Shavuot 2025

Shavuot Introduction

As part of my ongoing announcements of religious observance, I would like to share that Shavuot (or Shavuos) begins at sunset June 1 and ends for (most) Reform and Reconstructionist Jews at sunset June 2,  and ends at sunset Thursday, June 3 for Conservative and Orthodox Jews.  This is a major holiday for Jews and employees, students, and others should be accommodated for religious observance.

Shavuot is determined by counting from Passover.  This is reflected in the name as the word “Shavuot” in Hebrew simply means “Weeks.” In English translations of the Bible, the holiday is usually translated as the “Festival of Weeks.”

Jews believe that Shavuot is the day in which the Lord gave the Torah (literally “the Law”, which refers to the first five books of the Bible) to Moses on Mount Sinai.  An alternative name for Shavuot  -- Hag Matan Torateinu (The Festival of the Giving of the Torah) – recognizes this. One point emphasized here is that the Torah was given on this day rather than received.  The Jewish belief is that even though God gave the Torah on Mount Sinai on Shavuot, it is up to every Jew to receive the Torah (that is to accept it and follow its teachings) anew with every day.

In Christianity, Shavuot is associated with the Christian holiday of Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit). This is because the first Christian Pentecost occurred when the followers of Jesus (who were Jewish) were celebrating Shavuot. While some Christians refer to the Jewish Shavuot as Pentecost, this is never done by Jews (and is viewed as offensive generally). For more on the Christian holiday of Pentecost.

Shavuot is one of the three festivals in Judaism linked to the harvest (the other two are Passover and Sukkot).  Unlike the other two harvest festivals, though, Shavuot has no ritual that would correspond, say, to the Passover Seder service or the building of a sukkah at Sukkot. For more on these two holidays, please refer to my earlier blog posts for Passover  and for Sukkot.

One explanation for why Shavuot has no similar ritual associated with it is sometimes attributed to the enormity of the event of the giving of the Torah.  As Michael Strassfeld in his book The Jewish Holidays puts it:

the Revelation at Sinai can be viewed as an experience so cosmic and mysterious that no ritual could encompass it, just as the Torah itself is so multifaceted that it eludes any attempt to delineate it. Like God who cannot be described, His Torah cannot be limited by a specific ritual or symbol other than the Torah scroll itself. (p. 72)

In the days of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, Shavout celebrated the offering of the first fruits of the harvest.   It is for this reason that the holiday has yet another name: Yom ha-Bikkurim (Day of the First Fruits).

Observances

It is traditional for Jews – especially in the Orthodox tradition – to stay awake all night at the synagogue and to pray at the very break of sunrise.  The night is usually spent in Torah study groups called Tikkun Leil Shavuot.

Jews worshipping at the Kotel  on Shavuot

In Jerusalem, thousands of pilgrims crowd the Kotel (the so-called Wailing or Western Wall, which is the only surviving remnant of the Temple) as dawn breaks to pray.

In addition to the shared studying of the Torah, Jews read two works aloud that are not from the Torah at this time: the Akdamut prayer and the Book of Ruth.

The first is the Akdamut prayer.  The Akdamut is a song of praise for the Torah written by Rabbi Meir of Worms at some point in the 1090's before his death in 1095.  Late in his life Crusaders killed Rabbi Meir’s son (the killing of Jews in Europe was a common occurrence among Crusaders en route to fight the Moslem Turks. After his son's death, Rabbi Meir was forced to explain in a public debate with the Church leaders responsible for his son’s death why he still believed in Judaism. His defense was apparently strong enough that he was not only allowed to live, but was allowed to continue to practice Judaism.  Following the public debate, Rabbi Meir wrote the Akdamut that is read on Shavuot.

Ruth gathering sheaves

The other reading is the Book of Ruth.  This book, though part of the Bible, is not part of the Torah.  Much debate as to why the book is read exists, but two of the more common explanations are that it takes place at the harvest of the first fruits and that Ruth (who is a convert to Judaism) accepted the Torah by choice.  

Finally, Shavuot is one of the days in which Jews say Yizkor, the traditional remembrance observance for loved ones who have passed away.

Traditional Shavuot Decorations 

Harvest decoration (the Hebrew letters here  are the word "Shavout")

Shavuot is a harvest festival. To acknowledge this, many Jews decorate with harvest symbols, sheaves of wheat or baskets of fruit. This is particularly a practice in some kibbutzim (collective farms) in Israel where such decorations actually come from the local harvest, although Jews all over the world often use the harvest motif even if they live far from any actual harvest themselves.

Because the Bible indicates that the Israelites were told not to allow their flocks to graze on Mount Sinai, it has been traditional at Shavuot to decorate worship places and homes with plants and flowers during the holiday. This somewhat obscure association that such a warning could be made only if the area were already green with plants in the midst of the desert is nonetheless one of the oldest recorded traditions historically tied to the holiday.

Some Jewish traditions consider Shavuot a day of judgement for trees and say prayers for the trees. Even in those traditions without this belief, some Jews still decorate with trees in pots and tree branches. Because the Torah brings sweetness to people's lives, many Jewish congregations distribute sprigs of sweet-smelling myrtle to worshippers. 

Finally, it is very common to decorate with flowers, and especially lilies-of-the-valley and roses. This harkens back to the harvest motif again, but has another significance. 

Lilies-of-the-Valley are a common Shavuot decoration

In the Song of Songs (2:1-2),  the beloved one (who in some Jewish interpretation is at once a lover and a metaphor for Israel) is compared to lilies-of-the-valley. Therefore, lilies-of-the-valley (and often simply lilies) are used as symbols of the Lord's love for Israel in giving the Torah.

In the Book of Esther (which is actually not related to Shavuot at all, but to Purim), a line reads "And the decree was proclaimed in Shushan" (Esther 8:14). In a rather convoluted logic, the word "decree" has been associated with the "law" or the Torah. Hence the Torah was proclaimed in Shushan. Shushan was the capital of ancient Persia, but it is very similar to the Hebrew word for rose (Shoshanah) so the pun is used as the basis of the link of roses to the Torah. 

Traditional Shavuot Foods

By tradition, Jews traditionally eat a dairy meal at least once on Shavuot. 

Several traditions are associated with the eating of dairy. Among these is the belief that the Torah is as nourishing as milk is to a child. Another association with dairy is numerological in nature. All Hebrew words have numerical equivalents since Hebrew letters are used for numbering as well as for writing words. The letters of the  Hebrew word for dairy -- chalav -- add up to the number 40, which is the number of days that the Bible indicates that Moses spent on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah. Another tradition suggests that when the Israelites received the Torah, they realized that they could no longer mix milk and meat (one of the requirements of keeping kosher) so they had to eat dairy until they could make their cooking utensils kosher.

Cheese blintz

Whatever the reasons behind it, Shavuot has become a time for Jews to focus on cooking dairy dishes.  In particular, the cheese blintz is associated with the holiday among the Ashkenazi (Jews with Eastern and Central European backgrounds). A recipe for traditional cheese blintzes can be found at About.com here.

Cheesecake with nuts

Another Shavuot speciality is cheesecake. Often the cheesecake is made with nuts to bring in the tradition of praying for trees, the cheesecake is made with some sort of nuts either as a topping or mixed into the cake itself. One recipe for a traditional Shavuot cheesecake with nuts can be found on the Chabad Library here.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2070/jewish/Classic-Cheesecake-With-Nuts.htm

A more modern, Israeli recipe for cheesecake with nuts can be found at

http://jannagur.com/108704/Cheesecake-with-Assorted-Nuts

Closing Comments

As with all posts on religion on this blog, these remarks are meant only as one person's understanding of religious holidays and attendant observances. This is not meant as a guide to practice or as a stance on what is acceptable or unacceptable practice. Observances vary. If you would like to comment on your own observances or add more information, I welcome you to do so. 

 

Want To Read More?

Aish.com website, "Shavuot,"  (a general source with multiple links to multiple sources)

Larry Fine, "Ruth: The Perfect Convert," Yesheva4me

"Jewish Holidays: Shavuot," Jewish Virtual Library

Leslie Koppelman Ross, "Shavuot Decorations," My Jewish Learning,  

Shavuot Explained for Kids, New South Wales Board of Jewish Education 

Shavuot History, ReformJudaism.org

Michael Strassfeld, "Shavuot" in The Jewish Holidays, Quill/Harper Collins, 1985, pp. 68-83.

"What Is Shavuot?" Chabad.org, 

Clip Art Sources

Opening Shavuot clipart: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Pi5rbC7pgXY/TfQMT19ZwHI/AAAAAAAAAeg/ABv-2soQbaE/s1600/shavuot.gif

Moses with the 10 Commandments: http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/shavuot/customs_and_traditions_of_shavuot.shtml

Jews at the Kotel worshipping at Shavuout: http://www.travelujah.com/media/images/userimages/7/travel_shavuot_kotel.JPG

Ruth: http://www.netglimse.com/holidays/shavuot/customs_and_traditions_of_shavuot.shtml

Harvest Shavuot decoration, Anne's Opinions blogsite: http://anneinpt.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/chag-shavuot-sameach/

Lilies-of-the-valley clip art: http://www.bje.org.au/learning/judaism/kids/holydays/shavuot.html

Cheese blintz: http://kosherfood.about.com/od/shavuot/r/blintz_cheese.htm

Cheesecake: http://jannagur.com/108704/Cheesecake-with-Assorted-Nuts

Closing Happy Shavuot clipart: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaysh.htm

Rosh HaShanah 2023

For 2023, the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah, begins tonight Friday September 15 at sundown and concludes at sunset -- depending on practice -- either on Saturday September 16 or Sunday September 17. For Orthodox and Conservative Jews, the holiday lasts for two days concluding at sundown on September 17. Many Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, however, observe the holiday only for one day (so for them, the holiday would conclude at sundown on September 16).

While definitions vary as to levels of practice from person to person, work is prohibited during the holiday. For Orthodox and most Conservative Jews, this is defined generally as no manner of work whatsoever (including school, telephone use, email, Internet surfing, etc.) during Rosh​ ​HaShanah.  

Because some Jews observe only one day, it is easy to make the mistake that the second day is not as important to those Jews observing both days.  But for Conservative and Orthodox Jews, the two days are equally important and indeed can be understood as a single very long day.  

The Jewish New Year and Its Significance

Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year; the Hebrew means “Head of the Year.” The upcoming new year is 5784 in the Jewish reckoning. 

Unlike the secular New Year, Rosh HaShanah is a very solemn day as it is the day Jews ask God for forgiveness for sins of the past year.  Perhaps the only similarity to the secular New Year is that many Jews make resolutions to lead a better life in the coming year.  Most of the day is spent in the synagogue or temple. 

Together with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) which occurs 10 days later (beginning this year on September 24 at sunset), Rosh HaShanah forms part of what are called the High Holy Days. The days between Rosh​ ​HaShanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Yamim Noraim (or “Days of Awe”) which act as days of repentance. 

Generally speaking, the High Holy Days are the most important days of observance in Judaism. Among observant Jews, traditionally, the weekly observance of the Sabbath on Saturdays is the most important Jewish holiday. In practice, though, for many Jews who do not regularly attend weekly Sabbath services, the High Holy Days often take place of prominence.  (Please note that I am in no way attempting to take a stance on what is or is not proper observance for any religion in these updates, but rather simply trying to make the general community aware of the various religious practices as they affect activities for employees, students or others).    

While Rosh HaShanah, like all Jewish holidays, appears to wander in the secular calendar, this is only because the secular calendar is not consistent with the Jewish calendar. In the Jewish calendar, though, the holiday actually occurs on the same day of the Jewish calendar.  

Interestingly, Rosh HaShanah does not occur at the beginning of the Jewish calendar; rather, it occurs on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month (not the first).  This seeming inconsistency rests in the Jewish concept of four different yearly cycles described in the Jewish Talmud. Rosh HaShanah represents the new year for relationships among people (including legal contracts) as well as for animals. The day marks the anniversary of the sixth day in the Creation story in which God created Adam and Eve, the first people. There is considerable variance among Jews as to whether this anniversary of the creation of humankind is viewed as the literal date or simply a symbolic anniversary. 

In the Jewish Torah (first five books of the Bible), the name “Rosh HaShanah” never appears for the holiday. Instead, the Torah refers to the holiday as either the Zi​k​aron Terua or “remembrance of the blowing of the horn” (as in Leviticus 23:24) or as the Yom Terua or “day of the blowing of the horn” (Numbers 29.1). Even in the Jewish liturgy of prayers used for the day,  Rosh HaShanah is generally referred to either as the Yom HaZikaron (the “Day of Remembrance”) or the Yom HaDin (“Day of Judgment”).

The Shofar

 

Ram's horn shofar

The horn referred to above is called a shofar. The blowing of the shofar is a central part of the religious observance of the holiday of Rosh HaShanah (and concludes the service on Yom Kippur).

Traditionally among Jews of Eastern  and Central European origin, the shofar is made from a ram’s horn. This is also the majority choice among the Jews of the United States, Canada and Australia. 

Among those Jews using a ram's horn, one of the associations of the ram's horn is with the Biblical story of the ram that appeared to Abraham at the binding of Isaac in the Book of Genesis:

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns.                                   -- Genesis: 22:13

Yemenite kudu horn shofar

That said, other animal horns such as those of antelopes are allowable. In fact, among Yemeni Jews, the shofar is customarily made from the long, curlicued horn of the kudu antelope.  This was also the practice among the Jews of Iraq for centuries until their expulsion in 1951, following the founding of the state of Israel.

Goat horn shofar

Among Italian Jews, the preferred shofar is made from a goat's horn. This was also the custom among the Jews of Spain before the Alhambra Edict which expelled them from the country in 1492 (it was only formally rescinded in 1968). In the years following the expulsion, thousands of Spanish Jews took this custom with them to the Low Countries and the New World where they had fled. As a result, today the goat's horn shofar is common in the Netherlands and present among some communities in South America. 

Oryx horn shofar

Many Moroccan Jews today blow a shofar made of an oryx horn (where it has long been the traditional horn used) However, some Jewish communities use an oryx horn as a way of remembering the suffering of the crypto-Jews of Iberia. Among the roughly 200,000 conversos (those who had converted before the expulsion eliminated that option in Spain or had been forcibly converted in Portugal in 1497) who remained in Iberia, several thousand continued to practice as secret Jews. The appropriate term for these people is crypto-Jews or secret Jews (and not as marranos meaning "pigs" in the Spanish of the time and marrãos which still means "pigs" in modern Portuguese). Among crypto-Jews, the preferred shofar was made of the long and totally straight horn of the oryx. This shape allowed them to carry the shofar surreptitiously held by their belt and down their trouser leg. 

  ​​

Taschlikh

 

Waterside Taschlikh ceremony

On the first afternoon of Rosh HaShanah, Jews traditionally participate in the Taschlikh ceremony. The name comes from the Hebrew word meaning "to cast."

In this ceremony, Jews carry bread crumbs to a stream, river or other naturally flowing source of water. There they say prayers asking to “cast their sins into the waters” with the bread crumbs symbolically representing the sins.

Rosh HaShanah Foods

Rosh HaShanah, as with many holidays, is usually marked by eating traditional foods. 

Round Challah

One of the foods most associated with RoshHaShanah is a round challah.The traditional Jewish bread used on holidays is called challah. Challah used each week on the Jewish Sabbath is normally baked in long, braided loaves. On Rosh HaShanah, though, the challah is made in totally round loaves. The circle of the loaves represents the continuation of life (which is part of the central prayers of the holiday).  

Apples and honey

Another notable food tradition for Rosh HaShanah is the eating of apples dipped in honey. This represents a wish for a sweet and abundant year to come with the honey standing for sweetness and the apples for abundance.  

Pomegranate

For many Jews (especially among Orthodox and Conservative Jews), on the second day of Rosh HaShanah people eat a fruit that is new to the season. This allows Jews to say a prayer of thanksgiving (called the shehechiyanu) for being allowed to reach a new season. A common choice for this fruit is a pomegranate since (in folk tradition) that fruit has 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments in the Torah. 

 

Sea bass with honeyed apples

Finally, in some Jewish traditions, it is customary to eat fish on Rosh HaShanah. In this custom, the fish plays two symbolic roles. First, since the fish’s eyes are always open, it symbolizes total awareness. Second, because fish are plentiful, the meal represents the wish for a fruitful and plenteous year to come. 

Because of the dipping of apples in honey, honey or apples (or both) is often used to prepare the fish. For example, one recipe for sea bass with honey and apples can found at the "All Recipes" site at:

          

Traditional Rosh HaShanah Apple Cake

Finally, desserts and other sweets are an important part of the festive meal, symbolizing a wish for a sweet year to come.  These too tend to emphasize the traditional pomegranates, apples and especially honey. 

Among the most typical Rosh HaShanah desserts is the honey or apple cake. A recipe for Rosh HaShanah apple cake can be found at the "My Jewish Learning" site 

Conclusion

The simplest traditional greeting for Rosh HaShanah is L’Shanah Tovah (May you have a good year). The response back is the same. 

Many other greetings are also used among Jews during the holiday and the Days of Awe between it and Yom Kippur. One common such greeting is  L’Shanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim. This means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." This refers to the belief that one asks to be inscribed in the Book of Life on Rosh HaShanah and that this be sealed in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur. Using this greeting may be said in English, and its use would show a significant understanding of the holiday. 

As always in these write-ups, I welcome your feedback. This is meant only to be informational and not to indicate that one or another practice is or is not acceptable.  Please feel free to send me corrections or things you would like me to include next time (and feel equally free to let me know if you find these worthwhile).  

I wish you all a L’Shanah Tovah!

David A. Victor, Ph.D.

Professor of Management and International Business

College of Business
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 USA

Co-Author:  The 7 Keys to Communicating in Mexico: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: The 7 Keys to Communicating in Japan: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: The 7 Keys to Communicating in Brazil: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach

Author: International Business Communication

Editor-in-Chief, Global Advances in Business Communication Journal   

Further Reading

Rabbi Raymond Apple, Oz Torah, "A Guide to the Rosh HaShanahservices" retrieved September 18, 2020:http://www.oztorah.com/2010/08/a-guide-to-the-rosh-hashanah-services/

Barsheshet Rebak Shofar Makers, "Types of Shofars," retrieved September 18, 2020: http://www.shofarot.com/index.php/the-shofar/typesofshofars/

Chabad.org, "The High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur" retrieved September 18, 2020: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4830/jewish/How-is-Rosh-Hashanah-Observed.htm

Irene Connelly, "No streaming, no singing: here’s how High Holidays will work in Modern Orthodox synagogues," The Forward, August 7, 2020, https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-e&q=Orthodox+Judaism+high+holiday+streaming

Dinka Kumer, "What is Taschlikh?" Chabad.com retrieved September 18, 2020: http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/564247/jewish/What-is-Tashlich.htm

 

Tracey Rich,  "Rosh Hashanah" Judaism 101, 2020: http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

Ariela Pelaia, "What is Rosh HaShanah?" About.com/Judaism, January 25, 2019,: http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/roshhashanah.htm

Adam Reinherz, "Shofar blowing strategies revamped to address COVID-19 concerns," Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, September 8, 2020, https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/shofar-blowing-strategies-revamped-to-address-covid-19-concerns/

Torah.org, "Seven Questions People Ask About Rosh HaShanah,": http://roshhashanah.torah.org/learning/yomtov/roshhashanah/survival2.html

Rabbi Randy Wise, "Understanding the High Jewish Holidays of RoshHashanah and Yom Kippur" Torah.org, retrieved September 18, 2020: https://torah.org/learning/yomtov-roshhashanah-survival2/ 

Clip Art Sources



Opening clip art image with shofar: http://wallpapers.dgreetings.com/images/wallpapers/rosh-hashanah/Rosh-Hashanah_Wallpaper_1024-768.jpg

Ram's horn shofar: http://www.shininglight.eu/shininglight.eu/originals/1330976499_Kosher-Shofar-Large-Ram-Horn-35-45cm-L.jpg

Yemenite kudu horn shofar:  http://www.shofarsfromafar.com/files/742858/uploaded/Shofar_Yemenite_3.jpg

Goat's horn shofar: http://www.noahsarkwinston.com/bible_land_gifts/22232

Blowing shofar above synagogue entrance, Congregation Beth Shalom, Pittsburgh 

https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/shofar-blowing-strategies-revamped-to-address-covid-19-concerns/

Oryx horn shofar: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mK6JpKiBQHM/R6x0yqUaLjI/AAAAAAAAADQ/_OE8moz7i6k/S240/moroccan-shofar-11L.jpg

Tashlikh: http://sank63.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/tashlit-006.jpg

Round Challah: http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Rosh-Hashanah/Detail.aspx

Apples and honey: http://ingenieriaypaisajismo.com/uploads/posts/2011-05/1305204650_rosh-hashana-uk.jpg

Chanukah 2024-25

 

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As part of my religious holiday observance descriptions, I would like to share with you that the Jewish holiday of Chanukah this year begins at sunset tonight, Wednesday, December 25, 2024 and lasts until sunset on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Chanukah for 2024 begins on the same day as Christmas, something that has happened since 1900 only five times: 1910, 1921, 1959, 2005, and now 2024.

                   Dating the Holiday

Because the Jewish calendar follows the moon and so does not follow the standard solar secular calendar, the dates of Chanukah seem to travel between November and January. For example if we look at the last eight years, we can see how the holiday seems to "travel" in the secular Gregorian calendar.  Thus in 2023, Chanukah began onThursday, December 7 and lasted until sunset on Friday, December 15.  In 2022, Chanukah began on December 18 and ended on December 26. In 2021, Chanukah began on November 28 and ended on December 6.  In 2020, Chanukah began on the evening of December 10 and ended at sunset December 18. In 2019, Chanukah began on the evening of December 22 and ended at sunset December 30. In 2018, the holiday began at sunset on December 2 and ended at sunset December 10. In 2017, the holiday began on December 12 and concluded at sunset on December 20. In 2016, the holiday began on the night of December 24 and ended at sunset on January 1, 2017. 

In fact, though, on the Jewish calendar, the dates are always the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev through the 3rd of the Hebrew month of Tevet.

As a side note, in 2013, Chanukah came at the earliest it had occurred in 133 years starting on US Thanksgiving Day of November 27 and  concluding at sunset on December 5. For those in the United States, 2013 holds a particularly significant dating for Chanukah since this was the first -- and ONLY -- time that the first day of Chanukah had or ever will begin on the US secular holiday of Thanksgiving.  Why?  The last time Chanukah came that early was in 1861, two days before President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. Technical adjustments to the Jewish Calendar that take place roughly every 250 means that the earliest Chanukah will fall will have changed to later than Thanksgiving. For more on this technical oddity, please see my special post on the subject from 2013: Chanukah 2013 -- The First and Only Coinciding of US Thanksgiving with Chanukah.

Holiday Name 

Another point of confusion is the spelling of the name.  Since many sounds in the Hebrew alphabet do not have an equivalent in the English alphabet, there is no accepted way to spell the holiday in English. This carries over even into Hebrew where it already has two spellings: both חנכה or חנוכ. As a result, English spellings for the holiday have 12 variations in use today: Chanukah, Hannukah, Hanukah, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Hanuka, Channukah, Hanukka, Hanaka, Haneka, Hanika and Khanukkah.  

The word itself means “Dedication” in Hebrew, which itself is a shortening of chanukat ha-mizbeiach meaning “dedication of the altar” or chanukat ha-bayit meaning “dedication of the house” (in this case, the House of the Lord, the Temple in Jerusalem). In English, the holiday is commonly referred to as the “Festival of Lights” because of the candle-lighting ceremony.

A Minor Holiday

Chanukah is one of the minor festivals in Judaism.  As a result, while the holiday has been celebrated for centuries by Jews worldwide, it does not carry the importance of the Jewish New Year, Day of Atonement, Shavuot, Sukkot or Passover.  Chanukah then is not as important as Christmas is to Christians.

That said, though, it is important to note that Chanukah has become especially significant among Jews living in Christian countries, especially the United States, Canada, France, Argentina, Brazil and Australia  -- even among fairly non-religious or secular Jews --wanting to assimilate into the surrounding culture with an equivalent to the gift-giving season surrounding Christmas.  

Traditionally Jews exchange gifts on Purim. Historically, Jews actually did not exchange gifts on Chanukah aside from small items for children (chocolate coins, called Chanukah gelt, are an example).  This is still largely the case both among Jews in Israel, India and Islamic-majority countries as well as among more traditional Jews in Europe and the Americas.

The History Behind the Holiday

Alexander the Great Mosaic Naples National Archaeological Museum

Chanukah remembers the freedom from persecution by the Seleucid (Greco-Syrian) Empire in the 2^nd century BC (or BCE). The Seleucids had tried to forcibly assimilate the Jews into Greek culture.  After Alexander the Great overthrew Darius III in 330 BC, Greeks ruled the entirety of the former Persian Empire, including what is now Israel. Following Alexander’s death in 323 BCE, his empire split up with one of his general’s Ptolemy I Soter (the “Saviour”) of Egypt, taking over the part of Alexander’s empire that had included Egypt and Israel while another general, Seleucus, taking over what had been Babylonia. The portion under Seleucus became the Seleucid Greek Empire.  Alexander the Great had allowed the free practice of all religions, including Judaism. This tradition of respecting freedom of religion was continued under Ptolemy I Soter. This practice of tolerance, however, was not a priority in the Seleucid Greek Empire. 

Antiochus III  by Auguste Giraudon  The Louvre, Paris

Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucid Greeks fought a series of wars (called the Syrian Wars), as the Seleucids tried to expand to the west. In 223 BCE, Antiochus III the Great ascended to the Seleucid throne, and successfully expanded his empire westward, winning the area that is now Israel, Lebanon and Syria in the Fifth Syrian War (202-195 BCE) taking Jerusalem in 200 BCE. When the Seleucid Greeks ousted the Ptolemaic Egyptians from Israel, the era of religious tolerance began to be erased.

The Seleucid Greeks prided themselves on the universalism of their culture and believed strongly that their values could be promoted throughout the world.  Moreover, most of the peoples the Greeks conquered readily assimilated to Greek culture. Indeed, before the Seleucid conquest of the region and the subsequent persecution of the Jews, the Ptolemaic Greeks had been quite successful in assimilating a large number of Jews. These assimilated Jews were called the Hellenist Jews. 

The Hellenist Jews gave up their religious practices but maintained and even shared with Greek society as a whole many of their cultural traditions (language, foods, non-religious tales). For Hellenist Jews, Greek culture was seen as progressive and modern.  Greeks and Hellenist Jews alike considered those Jews who held to their faith and did not assimilate to be zealots and unenlightened.  Many of the issues surrounding assimilation to various cultures throughout the centuries have been related to the Chanukah story as a result. 

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Altes Museum, Berlin

Antiochus III’s successor as Seleucid ruler was Antiochus IV Epiphanes (215-163 BCE). Antiochus IV Epiphanes (meaning “God’s manifestation”) found that those Jews who refused to assimilate became intolerable. Antiochus IV outlawed Jewish religious practice making it illegal to observe the Jewish Sabbath or circumcise children, and requiring, among other things, that Jews formally recognize the Greek deity Zeus as the supreme deity and dedicated the Temple at Jerusalem to Zeus. The Seleucids also required Jews to sacrifice and eat pigs (which Jews consider unkosher).  Jews who resisted were burnt at the stake, frequently with Torah scrolls wrapped around them to start the fire. In 167 BCE after the Jews resisted with force, Antiochus IV took extreme actions. According 2 Maccabees 5:11-14:

When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery. 

As a side note, both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions consider both books of the Maccabees to be part of the Biblical canon. By contrast, neither Jews nor Protestants consider either of the two books of the Maccabees as canonical sources.

Significantly, the Jews were the only religion among the peoples that Antiochus conquered that he persecuted.  For example, after his conquest of Babylon, Antiochus III actually rebuilt many of the temples and infrastructure that had been destroyed.  Hellenic culture – generally considered one of the most enlightened in history – regularly incorporated values of other cultures into its own.  

The Focus of the Celebration

Chanukah celebrates the victory in 166 BC (or BCE) of the Hasmonean Jews – led by Judah Maccabee and his brothers – over the Seleucid (Greco-Syrian) Empire. However, as Judaism disdains war and therefore would not condone a holiday over a military event, the holiday focuses instead on the “dedication” (in Hebrew “Chanukah”) of the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Seleucids had desecrated by converting it into a center of idol-worship.  

Chanukah Traditions

Several traditions are associated with Chanukah.  During religious services, special psalms and prayers are recited. As the holiday centers around remembering the miracle of how a single day's oil burnt for eight days, Jews light candles for eight days and eat foods prepared in hot oil.

The Menorah Lighting

The miracle of Chanukah occurred with the rekindling of the menorah (candelabra) in the Temple. The Jewish Talmud explains that when the Maccabees removed the idols of Greek gods from the Temple and attempted to light the six-branched menorah in the Temple, they could find only enough consecrated oil to light the holy lamp for one day. The miracle came when – as Jewish belief holds -- the oil continued to burn for eight days until new consecrated oil could be obtained.  Hence, today Jews celebrate the holiday by lighting one candle on an eight-branched candle holder (called a menorah or chanukiya) each night for eight nights. The candles are lit from right to left (the same direction of Hebrew writing), with the first candle lit on the far right of the menorah. A separate candle, called the shammes, is used to light the other candles.

Chanukah Foods

Eating special foods made in oil is part of the holiday, as the oil in which the food is prepared recalls the miracle of the oil in the Temple burning for eight days. Among those foods most typical are potato pancakes called latkes. These compact potato patties are served with an accompaniment of sour cream or of something sweet (usually applesauce or sugar). 

Potato Latkes

The latke itself is not particularly Jewish in origin. The potato pancake made in the same manner as the Jewish latke is considered the national dish of Belarus and remains a traditional dish in Luxembourgish, German, Austrian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Slovak, Russian, Ukrainian and Latvian cuisines.  

Other cuisines (notably, Irish, Indian, Persian, Swedish and Swiss) have variations of potato pancakes but differ from the compact patty of those just cited above including the latke. Polish-Canadian food blogger Ilona Orzechowska of The Cookful, contrasts the ways in which the latke differs from these other potato pancakes in her "Potato Pancakes vs. Potato Latkes."

For a recipe on how to make latkes, please see celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern's step-by-step recipe in Food & Wine "Killer Potato Latkes". For the standard latke recipe used for the last 65 years, consider this one from Sara Kasdan's humorous 1956 classic Jewish cookbook  Love and Knishes  , reprinted on Kosher.com as "Best Potato Latkes."

Sufganiyah being injected with jelly

Another traditional food cooked with oil are special doughnuts called sufganiyah (plural: sufganiot).  Sufganiot are round doughnuts that are deep-fried in oil. While still hot, the sufganiyah is then injected full of jelly. The dough has a spongy texture which is where the doughnut gets its name (sfog in Hebrew means "sponge"). Although more spherical in shape, the sufaniot are very similar to the Polish pączki. For a recipe with photos on how to make sufganiyot, please see eGCI Forum: Sufganiyot at

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/96166-egci-demo-sufganiyot-soovganiot/

The significance for both latkes and sufganiyot is that they are made in oil. In this way, they are both meant to recall the oil that burned in the lamps for eight days.  

The giving out of gelt (or chocolate candies made to look like coins) comes as a reminder that the Seleucids had confiscated all the possessions of the Jews.  It is from the giving of gelt that the tradition of gift-giving was developed in Christian countries as an assimilative gesture to Christmas.

Songs

The song Ma'oz Tzur (often translated as "Rock of Ages") is a traditional song of the holiday. A common English translation is

Rock of Ages, let our song, Praise Thy saving power
Thou amidst the raging foes, Wast our sheltering tower
Furious they assailed us, But Thine arm availed us
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.
And thy word broke their sword, When our own strength failed us.

Another popular song in both Hebrew and English is Mi Y'maleil? or Who Can Recall. A common English translation of this song begins:

Who can tell of the feats of Israel
Who can count them?
In every age a hero arose to save the people.
Who can retell the things that befell us?
Who can count them?
In every age, a hero or sage came to our aid.

For the Jews of Yemen traditionally Chanukah was a sort of Jewish “trick-or-treat” time when children would go door to door collecting wicks for the oil-burning menorahs used there. People would then give the children wicks along with candy and fruit. If the children received no wicks and treats, they chanted that these people were misers (the trick equivalent). 

Probably the most famous (and funny) song of recent times is Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song,"  which first on Saturday Night Live on December 3, 1994, then appeared on his 1996 comedy album What The Hell Happened To Me? Sandler has issued updated versions of the now-classic song ever since.

The Dreidel 

Dreidels

Another tradition is to play with a four-sided top called a dreidel.  On the sides of the dreidel are the Hebrew letters of the first words of the four-word Hebrew phrase that translates: “A great miracle happened there.”  In Israel, the fourth letters on the dreidel are different from elsewhere as the phrase translates as “A great miracle happened here.”

As always, I welcome your comments and input.  

Happy Chanukah!

David

David A. Victor, Ph.D.

Professor of Management and International Business

College of Business
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197 USA

Co-Author:  The 7 Keys to Communicating in Mexico: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: The 7 Keys to Communicating in Japan: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: The 7 Keys to Communicating in Brazil: An Intercultural Approach

Co-Author: Conflict Management: A Communication Skills Approach

Author: International Business Communication

Editor-in-Chief, Global Advances in Business Communication Journal   

Want to read more?

You may wish to read more about the general background to the holiday at   

Chabad.com's https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102911/jewish/What-Is-Hanukkah.htm#Chanukah

Mazornet.com's http://mazornet.com/holidays/chanukah/background-story.htm

Judaism 101's  http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm

History Channel's http://www.history.com/topics/hanukkah
 
Emily Krauser (November 21, 2021), "20 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Hanukkah." ET Online, https://www.etonline.com/20-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-hanukkah-137874 

Jason Miller (December 30, 2011), "The Hanukkah Spelling Confusion," http://blog.rabbijason.com/2011/12/hanukkah-spelling-confusion.html  

Eyal Regev (2017), "The Original Meaning of Chanukah" TheTorah.com, https://thetorah.com/article/the-original-meaning-of-chanukah

Clip Art Sources

Opening menorah http://www.thetoymaker.com/Holidays/CHANUKAH/1Chanukah.html

However you spell it http://blog.rabbijason.com/2011/12/hanukkah-spelling-confusion.html

Alexander the Great Mosaic, Naples National Archaeological Museum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great#mediaviewer/File:Alexander_the_Great_mosaic.jpg

Antiochus III bust by Auguste Giraudon, The Louvre, Paris: http://blog.rabbijason.com/2011/12/hanukkah-spelling-confusion.html

Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Altes Museum, Berlin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes#mediaviewer/File:Antiokhos_IV.jpg

Chanukah gelt http://www.ohnuts.com/blog/Hanukkah_Gelt1.jpg

Man lighting menorah http://d.wapday.com/animation/ccontennt/12121-m/man_lighting_menorah.gif?__sid=WTK81F50XWWD&lang=en

Potato latkes https://www.kosher.com/recipe/best-potato-latkes-6356  

Sufganiya 
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-7546809-sufganiya.php 

Dreidels
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday7.htm