sd gross
12-03-2010, 11:15 AM
HAPPY HANUKAH!
https://teenymanolo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/hanukkah_dancing_sevivons_16.jpgWhen I was a kid growing up Jewish in an Irish neighborhood, I envied all the bright conifers, angels, caroling and presents my friends got to enjoy - although I spent much of the holiday hangin' with them in their apartments.
Of course Jewish kids all over complained long and loudly until their folks figured getting them gifts, was the best way to change their mood.
Now that I'm a Californian by osmosis, I see where most merchants not only fail to stock Hanukah candles, but they look at me like I'm deranged because I ask for them. (Or they tell me they'll be in next week)
For those folks, and anybody else who would like to be illuminated, here is a brief synopsis of why and what Hanukah is. Have a HAPPY one.
Or else.
Hanukah—The Festival of Lights
I believe one of the principal reasons the Jews refer to themselves as the Chosen People is that throughout their history, they have been bailed out of one calamity after another by what they like to call Divine Intervention
One of the brightest examples of the Israelites' being saved from catastrophe is the double miracle of Hannukah. Maybe it was just blind luck, but who’s to argue?
For years, the Jews had a nice little Temple down Jerusalem way, which they considered very holy. They used it frequently, proclaiming their piety and exercising their spirituality, until the Black Hats came to town.
Had it been the American West, the head villain's name would have been Slade or Quantrell, but it was 165 B.C.E. and the handle he went by was Antiochus Epiphanes.
With the massed armies of the Seleucid Greeks behind him, Antiochus overran Jerusalem, displacing the Jewish government and turning the Holy Temple into a pagan hot spot. Unable to garner even an “R” rating, the malicious Antiochus ran around stealing what he could and defiling the rest. Among that which he appropriated was the golden, seven-branched candelabrum or “Menorah”, which had served as a distinguishing symbol of Israel since the days of Moses; and among that which he defiled was all the oil that had been consecrated for use in kindling the lamps.
Though poor and ill-equipped, a small band of guerrilla fighters decided they couldn’t just stand by and watch the principles of their faith and Jewish political autonomy go down the tubes. With that dynamic superhero Judah the Maccabee in their vanguard, this small but rapidly swelling army dared to challenge Antiochus’ combined Syrian-Greek forces. (Although Jimmius the Greek was posting the Seleucids as 300-to-1 favorites, not only hadn’t he read the “book” on Judah, but he didn’t even consider Divine Intervention!)
The hapless Seleucids (and their backers) soon learned that if you’re zealous enough and have God on your side, you don’t have to weigh 300 pounds or wear an expensive uniform. And so transpired the first miracle at Hannukah: Judah and his brothers drove Antiochus’ legions crazy with their unconventional tactics and their unfailing determination. They exorcised the occupationists from the Temple, declared Antiochus’ edicts invalid and worthless, and reinstated the laws of the Torah.
The Israelites immediately took to reconsecrating the Temple. They tossed out all the pagan chachkes and statuary, scrubbed everything clean, and on the 25th of Kislev in 164 B.C.E. made ready for the rededication. (Hannukah, in fact, means “dedication.”)
To replace the stolen menorah, the Jews salvaged some of their primitive weaponry making a new menorah with stakes of iron. But there still remained the problem of the absence of consecrated oil. Fortunately, someone discovered a clay pot in a shadowy corner that bore the insignia of the High Priest, and in it was enough oil to kindle the candelabrum for one night.
With celebratory lights burning in all the courtyards of Jerusalem, the Temple was finally rededicated. When the new day dawned it was discovered that although the lights had burned throughout the night, the cups of the menorah remained full with oil. And so it was for the next seven nights, until additional pure oil was brought from outside the city. That was the second miracle of Hanukah.
To this day, Jewish homes memorialize the Israelites' victory over Antiochus’ armies by lighting one humble candle on the first night of Hanukah, and an additional one on each succeeding night, until eight candles are burning. Before the advent of electricity, candles were a common source of household light. Because the Hannukah lights are invested with a historic holiness and may not be used for any mundane purpose, alongside each Hanukah lamp is a special candle called the Shamash, or “caretaker,” which serves to light the others.
Folklorists and poets also contend that the lighting of candles is inextricably linked to that part of the year when darkness is most prevalent, the winter solstice. Lighting additional candles each day is believed to be akin to “rekindling” the sun, and this juxtaposition of history and magic, of miracles and nature, becomes like the layers of a fine strudel: delicious, mysterious, delightful, and awe-inspiring on any level you choose to enjoy it.
How to I.D. people of the Jewish persuasion. :anon: They look like this.
And sometimes they look like this :Mr.Natural:
https://teenymanolo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/hanukkah_dancing_sevivons_16.jpgWhen I was a kid growing up Jewish in an Irish neighborhood, I envied all the bright conifers, angels, caroling and presents my friends got to enjoy - although I spent much of the holiday hangin' with them in their apartments.
Of course Jewish kids all over complained long and loudly until their folks figured getting them gifts, was the best way to change their mood.
Now that I'm a Californian by osmosis, I see where most merchants not only fail to stock Hanukah candles, but they look at me like I'm deranged because I ask for them. (Or they tell me they'll be in next week)
For those folks, and anybody else who would like to be illuminated, here is a brief synopsis of why and what Hanukah is. Have a HAPPY one.
Or else.
Hanukah—The Festival of Lights
I believe one of the principal reasons the Jews refer to themselves as the Chosen People is that throughout their history, they have been bailed out of one calamity after another by what they like to call Divine Intervention
One of the brightest examples of the Israelites' being saved from catastrophe is the double miracle of Hannukah. Maybe it was just blind luck, but who’s to argue?
For years, the Jews had a nice little Temple down Jerusalem way, which they considered very holy. They used it frequently, proclaiming their piety and exercising their spirituality, until the Black Hats came to town.
Had it been the American West, the head villain's name would have been Slade or Quantrell, but it was 165 B.C.E. and the handle he went by was Antiochus Epiphanes.
With the massed armies of the Seleucid Greeks behind him, Antiochus overran Jerusalem, displacing the Jewish government and turning the Holy Temple into a pagan hot spot. Unable to garner even an “R” rating, the malicious Antiochus ran around stealing what he could and defiling the rest. Among that which he appropriated was the golden, seven-branched candelabrum or “Menorah”, which had served as a distinguishing symbol of Israel since the days of Moses; and among that which he defiled was all the oil that had been consecrated for use in kindling the lamps.
Though poor and ill-equipped, a small band of guerrilla fighters decided they couldn’t just stand by and watch the principles of their faith and Jewish political autonomy go down the tubes. With that dynamic superhero Judah the Maccabee in their vanguard, this small but rapidly swelling army dared to challenge Antiochus’ combined Syrian-Greek forces. (Although Jimmius the Greek was posting the Seleucids as 300-to-1 favorites, not only hadn’t he read the “book” on Judah, but he didn’t even consider Divine Intervention!)
The hapless Seleucids (and their backers) soon learned that if you’re zealous enough and have God on your side, you don’t have to weigh 300 pounds or wear an expensive uniform. And so transpired the first miracle at Hannukah: Judah and his brothers drove Antiochus’ legions crazy with their unconventional tactics and their unfailing determination. They exorcised the occupationists from the Temple, declared Antiochus’ edicts invalid and worthless, and reinstated the laws of the Torah.
The Israelites immediately took to reconsecrating the Temple. They tossed out all the pagan chachkes and statuary, scrubbed everything clean, and on the 25th of Kislev in 164 B.C.E. made ready for the rededication. (Hannukah, in fact, means “dedication.”)
To replace the stolen menorah, the Jews salvaged some of their primitive weaponry making a new menorah with stakes of iron. But there still remained the problem of the absence of consecrated oil. Fortunately, someone discovered a clay pot in a shadowy corner that bore the insignia of the High Priest, and in it was enough oil to kindle the candelabrum for one night.
With celebratory lights burning in all the courtyards of Jerusalem, the Temple was finally rededicated. When the new day dawned it was discovered that although the lights had burned throughout the night, the cups of the menorah remained full with oil. And so it was for the next seven nights, until additional pure oil was brought from outside the city. That was the second miracle of Hanukah.
To this day, Jewish homes memorialize the Israelites' victory over Antiochus’ armies by lighting one humble candle on the first night of Hanukah, and an additional one on each succeeding night, until eight candles are burning. Before the advent of electricity, candles were a common source of household light. Because the Hannukah lights are invested with a historic holiness and may not be used for any mundane purpose, alongside each Hanukah lamp is a special candle called the Shamash, or “caretaker,” which serves to light the others.
Folklorists and poets also contend that the lighting of candles is inextricably linked to that part of the year when darkness is most prevalent, the winter solstice. Lighting additional candles each day is believed to be akin to “rekindling” the sun, and this juxtaposition of history and magic, of miracles and nature, becomes like the layers of a fine strudel: delicious, mysterious, delightful, and awe-inspiring on any level you choose to enjoy it.
How to I.D. people of the Jewish persuasion. :anon: They look like this.
And sometimes they look like this :Mr.Natural: