Published: Saturday, December 4, 2010
Hanukkah filled with tradition
Eight-day Jewish holiday commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
-
Annie Mulligan / For The Herald
Isabelle Thibodaux, 6, watches her brother Isaiah, 3, spin the dreidel Thursday night at their home in Snohomish. The children lit candles and enjoyed presents from their parents to celebrate the second night of Hanukkah.
-
Annie Mulligan / For The Herald
Jayson Thibodaux plays with his children, Isaiah, 3, and Izzy, 6, along with his wife, Marjorie, in their living room in Snohomish ON Thursday evening. The family celebrated the second night of Hanukkah with candles, gelt and presents for the kids.
SNOHOMISH — At sundown, Marjorie and Jayson Thibodaux will help their son, Isaiah, and daughter, Isabelle, light candles on the menorah to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah.
The word Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. It commemorates the victory of Jews over Syrians in the second century B.C. and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. According to the legend, when the Maccabees, the Jewish freedom fighters, reclaimed the temple, they only had one jug of oil for the ritual lamp. That lamp miraculously burned for eight days.
A menorah is a candle holder with nine branches. The center candle is used to start the other candles, one on each new day of Hanukkah.
Marjorie Thibodaux grew up in a traditional family of Ashkenazi Jews in Pittsburgh. Jayson Thibodaux is not Jewish but the couple are raising 3-year-old Isaiah and 6-year-old Isabelle in the Jewish faith. They were both named after Marjorie's grandfather, who went by Izzy.
The family attend Temple Beth Or, a small reform synagogue in Everett.
On Hanukkah, the Thibodaux kids get presents and Hanukkah gelt, or money. The latter is an ancient tradition, and one that always was honored in Marjorie's family. She sticks with chocolate coins while the kids are small.
For Marjorie Thibodaux, Hanukkah means spending time as a family and sharing a meal prepared with care. They light the menorah and say a prayer.
“That's the one holiday that focuses on you and your family. That's what the latke is about, that's what the traditions are about,” she said.
Latke is a traditional Jewish potato pancake. Since Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of oil, it's custom to eat foods prepared with oil.
On Wednesday, the first day of Hanukkah, Marjorie asked her husband and children to think of something they are thankful for. After dinner, they played dreidel, a traditional Jewish game. The dreidel is a spinning top with four sides and a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters combine into the phrase “a great miracle happened here,” referring to Hanukkah.
Jews have played the dreidel for thousands of years, said Zevi Goldberg, rabbi of the Chabad of Snohomish County in Edmonds. In ancient times, Jews weren't allowed to study the Torah. They studied secretly. When Greeks came to ask what they were doing, the faithful hid the scrolls and pretended they were playing with the dreidel, according to one story.
But the most important Hanukkah tradition is lighting the menorah, Goldberg said.
“Lighting the menorah symbolizes a very universal concept: One little candle can actually chase away a whole world of darkness,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
The word Hanukkah means “dedication” in Hebrew. It commemorates the victory of Jews over Syrians in the second century B.C. and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. According to the legend, when the Maccabees, the Jewish freedom fighters, reclaimed the temple, they only had one jug of oil for the ritual lamp. That lamp miraculously burned for eight days.
A menorah is a candle holder with nine branches. The center candle is used to start the other candles, one on each new day of Hanukkah.
Marjorie Thibodaux grew up in a traditional family of Ashkenazi Jews in Pittsburgh. Jayson Thibodaux is not Jewish but the couple are raising 3-year-old Isaiah and 6-year-old Isabelle in the Jewish faith. They were both named after Marjorie's grandfather, who went by Izzy.
The family attend Temple Beth Or, a small reform synagogue in Everett.
On Hanukkah, the Thibodaux kids get presents and Hanukkah gelt, or money. The latter is an ancient tradition, and one that always was honored in Marjorie's family. She sticks with chocolate coins while the kids are small.
For Marjorie Thibodaux, Hanukkah means spending time as a family and sharing a meal prepared with care. They light the menorah and say a prayer.
“That's the one holiday that focuses on you and your family. That's what the latke is about, that's what the traditions are about,” she said.
Latke is a traditional Jewish potato pancake. Since Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of oil, it's custom to eat foods prepared with oil.
On Wednesday, the first day of Hanukkah, Marjorie asked her husband and children to think of something they are thankful for. After dinner, they played dreidel, a traditional Jewish game. The dreidel is a spinning top with four sides and a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters combine into the phrase “a great miracle happened here,” referring to Hanukkah.
Jews have played the dreidel for thousands of years, said Zevi Goldberg, rabbi of the Chabad of Snohomish County in Edmonds. In ancient times, Jews weren't allowed to study the Torah. They studied secretly. When Greeks came to ask what they were doing, the faithful hid the scrolls and pretended they were playing with the dreidel, according to one story.
But the most important Hanukkah tradition is lighting the menorah, Goldberg said.
“Lighting the menorah symbolizes a very universal concept: One little candle can actually chase away a whole world of darkness,” he said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Comments
(
