Jewish Gifts and Knowledge

• Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights because of the miracle of the oil lamp, which lasted for eight full days after the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah means ‘dedication’ or ‘consecration’ in Hebrew because it marks the ‘re-dedication’ of the Temple. But why do we give Hanukkah gifts?

• During the time of the Maccabean Revolt and after the Holy Temple was destroyed in the second century BCE, the Jewish people were left with only enough oil to burn for one day. However, the oil miraculously lasted for a full eight days. And so, today we give our friends and loved ones Hanukkah gifts to commemorate the miracle that occurred immediately after such a devastating destruction.

• We also light the Menorah, which is a nine-branched candlestick holder. They are ordinarily decorative in some light, either with funny animations or elegant embellishments. The four sticks on both sides represent the eight days that the oil burned in the Temple and the one candlestick in the middle is known as the Shamash, or the ‘guard’ or ‘servant’ candle.

• The Shamash is always lit first and it is used to light the rest of the candles. Starting from the right, add a new candle to the Menorah every night and light the candles at sunset while reciting the appropriate Hebrew prayer.

• The fact that Hanukkah tends to fall around the Christmas holiday season (it varies along with the Hebrew calendar) leads some people to believe that Hanukkah is a holiday that was “invented” so that Jewish kids don’t feel left out of the gift-giving fun.

• Although the celebration of Hanukkah is certainly not fabricated and holds a lot of meaning to the Jewish people (although it is far from being considered one of the most important Jewish holidays), it is possible that the customs of Christmas and society at large have rubbed off on Hanukkah, transforming it into a gift-giving holiday.

• However, whether Hanukkah gifts are mentioned in the Torah or not, it is never a bad idea to take a celebration and throw gifts into the mix! So go ahead and start your gift giving.

• Jewish families might give small gifts to their kids for the full eight days. However, as kids grow up, one or two large gifts on the first or second day of Hanukkah may suffice.

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