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Hanukkah: Military victory, miracle, mishmash?
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This is a gathering place for conversation for all Jewish members of Beliefnet to talk about Judaism. Disputes or criticisms of Judaism must be directed to Judaism Debate. Attempts, no matter how courteous, to convert anyone to a different religious belief are not appropriate here. Messianic Jews please click here. Not Jewish? Want to learn more? Post respectful questions in Learn about Judaism.
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Messages: 1 - 4 (33 total)
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puppypower
12/8/2005 3:32 PM
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1 out of 33 |
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How do you explain Hanukkah to your kids and to yourself? Should you stress the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days, or should you make it into a lesson about assimilation versus Jewishness? Or are there ways of integrating the two themes? Most Jewish families seem confused about the holiday's multiple messages and wind up dumbing it down to a week of eating, gift-giving, and lighting pretty candles. Given how little Jewish content remains in 21st-century Hanukkah observance, we might as well be celebrating Kwanzaa!
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itsmajik
12/8/2005 6:09 PM
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2 out of 33 |
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Puppy....
You know, what you said is all that Hanuka means to so many Jews......gifts, food and perhaps lighting the candles.
Nelda
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pedro_ld_23
12/9/2005 9:36 AM
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3 out of 33 |
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It's a tough question, puppypower. The influence and pressure to celebrate Hanukkah like Christmas is intense. We have a young child and are figuring out how to teach her the true message of the holiday without depriving her of the joy of the season so that she ends up longing for the gifts and lights of Christmas.
Our solution at this point is to focus on the aspect of dedication in Hanukkah and how the Maccabees and those who joined them were willing to pay the ultimate price to protect their identity and way of life against great pressure. By stressing this aspect of the holiday, we hope to make it comletely distinct from Christmas. but still full of significance and tradition.
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Mommynow
12/9/2005 10:13 AM
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4 out of 33 |
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I'm also celebrating Hanukah with small children, ages 3 and 5, and we are also concerned that it "stay Jewish". I am the early educ. teacher at our temple, and after talking with our Rabbi, and our education fellow, I am trying to tie all these ideas together through the theme of bravery - the Macabees bravery to fight for their beliefs, and the bravery of the priests to trust that God would provide the oil, and the bravery of Jews who lit their candles even when it was dangerous to do so. I also think that it's important that we use words like "legend", or even "the Rabbis tell us", when we tell the story of the lamp oil. Speaking as a convert, one of the first issues I had with Christianity was that things were told to me as truths, and then later I found that they were just stories. Sure, the moral was still the same, but it bothered me enough that it was still part of the reason I left Christianity as a teenager. I am not saying we have to put a huge emphasis on this, just enough so that the kids will never have to wonder if there are other "lies" we plan to tell them about later, you know? One of the things that my family has done to keep Hannukah separate from xmas is that we only give Jewish presents - 4 nights of Hannukah, like the Judah Macabee doll, and four nights of things they can use all year - this year they will get their first tallis. I would also love any other ideas about themes, or to hear what other people are doing - book suggestions too - since we are doing a Hanukah story each night. Thanks, Maggie
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