Happy Chanukah

Chanukah in 2009 will start on Saturday, the 12th of December and will continue for 8 days until Saturday, the 19th of December.

Chanukah is based upon historical events spanning an era from about 165 b.c.e. to about 80 c.e. Documented by historians such as Josephus, the scroll of the Hasmoneans, as well as modern scholars, the laws and traditions are set out primarily in the Babylonian Talmud tractate Shabbath. While the agreement was that one light per household per night would certainly suffice to commemorate the miracles of Chanukah, the practice of each person lighting an increasing number of lights from one to eight corresponding to each night has universally been accepted as the Chanukah candle custom.

First candle lighting in the evening of Friday, 11 December 2009 (the first "day" of Chanukah being Saturday, 12 December 2009 ). Candle lighting is each evening following that until the evening of Friday December 18, 2009. The last full day of Chanukah this year is December 19, 2009.

"Happy Chanukah" in Hebrew, which is "Chanukah Sameach" (pronounced Sa-may-ach with the sort of Germanic gutteral ch sound).

Many families bake cookies, fry potato latkes, make homemade donuts or other fried dough dainties, and enjoy dairy meals. The source for all the fried food is the miracle of the oil. The reasoning behind the dairy foods is based upon Midrash (Biblical sermonic material). The Midrash tells of Judith, daughter of the high priest, who tricks the evil Roman/Greek captain into drinking himself into a stupor by feeding him dairy products for a meal. The dairy makes him thirsty, and she gives him wine to sate his thirst until he falls asleep. As he sleeps, she cuts off his head. When the army realizes their captain is dead, they retreat for the time being. Such is the midrash, and it makes for a great reason to make dairy Chanukah desserts for eight days.

We would like to wish everyone a Happy Chanukah.