. Antiochus
sought to destroy the culture of the Jews by forbidding us to keep our
traditions. He forbade us from eating kosher food, keeping the Sabbath,
blessing the new moon-"Rosh Chodesh", and performing "Brith
Milah-Circumcision". The Jews, led by the "Cohen Gadol-High Priest"
Mattityahu and his sons the Maccabees, revolted against Antiochus and
liberated themselves. Chanukah is an 8 day celebration because a male baby
is circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. Chanukah also contains
both a Sabbath and a Rosh Chodesh. Our sages did this to remind us of the
importance of these traditions and that The Master of the Universe will
protect us if we keep them.
	On Chanukah we light a "Chanukkiyah-eight branched candlestick or menorah"
to commemorate the lighting of the menorah in the "Beith Hamikdash-Holy
Temple". We light a light on each of the 8 days of the holiday. On the
first day 3 "Brachot-blessing" are recited on the lighting of the
Chanukkiyah. The first Brachah is the "L'hadlik Ner-to light the flame".
This Brachah is always recited upon lighting the oil lamp before a holiday
or the Sabbath. The second Brachah is "She'asa nisim la'votanu-For He
performed miracles for us". This brachah is recited only on the holidays of
Chanukah and Purim to remember the miracles performed by the Master of the
Universe on those days. The third Brachah is the "Shehechiyanu-make all
things anew" which is always recited at the beginning of a holiday. The
first 2 Brachot are recited everyday of Chanukah.
	Chanukah is also called "The Festival of Light". This is because of the
great miracle that happened in the Beith Hamikdash after it was liberated.
It is said that the Maccabees could only find one jar of holy oil to light
the temple menorah. The jar contained only a day's supply. It would take
them at least 2 days to purify more oil. But the oil miraculously burned
for 8 days. This is another reason why Chanukah is celebrated for 8 days.
	The Chanukkiyah is customarily displayed in the window of one's house.
This is done to remind us and our neighbors of the great miracles and deeds
performed for us by God. Some of us hang our Chanukkiyah from the doorpost
opposite our Mezuzah (prayer scroll hung on the doorpost). The Chanukkiyah
remains there until Purim to connect the 2 holidays.
	The seventh night of Chanukah is a very special night. This is "Rosh
Chodesh Tevet-the New Moon of the month of Tevet". This day is called "Rosh
Chodesh Banot-New Moon of the Daughters", because special gifts are given
to the daughters by their fathers. The seventh day is also dedicated to the
heroic women in our history. On this day we retell the stories of Hannah
and her 7 sons and Judith. Hannah and her sons were killed because they
refused to worship idols. They are remembered because they gave their lives
for the sanctification of the Torah. Judith was a young widow who thwarted
an attack on the holy city of "Yerushalayim-Jerusalem". She did this by
killing the Assyrian general Holofernes. When Holofernes' army found their
leader dead, they fled in chaos. In the evening on the seventh day, the
women of the community go to the synagogue to receive a special blessing
from the rabbi.
	"Shabbat Chanukah-the Chanukah Sabbath" is called "Shabbat Halbashah-The
Sabbath of giving clothing to the poor". On this day it is customary to
bring garments to the synagogue. These garments are then distributed to the
poor people of the community.
	Children especially enjoy the holiday of Chanukah. It is customary to give
them a treat of food and a coin called "Gelt" on each of the 8 days. A
favorite game of this holiday is the game of "Dreidel". The "Dreidel" is a
special top with the Hebrew letters "Nun, Gimal, Heh, Shin" carved on it.
These letters stand for "Nase gadol haya shom-A great miracle happened
there". Each letter represents a gain or loss of an amount of money. The
dreidel is spun and when it stops the revealed letter instructs the player
to place money in the pot or remove some. The Nun causes the loss of all
the player's money, The Gimal gives the player the whole pot, the Heh gives
the player 2 coins from the pot and the Shin instructs the player to place
2 coins in the pot. There is no limit on the amount of players. Each player
takes a turn spinning the dreidel. When a player losses all his coins, he
drops out. The person who is left after everyone has been knocked out, wins.
	It is a tradition to eat food made with oil on this holiday.
"Bimuelos"-raised dough that is fried and dipped in honey is a special
Chanukah treat. Other Chanukah treats are "Magados De Sesam"- candy made of
sesame seeds, almonds and honey, "Mishmishyahs"-dried apricot balls, and
"Yebra"-stuffed grape leaves. Latkas (Yiddish) or Levivot (Hebrew) for
pancake are also period and were made of pumpkin or squash or root
vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and turnips.  Later, they were made
out of potatoes and sweet potatoes which is the popular way of making them
today.  On the seventh day it is customary to make cheese pancakes called
Cassola or crepe-like pancakes stuffed with cheese called Zalabia to remind
us of the heroism of Judith.  At the holiday's festive meal one will
usually find "Kibbe Bil Seniyah" which is a fried dumpling made of ground
meat surrounded by a shell of bulghur wheat and meat.