Bring Light to the Night

A unique project
of the Young Israel
of West Hartford
to celebrate the
Festival of Lights
 As each of us gather around our channukia we sing songs, sometimes
play games, exchange gifts, eat great foods, and just admire the beau-
tiful light of the burning candles. This year, let’s add another dimen-
sion of meaning to the experience of lighting channuka candles by par-
ticipating in this wonderful project called “Bring Light to the Night.”

The idea of the project is to add a family learning component to your

celebration of this holiday. In order to facilitate that, I have compiled
a brief learning sheet to study on each night of channuka. The point is
to spend time with whomever lives in your home to learn and discuss
Jewish texts and ideas and answer some serious and some not so seri-
ous questions. Each night’s learning activity is centered around the
theme of “Light” and its many facets in Jewish Law and Jewish Philoso-
phy. The sheets have something to offer people of all ages.

Each night, as a family, you can submit the answer to one or more of
the questions on that night’s sheet. Each submitted answer entitles
you to one entry in a raffle to win one of 3 wonderful prizes!!
Just email your answers each night to [email protected]

The project will culminate in our shul channuka dinner on Friday eve-
ning December 18th (the last night of channuka) where we will study all
together as a community and enjoy some games, singing, great food,
and the announcements of the winners of the raffle (see registration
sheet for details). We will be joined by 8 students from Yeshiva Uni-
versity as part of the Torah Tours program who will be there to add
their special touch to our celebration.

I Look forward to your participation!!

Channuka Sameach, Happy Channuka to All!
YIWH CHANUKAH
DINNER

Come and enjoy

the last night of Friday, December
Chanukah with 18th at YIWH
2240 Albany Ave., WH
friends and $15 per adult
family. The ca- $10 children 5 – 12
$54 family max
tered dinner Event begins imme-
highlights an diately after con-
educational clusion of evening
and fun pro- services.
gram meant to RSVP to Shayne Kesler @
enrich this 860-231-7519 or
[email protected]
beautiful holi-
day.
 ‫סדר הדלקת נרות חנוכה‬
‫‪The Order of Lighting Channuka Candles‬‬

‫‪Before lighting the candles one recites:‬‬

‫ֻכּה‪:‬‬
‫וֹתיו ו ְִצוָּנוּ ְל ַה ְד ִליק נֵר ֲחנ ָ‬
‫ֲשׁר ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצ ָ‬
‫עוֹלם א ֶ‬
‫אַתּה ה ֱאלֹקינוּ ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה ָ‬
‫רוּך ָ‬
‫ָבּ ְ‬
‫ָמים ָה ֵהם ַבּ ְזּ ַמן ַהזֶּה‪:‬‬
‫ֲבוֹתינוּ ַבּיּ ִ‬
‫עוֹלם ֶשׁ ָע ָשׂה נ ִִסּים ַלא ֵ‬
‫אַתּה ה ֱאלֹקינוּ ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה ָ‬
‫רוּך ָ‬
‫ָבּ ְ‬

‫‪On the first night of Channuka one adds:‬‬

‫ְמן ַהזֶּה‪:‬‬
‫יענוּ ַלזּ ַ‬
‫ְמנוּ ו ְִה ִגּ ָ‬
‫עוֹלם ֶשׁ ֶה ֱחיָנוּ ו ְִקיּ ָ‬
‫אַתּה ה ֱאלֹקינוּ ֶמ ֶל ְך ָה ָ‬
‫רוּך ָ‬
‫ָבּ ְ‬
‫‪After lighting the candles one sings:‬‬
‫ַהּנֵרֹות ַהּלָלּו ‪.‬נּו ַמ ְדלִיקִין עַל ַהּנִּסִים וְעַל ַהּנִ ְפלָאֹות וְעַל ַהּתְׁשּועֹות וְעַל ַה ִּמ ְלחָמֹות‪.‬‬
‫ְדֹוׁשים‪ .‬וְכָל ִמ ְצוַת ְׁשמֹונַת‬‫ָׂשי ָת ַלאֲבֹותֵינּו ַּבּיָמִים ָההֵם ַּבּזְמַן ַהּזֶה‪ .‬עַל יְדֵי ּכֹ ֲהנֶי ָך ַהּק ִ‬‫ֶׁשע ִ‬
‫ִׁש ַּתּמֵׁש ָּבהֶם‪ֶ .‬אּלָא ִלרְאֹותָם ִּב ְלבָד‪.‬‬ ‫יְמֵי ֲחנֻּכָה ַהּנֵרֹות ַהּלָלּו קֹדֶׁש הֵם‪ .‬וְאֵין לָנּו רְׁשּות ְלה ְ‬
‫ְׁש ְמ ָך ַהּגָדֹול עַל נִּסֶי ָך וְעַל נִ ְפלְאֹותֶי ָך וְעַל יְׁשּו ָע ֶת ָך‪:‬‬
‫ְּכדֵי לְהֹודֹות ּו ְל ַהּלֵל ל ִ‬

‫ְׁשם ּתֹודָה נְזַ ֵּב ַח‪ְ .‬לעֵת ָּתכִין ַמ ְט ֵּב ַח‬ ‫ְׁש ֵּב ַח‪ּ .‬תִּכֹון ּבֵית ְּת ִפ ָּלתִי ו ָ‬
‫מָעֹוז צּור יְׁשּו ָעתִי ְל ָך נָאֶה ל ַ‬
‫ְׁשיר ִמזְמֹור ֲחנֻּכַת ַה ִּמזְ ֵּב ַח‪:‬‬ ‫ִמּצָר ַה ְמנַ ֵּב ַח‪. .‬ז ֶאגְמֹור ּב ִ‬
‫ְׁשעְּבּוד ַמלְכּות ֶעגְלָה‪ּ .‬ו ְביָדֹו‬‫ְקּוׁשי ּב ִ‬
‫ְׁשי ְּביָגֹון ּכֹחִי ִּכלָה‪ַ .‬חּיַי ָמרְרּו ּב ִ‬
‫רָעֹות ָׂש ְבעָה נַפ ִ‬
‫ַהּגְדֹולָה הֹוצִיא אֶת ַה ְּסֻגּלָה‪ .‬חֵיל ַּפרְעֹה וְכָל זַרְעֹו יָרְדּו ְכ ֶאבֶן ִּבמְצּולָה‪:‬‬
‫ְּדבִיר ָקדְׁשֹו ֱהבִי‪G‬נִי וְגַם ָׁשם לֹא ָׁש ַק ְטּתִי‪ּ .‬ובָא נֹוגֵׂש וְ ִהְג ַלנִי‪ּ .‬כִי זָרִים ָע ַב ְדּתִי‪ .‬וְיֵין ַרעַל‬
‫נֹוׁש ְעּתִי‪:‬‬
‫ָמ ַס ְכּתִי ִּכ ְמעַט ֶׁש ָע ַב ְרּתִי‪ .‬קֵץ ָּבבֶל‪ .‬זְ ֻר ָּבבֶל‪ְ .‬לקֵץ ִׁש ְבעִים ָ‬
‫ּכְרֹות קֹומַת ּבְרֹוׁש ִּבּקֵׁש ֲאָגגִי ּבֶן ַה ְּמ ָדתָא‪ .‬וְנִ ְהיָתָה לֹו ְלפַח ּולְמֹוקֵׁש לְמֹוקֵׁש וְַג ֲאוָתֹו‬
‫ִּׂשא ָת‪ .‬וְאֹויֵב ְׁשמֹו ָמחִי ָת‪ .‬רֹב ָּבנָיו וְ ִקנְיָנָיו עַל ָהעֵץ ָּתלִי ָת‪:‬‬‫ִׁש ָּבתָה‪ .‬רֹאׁש יְמִינִי נ ֵ‬
‫נְ‬
‫ַּׁש ָמנִים‪ּ .‬ומִּנֹותַר‬
‫ַׁש ַמּנִים‪ּ .‬ו ָפרְצּו חֹומֹות ִמְג ָּדלַי וְ ִטּמְאּו ּכָל ה ְ‬
‫יְוָנִים נִ ְקּבְצּו ָעלַי ֲאזַי ּבִימֵי ח ְ‬
‫ַּׁשֹוׁשּנִים‪ְּ .‬בנֵי בִינָה יְמֵי ְׁשמֹונָה ָקבְעּו ִׁשיר ּו ְרנָנִים‪:‬‬
‫ֲׂשה נֵס ל ַ‬ ‫ַקנְ ַקּנִים נַע ֶ‬
‫ְׁשעָה‪ּ .‬כִי ‪ְ .‬רכָה לָנּו‬
‫ְׁש ָך וְ ָקרֵב קֵץ ַהיְׁשּועָה‪ .‬נְקֹם נִ ְקמַת ֲע ָבדֶי ָך ֵמ ֻאּמָה ָהר ָ‬
‫חֲׂשֹוף זְרֹו ַע ָקד ֶ‬
‫ַּׁשעָה‪ .‬וְאֵין קֵץ לִימֵי ָה ָרעָה‪ְּ .‬דחֵה ‪G‬דְמֹון ְּבצֵל ַצלְמֹון ָהקֵם לָנּו רֹועֶה ִׁש ְבעָה‪:‬‬ ‫הָ‬
 The haftarah that we read on the first Shabbat of Channuka is taken from the book of Zecharya.
Zecharya lived at the time of the inauguration of the Second Temple in approximately 516 BCE. It
was a time when many Jews had become involved in improper religious behavior such as intermar-
riage. Zecharya was telling the nation that he saw different images each symbolizing something
more hopeful about the upcoming era in Jewish History of the rebuilding of the Temple and the re-
dedication of the nation to Torah. The following is one of them:
‫זכריה פרק ד‬
:‫ֲשׁר יֵעוֹר ִמ ְשּׁנָתוֹ‬ ֶ ‫אָך ַהדּ ֵֹבר ִבּי ַוי ְִעי ֵרנִי ְכּ ִאישׁ א‬ ְ ‫ָשׁב ַה ַמּ ְל‬ ָ ‫)א( ַויּ‬
‫יה‬
ָ ‫יה ָע ֶל‬
ָ ‫ְשׁ ְב ָעה ֵנר ֶֹת‬
ִ ‫ֹאשׁהּ ו‬
ָ ‫ֻלּהּ ַעל ר‬ ָ ‫ֻלּהּ ְוג‬
ָ ‫ָהב כּ‬ ָ ‫יתי ו ְִהנֵּה ְמנוֹרַת ז‬ ִ ‫ָא‬ ִ ‫אַתּה ר ֶֹאה ויאמר ָוא ַֹמר ר‬ ָ ‫ֹאמר ֵא ַלי ָמה‬
ֶ ‫)ב( ַויּ‬
:‫ֹאשׁהּ‬ָ ‫ֲשׁר ַעל ר‬ ֶ ‫מוּצקוֹת ַלנֵּרוֹת א‬ ָ ‫ְשׁ ְב ָעה‬ ִ ‫ִשׁ ְב ָעה ו‬
:‫ֹאלהּ‬ָ ‫ְא ָחד ַעל ְשׂמ‬ ֶ ‫ֻלּה ו‬ָ ‫ימין ַהגּ‬ִ ‫יה ֶא ָחד ִמ‬ ָ ‫ֵיתים ָע ֶל‬ִ ‫וּשׁ ַניִם ז‬ ְ (‫)ג‬
:‫אָך ַהדּ ֵֹבר ִבּי ֵלאמֹר ָמה ֵא ֶלּה ֲאדֹנִי‬ ְ ‫ָאַען ָוא ַֹמר ֶאל ַה ַמּ ְל‬ ַ ‫)ד( ו‬
:‫ָד ְע ָתּ ָמה ֵה ָמּה ֵא ֶלּה ָוא ַֹמר לֹא ֲאדֹנִי‬ַ ‫ֹאמר ֵא ַלי הֲלוֹא י‬ ֶ ‫אָך ַהדּ ֵֹבר ִבּי ַויּ‬ ְ ‫ַען ַה ַמּ ְל‬
ַ ‫)ה( ַויּ‬
:‫אָמר ְיקֹ ָוק ְצ ָבאוֹת‬ַ ‫רוּחי‬ ִ ‫ֻבּ ֶבל ֵלאמֹר לֹא ְב ַחיִל ְולֹא ְבכ ַֹח ִכּי ִאם ְבּ‬ ָ ‫ֹאמר ֵא ַלי ֵלאמֹר ֶזה ְדּ ַבר ְיקֹוָק ֶאל ְזר‬ ֶ ‫ַען ַויּ‬
ַ ‫)ו( ַויּ‬
‫ פ‬:‫ֹאשׁה ְתּ ֻשׁאוֹת ֵחן ֵחן ָלהּ‬ ָ ‫ְהוֹציא ֶאת ָה ֶא ֶבן ָהר‬ ִ ‫ֻבּ ֶבל ְל ִמישֹׁר ו‬ ָ ‫אַתּה ַהר ַהגָּדוֹל ִל ְפנֵי ְזר‬ ָ ‫)ז( ִמי‬
Zecharya Chapter 4
1. And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man who is wakened out of his
sleep, 2. And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I have looked, and behold a menorah all of
gold, with a bowl upon its top, and seven lamps on it, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are
upon its top; 3. And there are two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other
upon its left side. 4. And I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, What are these,
my lord? 5. Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these
are? And I said, No, my lord. 6. Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of the
Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
7. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring for-
ward its headstone, shouting Grace, grace to it.

By Dr. Steve Luger

1) What message did the menorah repre- 1) On which Holidays do we say the Bracha
sent about the future of the Jewish “she-asah nissim”?
people in the time of the Second Tem-
ple? 2) According to the National Jewish Popula-
tion Survey 2000-01, place the following Jew-
2) What did the olive branches on the
ish observances in order of frequency of
sides have to do with the menorah?
practice by American Jews:
3) What modern Jewish symbol was pat- A) Hold/attend Passover seder
terned after this one in the vision of B) Light Chanukah candles
Zecharya? Why was it chosen over so C) Fast on Yom Kippur
many other good symbols?
E-mail your answers to any of these questions to [email protected] .
Every submitted answer will entitle you or your family to one entry in the raffle!
 Tonight kindle tow kinds of lights: channuka candles for the holiday and the
havdallah candle that marks the end of shabbos. The light that they each pro-
duce is very different. One can see that the candles of channuka are small sin-
gular flames whereas the havdallah candle produces a larger flame.
This is reflective of the halachic requirements of each:

‫שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן תרעא‬ ‫שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן רצח‬
‫סעיף ד‬ ‫סעיף א‬
‫ אם כפה עליה כלי‬,‫מילא קערה שמן והקיפה פתילות‬ ... ,‫ בורא מאורי האש‬:‫מברך על הנר‬
,‫כל פתילה עולה בשביל נר אחד; לא כפה עליה כלי‬ ‫סעיף ב‬
:‫ הגה‬.‫אפי' לנר אחד אינו עולה לפי שהוא כמדורה‬ ...‫מצוה מן המובחר לברך על אבוקה‬
‫ ולא‬,‫ולכן יש ליזהר להעמיד הנרות בשורה בשוה‬
... ‫בעגול דהוי כמדורה‬ Code of Jewish Law, Ch. 295:1-2
1) The blessing on a havdallah candle is
Code of Jewish Law, Ch. 571:4
“boreh meorey ha’esh”...
If you filled a plate with oil and surround it
2) The best fulfillment of a candle for
with wicks, if you covered the plate every
havdallah is one with a large flame (i.e.
wick counts as one channuka candle. If you
one with many wicks)
didn't cover it then it doesn't even count as
one candle because it is a bonfire. Rema
adds: One should be careful to line up the
candles in a straight line not in a circle
which would made it look like a bonfire.
Why do the channuka candles have
to be singular flames whereas the
havdallah candle has to be with many
By Dr Steve Luger wicks?
1)According to the National Jewish Population Think about what each of these
Survey 2000-01, the average number of Jews in a “lights” are meant to teach us and
Jewish Household is: A)1.8 B)2.8 C)3.5 D)4.2 how it is reflected in their different
appearance.
2)According to the Gemara, if you only have enough
money to buy wine for Shabbat Kiddush or E-mail your answers to any of
Chanukah lights, which should you spend these questions to
the money on? [email protected]
 Rabbi David Aaron in his bestselling book, “Endless Light” seeks to answer the ever
perplexing question of “What is Life all About?”
by telling us about the mystical language of kabbalah:

“...The story begins with the creation of the world...

In the beginning, all of existence was the Endless Light of the End-
less One. When the Endless One wanted to create the world, the
Endless One caused the withdrawal of the light from the center,
creating a spherical vacuum, creating space. Within this space,
the Endless One created vessels. Unlike the Endless One, who is
infinite, the vessels were finite. And while the vessels were cre-
ated by the Endless One, they were also different from the Endless
One. They were other and multiple. And being vessels, or contain-
ers, they were designed to receive, in contrast to the light, which
gives. Then the Endless One projected a thin ray of light in to the
vessels. But they were unable to receive the light independently,
and so they broke. And existence went into the state of chaos.

The Kabbalists tell us that the world and we ourselves are the bro-
ken vessels, and that what we are trying to do is to mend our-
selves and the world so that someday we may be able to receive
the Endless Light of the Endless One without breaking. The Kab-
balists call this notion tikkun– meaning “mending” or “fixing”...”

By Dr. Steve Luger

1) In what ways do we fix the world?
1) Assuming you buy a box of 44 candles to
2) Name one thing you have done which has light for Chanukah. On which night of Cha-
brought something from order to chaos or vise nukah will you have used up more than half
versa. of them?
3) How does the kabbalistic story of creation
2)There exist three mitzvot (all de-rabbanan)
change your understanding of G-d’s relationship which carry the component of pirsumei
E-mail your answers to any of nissa – publicizing the miracle. What are
they?
these questions to
[email protected]
In Parshat Tezaveh G-d tells the Jewish people to take pure olive oil in order to light the
menorah (including the ner tamid) in the mishkan and later in Jewish History in the Beit
Hamikdash. The pasuk says:
‫שמות פרק כז‬
:‫יך ֶשׁ ֶמן ַזיִת ז ְָך ָכּ ִתית ַל ָמּאוֹר ְל ַה ֲעלֹת נֵר ָתּ ִמיד‬
ָ ‫ָאל ְוי ְִקחוּ ֵא ֶל‬
ֵ ‫אַתּה ְתּ ַצוֶּה ֶאת ְבּנֵי י ְִשׂר‬
ָ ‫)כ( ְו‬
Exodus 27
20. And you shall command the people of Israel, that they bring you pure
beaten oil olive for the light, for the lamp to burn always.
Based on that pasuk in the Torah which tells us that we should bring light before G-d, the midrash has the
following comment:
‫שמות רבה )וילנא( פרשת תצוה פרשה לו‬
‫ אמר להם בשביל להעלות אתכם שתאירו לי‬,‫אמרו ישראל )תהלים יח( כי אתה תאיר נרי ואתה אומר שנאיר לפניך‬
...‫כשם שהארתי לכם‬
Shemot Rabbah
Israel said to the Holy One, Blessed is He: “You are the light of the world and you ask us
to kindle a light before you?” G-d answered: “Not because I require your light, but in or-
der to elevate you by having you give light to me just as I give light to you.”

This midrash is teaching us that despite the fact that G-d does not need our light at all, but emulating the
ways of Hashem we are elevated. Just as G-d gives physical and metaphysical light to the world, we can
also bring light in to this world. In the case of the menorah in the Beit Hamikdash we were bringing
physical light in to the world. But the light of the menorah in the Beit Hamikdash is symbolic of a spiri-
tual light that we bring to the world as well that elevates the entire world to be closer to Hashem.

By Dr Steve Luger
1) According to the Merriam Web-
ster dictionary, which English
1) What are some of the ways spelling is not correct:
we emulate Hashem on a daily A) Ha·nuk·kah B) Cha·nu·kah
basis? C) Ha·nu·kah D) Chanukkah

2) How are we elevated by the 2) Traditionally, the Menorah was

experience of bringing spiritu- to be placed:
ality and “light” in to the A) On the dinner table
world? B) On the roof
C) Outside by the doorway

E-mail your answers to any of these questions to [email protected]

On the eights days of Channuka we add the following passage in to the amidah at
shacharit, mincha, and maariv as well as in the birkat hamazon.
Please read it carefully and try to see what miracle we are thanking G-d for:

For the miracles and for the salvation and for the mighty ‫ֻר ָקן ו ְַעל ַה ְגּבוּרוֹת ו ְַעל‬
ְ ‫ַעל ַהנּ ִִסּים ו ְַעל ַהפּ‬
deeds and for the victories and for the battles which you ‫ֲבוֹתינוּ‬
ֵ ‫ית ַלא‬ ָ ‫ַה ְתּשׁוּעוֹת ו ְַעל ַה ִמּ ְל ָחמוֹת ֶשׁ ָע ִשׂ‬
performed for our ancestors in those days at this time. :‫ְמן ַהזֶּה‬ַ ‫ָמים ָה ֵהם ִבּזּ‬ ִ ‫ַבּיּ‬
In the days of Mattityahu son of Yochanan the Kohen
Gadol the Hasmonean and his sons when
‫ַאי‬
ִ ‫יוֹחנָן כּ ֵֹהן גָּדוֹל ַח ְשׁמוֹנ‬ ָ ‫ימי ַמ ִתּ ְתיָהוּ ֶבּן‬ ֵ ‫ִבּ‬
the wicked Greek kingdom rose up against ‫ ְכּ ֶשׁ ָע ְמ ָדה ַמ ְלכוּת ָיוָן ָה ְר ָשׁ ָעה ַעל‬.‫וּבנָיו‬ָ
Your people Israel to make them forget the ‫ָת ָך‬
ֶ ‫יחם תּוֹר‬ ָ ‫ָאל ְל ַה ְשׁ ִכּ‬
ֵ ‫ַע ְמּ ָך י ְִשׂר‬
Torah and compel them to stray from the :‫ֶך‬
ָ ‫ֲבירָם ֵמ ֻח ֵקּי ְרצוֹנ‬ ִ ‫וּל ַהע‬ְ
statutes of Your Will—
‫ַבּים ָע ַמ ְד ָתּ ָל ֶהם ְבּ ֵעת‬ ִ ‫יך ָהר‬
ָ ‫ֲמ‬ֶ ‫אַתּה ְבּ ַרח‬ָ ‫ְו‬
You in your great mercy stood up for them .‫ ַד ְנ ָתּ ֶאת ִדּינָם‬.‫יבם‬ ָ ‫ַב ָתּ ֶאת ִר‬ ְ ‫ ר‬.‫ָתם‬
ָ ‫ָצר‬
in the time of distress. You took up their ‫בּוֹרים ְבּיַד‬
ִ ‫ ָמ ַס ְר ָתּ ִג‬.‫ָק ְמ ָתּ ֶאת נ ְִק ָמ ָתם‬ ַ‫נ‬
grievance, judged their claim, and avenged ‫וּט ֵמ ִאים ְבּיַד‬ְ .‫ַבּים ְבּיַד ְמ ַע ִטּים‬ ִ ‫ ְור‬.‫ַח ָלּ ִשׁים‬
their wrong. You delivered the strong in ‫ ְוז ִֵדים ְבּיַד‬.‫יקים‬ִ ‫וּר ָשׁ ִעים ְבּיַד ַצ ִדּ‬ ְ .‫הוֹרים‬ִ ‫ְט‬
the hands of the weak, the many into the ‫ית ֵשׁם גָּדוֹל‬ ָ ‫וּל ָך ָע ִשׂ‬ ְ .‫ָת ָך‬
ֶ ‫עוֹס ֵקי תוֹר‬
ְ
hands of the few, the impure into the hands
of the pure, the wicked into the hands of
‫ית‬
ָ ‫ָאל ָע ִשׂ‬ֵ ‫וּל ַע ְמּ ָך י ְִשׂר‬ְ .‫עוֹל ֶמ ָך‬
ָ ‫ו ְָקדוֹשׁ ְבּ‬
the diligent students of the Torah. For :‫ֻר ָקן ְכּ ַהיּוֹם ַהזֶּה‬ ְ ‫דוֹלה וּפ‬
ָ ‫שׁוּעה ְג‬ ָ ‫ְתּ‬
yourself you made a great and holy name in
Your world and for Your people Israel you worked a great .‫יכ ֶל ָך‬
ָ ‫וּפנּוּ ֶאת ֵה‬ ִ .‫ית ָך‬
ֶ ‫ֶיך ִל ְד ִביר ֵבּ‬
ָ ‫אַחר ֵכּן ָבּאוּ ָבנ‬ ַ ‫ְו‬
victory and salvation as this very day. Thereafter your chil- ‫ ְו ִה ְד ִליקוּ נֵרוֹת ְבּ ַח ְצרוֹת‬.‫ו ְִטהֲרוּ ֶאת ִמ ְק ָדּ ֶשׁ ָך‬
dren came to the Holy of Holies of Your House, cleansed ‫ ְלהוֹדוֹת‬.‫ֻכּה ֵאלּוּ‬ ָ ‫ְמי ֲחנ‬
ֵ ‫ ו ְָק ְבעוּ ְשׁמוֹנַת י‬.‫ָק ְד ֶשׁ ָך‬
Your Temple, purified the site of your holiness and kindled :‫וּל ַה ֵלּל ְל ִשׁ ְמ ָך ַהגָּדוֹל‬
ְ
lights in the courtyards of your sanctuary; and they estab-
lished these eights days of Channuka to express thanks and
praise to Your great Name.

The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat tells us that two miracles occurred on Channuka: The military vic-
tory against the Greeks and the fact that the once crucible of oil lasted eight days. Why does this
prayer marking the holiday of Channuka only mention the military victory and not the miracle of
the oil (it hardly mentioned even the lighting of the menorah for one day let alone 8)???
By Dr. Steve Luger
1) Matityahu was: 2) The Five sons of Matityahu were:
A) A Kohain A) Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah
B) A Levi B) Simeon, David, Saul, Judah and Reuven
C) A Yisrael C) Jochanan, Reuven, Gamliel, Simeon and Judah
D) Simon, Isador, Alvin, David and Judah

E-mail your answers to any of these questions to [email protected]

 ‫בראשית פרק א‬
:‫ֵאשׁית ָבּרָא ֱאל ִֹהים ֵאת ַה ָשּׁ ַמיִם ְו ֵאת ָהאָרֶץ‬ ִ ‫)א( ְבּר‬
:‫ַח ֶפת ַעל ְפּנֵי ַה ָמּיִם‬
ֶ ‫ְרוּח ֱאל ִֹהים ְמר‬
ַ ‫)ב( ְו ָהאָרֶץ ָהי ְָתה תֹהוּ ָובֹהוּ ְוח ֶֹשׁ ְך ַעל ְפּנֵי ְתהוֹם ו‬
:‫ֹאמר ֱאל ִֹהים י ְִהי אוֹר ַוי ְִהי אוֹר‬ ֶ ‫)ג( ַויּ‬
:‫וּבין ַהח ֶֹשׁ ְך‬
ֵ ‫)ד( ַויּ ְַרא ֱאל ִֹהים ֶאת ָהאוֹר ִכּי טוֹב ַויּ ְַב ֵדּל ֱאל ִֹהים ֵבּין ָהאוֹר‬
‫ פ‬:‫)ה( ַויּ ְִקרָא ֱאל ִֹהים ָלאוֹר יוֹם ו ְַלח ֶֹשׁ ְך ָקרָא ָלי ְָלה ַוי ְִהי ֶערֶב ַוי ְִהי ב ֶֹקר יוֹם ֶא ָחד‬

Genesis Ch.1
1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And a wind from God moved upon the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.
4. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the dark-
ness.
5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was
evening and there was morning, one day.

‫תלמוד בבלי מסכת חגיגה דף יב עמוד א‬

:‫וחכמים אומרים‬... !‫ואור ביום ראשון איברי? והכתיב ויתן אתם אלהים ברקיע השמים וכתיב ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום רביעי‬
.‫הן הן מאורות שנבראו ביום ראשון ולא נתלו עד יום רביעי‬
Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 12a
Was light created on the first day? Doesn’t it say “and G-d put them in the sky [referring to the sun,
moon, and stars]” and it says “and there was night and there was day: The Fourth Day”?? The Sages say
these [the sun, moon etc...of the fourth day] were the celestial beings that were created on the 1st day but
only brought out in to the world on the fourth day.

By Dr. Steve Luger

Chanukah is called the Holiday of
Lights; from the longest to the shortest
1) Why would G-d create the sun wave length the colors are:
and moon on day # 1 and only A) Red, orange, yellow, green,
bring it out in to the world to be indigo, violet (correct)
used on day #4? B) Green, yellow, indigo, vio-
2) What is the significance of call- let, red, orange
ing the darkness and light by C) Violet, indigo, green, yel-
different names? low, orange, red
D) Orange, red, violet, indigo,
yellow, green

E-mail your answers to any of these questions to [email protected]

 Sefer HaTodaah—The Book of Our Heritage, Ch.11
Rabbi Eliyahu Ki Tov
‫ ושיהו ישראל‬,‫לא בקשו היונים אלא לעקור מישראל אמונה זו של רוממות וקדושה שלמעלה מדרך הטבע‬
‫ להתבטל בפני הרבים ולבטל את‬,‫ לכבד את החזק ולהבזות את החלש‬,‫עושים כל מעשיהם לפי הטבע‬
:‫ לחילותיו‬,‫ לכך אמר להם אנטיוכוס ראש צוררי ישראל מבין היונים‬,‫המועטים‬
‫ ואיזו? זו הדלקת המנורה שכתוב בה‬.‫ מיד כבר הם אבודים‬- ‫ אם אתם מבטלין אותה‬,‫'מצוה אחת יש בידם‬
:'‫ כל זמן שמדליקין אותן תמיד הם עומדים וכו' עמדו וטמאו כל השמנים‬.'‫'להעלות נר תמיד‬
‫ הרי הנר הזה עלה ונתעלה יותר והוא מאיר ודולק בכל בתי ישראל בכל‬,‫ועכשׁו שלא ִכּבה את הנר הזה‬
ָ
‫ שישראל‬.‫ ובכל נפשות ישראל ונשמותיהם הוא מאיר ודולק כל ימות השנה‬,‫מושבותם שמונה ימים בשנה‬
‫ מניח‬:‫ והקב"ה משיב להם‬.‫ טוב לי נר קטן משלך מאלפי נרות של בריותיך‬:‫אומרים לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא‬
‫ ואם‬.‫ אלא רצונו של המטביע לכל טבע‬,‫ אין דרך הטבע לישראל‬.‫אני כל פמליותי ואיני משתמש אלא בשלך‬
‫ יבוא הנס ויאיר שוב‬- ‫תדּחה האהבה שבין ישראל לאביהם שבשמים‬ ָ ‫ידּחה הטבע ולא‬ָ - ‫הטבע פעמים מעכב‬
:!‫את הנר הקטן הזה שהוא מכלה את כל המאורות הגדולים‬
The Greeks tried to uproot the faith that the Jews had in a power above nature and tried to get the
Jews to operate according to the laws of nature alone: To praise the strong and denigrate the week,
to nullify oneself before the majority and to nullify the minority. It is for this reason that Antiochus
the leader of the Greek haters of Jews said to his soldiers:
“There is one mitzvah that the Jews have; if you destroy its observance they will be immediately de-
stroyed. Which one? The lighting of the menorah (in the Temple) which is referred to in the Torah
as: to kindle it “always” . Anytime they are observing that mitzvah they will “always” survive.” His
soldiers immediately stood up and made the oil for the lighting of the menorah impure.
But since the menorah never went dark [because of the miracle of channuka] were have been able to
see it getting brighter and brighter as it spread beyond the temple to the houses of every Jew for 8
days in the year and in the heart of every Jew all year long….
There is nothing natural about the existence of the Jewish people because we know it is all dependent
on the will of the One who put the natural order in to motion. If at times nature holds us back a
miracle can still come and the small light of that miracle, that small light of the Divine can outshine
the greatest of human lights in this world.

1) What examples can you think 1) On each day of Chanukah,

of which show that the existence except for Shabbat, the Torah
of the Jewish people is part mira- reading has how many aliyot?
cle and part natural? A)4 B)5 C)3 D)7

2) What is the value of “tamid” of 2) What is the minimum number

“always” of consistency in life? of candles you must light over
Take your cue from the value of the entire holiday of Chanukah
the consistent light of the meno- to fulfill the basic mitzvah of
rah. lighting Chanukah candles?

E-mail your answers to any of these questions to [email protected]

 There are many different types of fire and candles that we
light as part of our Jewish practice. Tonight we light both
Shabbos candles and Channuka candles. We light Channuka can-
dles first because the lighting of Shabbos candles constitutes an acceptance of Shabbos after which
you can no longer kindle a flame for the Channuka candles. Even though the proper time for
Channuka candles is after dark, we permit them to be lit earlier as long as they have enough fuel to
last all the way until half an hour in to the period of darkness.

Shulchan Aruch— ‫שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן תרעח‬

Code of Jewish Law Ch. 678 ‫סעיף א‬
A person who cannot afford to buy a Channuka candle ‫מי שאין ידו משגת לקנות נר חנוכה ונר‬
and Shabbos candle should buy a Shabbos candle because ;‫ יקנה נר שבת מפני שלום ביתו‬,‫שבת‬
of “Peace in the Home.” If the person can buy a Shabbos
‫ואם יש לו לשל שבת ואין לו לנר‬
candle and either a Channuka candle or Kiddush wine the
person should buy a Channuka candle because of the ‫ יקנה לנר‬,‫חנוכה וליין לקידוש היום‬
“publicization of the miracle.” Rema adds: The same ‫ וה"ה‬:‫ הגה‬.‫ משום פרסומי ניסא‬,‫חנוכה‬
would be true of buying a Channuka candle before buy- .‫נר חנוכה קודם ליין הבדלה‬
ing wine for havdallah.

The value of shalom bayit, of having peace in the home is SO important that it supersedes the im-
portant principle of publicizing the miracles that G-d does for us. There are two interpretations
of the phrase “Shalom Bayit” in this context. Firstly, there is a physical peacefulness that comes
about through the candles: The light of the Shabbos candles helps us see what we are doing
(especially in a time with no electricity) and prevents us from getting hurt or tripping over things
in our home. However, there is also a peaceful aura, a feeling of spirituality that the candles bring
to the home: The metaphysical shalom bayit.

1) How do your Shabbos candles add to the peacefulness of your home?

2) What is “peace” - keep in mind that in Hebrew peace is shalom which is also one of the names of Hashem and
also related to the word shalem which means complete.
3) How does the peace we achieve in our homes relate to the peace we are trying to achieve in the world at
large?

Agree? Disagree?
Why is this a
symbol of
peace?
 A Big Thanks to Dr. Steve Luger for preparing all
the trivia for this program!!

1) The Chanukah story took place around:

A) 195-190 BCE
B) 170-165 BCE
C) 70 -65 BCE
D) 70-75 CE

2) Maoz Tzur is frequently sung after lighting the Menorah:

A) This is a custom of Sephardim from Morocco that has been taken on by Ash-
kenasi Jews
B) This is a custom of Ashkenazim dating back to medieval Germany
C) A composition by a paytan from Tzfat

3) Chanukah is called the Holiday of Lights – the speed of light is approximately

A) 58,000 miles/hour
B) 220,000 miles/minute
C) 186,000 miles/second
D) 6.02X10 to the 23 rd miles/minute

BONUS QUESTION 1: As long as one has enough money to buy Chanukah lights, it is
preferable to be “mehadrin min hamehadrin” and to add a new light every night of
Chanukah. Does this mean one menorah per household or one menorah per individ-
ual? (2 opinions one of the Rambam and one of Tosafot.) What is unique about the
answer of each?

BONUS QUESTION 2: Assume you are given a rectangular cake, with no icing with
a rectangular section (of any size or orientation) removed from it. How do you di-
vide the cake exactly in half with only one cut? (2 possible solutions)

BONUS QUESTION 3: What is the longest possible Berchat Hamazon of the year?