8 Nights of Questions for Chanukah
We all know that Chanukah is 8 nights long. Each night we add another candle and maybe go to a new friend’s home to try out their special latke recipe (in the Adler house we are eggless and flourless, baby). There may even be some presents sprinkled in there. But what about Chanukah reflection? Below are 8 nights worth of questions based off of many of the themes of Chanukah. Discuss a new one each night or save ‘em all for nice long candlelit conversation.
Chag urim sameach!
Love, Meg
Night 1. Dedication
On Kislev 25, 164 BCE, after the Maccabees have taken back the Temple in Jerusalem from King Antiochus IV, they rededicate it to their Judean religion by physically and spiritually cleansing it. Chanukah means “dedication.” What are you dedicating yourself to this season? This year? Is there something to which you are dedicating your entire life?
Night 2. Winter
Many folks consider Chanukah to be the Winter Festival of the Jewish tradition. I sure do, and wrote about it HERE. What are two gifts of winter that you particularly appreciate? What is your favorite winter activity or tradition? What is an article of clothing you love to wear in the winter?
Night 3. Dreidel
MyJewishLearning writes: “The custom of playing dreidel on Chanukah is based on a legend that, during the time of the Maccabees, when Jewish children were forbidden from studying Torah, they would defy the decree and study anyway. When a Greek official would come close they would put away their books and take out spinning tops, claiming they were just playing games.” In other words, the dreidel is the symbol of covert political subversion. I love this legend. What is something sneaky you used to do as a kid? Or, if you are still a kid, what is something sneaky you do now? On a broader scale, what “decrees” do you “defy” today?
Night 4. Oil
We eat foods fried in oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil as told by the Rabbis. What is the best fried food you have ever eaten? What is a fried food you would really like to try someday?
*Also, with latkes, do you prefer applesauce or sour cream? (If you said applesauce, you are correct).
Night 5. Assimilation
The story of Chanukah is the story of assimilation – the Judeans becoming more and more Greek and less and less, well…Judean. How do you understand the relationship between being Jewish and American? Are you an American Jew or a Jewish American? Something else? And how do you think American culture has influenced your own Jewish life?
*Also, all the Chanukah merch that is now available: yay or nay?
Night 6. Spirit
In the Haftarah for the Shabbat of Chanukah we read from the Book of Zechariah and encounter this fairly famous line: “This is the word of the God to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit.’” Zerubbabel was one of the leaders of the Judean exiles who chose to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Second Temple. The idea is that through the spirit of God and not through his own brute force he will be successful. When do you feel strongest in your spirit? When has someone else’s spirit helped you accomplish something? If your spirit was a color, what color would it be?
Night 7. Light
Chanukah is also called The Festival of Lights – Chag urim sameach! Happy festival of lights! Who is someone that you know personally that has been a great light in your life recently? Who is someone that you do NOT know personally (dead or alive) that has been a great light in your life recently? Explain.
Night 8. Miracles
The last night, we made it! The miracle has fully blossomed and the chanukiah is complete. Chanukah is about the miracle of the victory of the Maccabean Revolt as well as the miracle of the oil. Two very different kinds of miracles. How would you define a miracle? Have you ever experienced a miracle? If so, explain. What is a miracle you hope to experience in your lifetime?