Enjoyed your explanation very much! It was more complete than I have ever seen. Thanks.

Wow, thanks for the explanation! I've never really known much about it other than it was basically the Jewish Christmas.

I did notice you spelled God instead of G-d is that just a personal preference?

Thank you so much for the explanations and for sharing what your family does for the holiday. I was interested to learn about the fried foods being used as a sort of reflection of the importance of the oil. I will admit to being a love of latkes. Your ending comment made me smile as I see that no matter our culture or religion we all celebrate with song, food, gifts and if we are fortunate, family. Thanks again for all the explations. Satine

I appreciate the explanation of a mysterious (to me) religion or culture.

Very interesting and informative article.

Have you considered submitting this to a newspaper or magazine for publication before Chanuka? Also, it is a good article for interfaith organizations.

My family is Protestant and Jewish, but the religion I know best is Roman Catholic because I was sent to a convent boarding school after my mother died. Thank you for the lesson!

Wonderful, and helpful. Thank you!

Yes, thanks for the explanation.

I once asked a Jewish colleague about the unusual spelling practice for God and was given a slightly different contextual explanation. He said there were many differences of belief and practice among the different Jewish denominations and that not all followed this particular practice. I suspect p-log's explanation conforms to the view of the particular group she belongs to? Maybe she can explain further. He said another example was eating kosher food, which the more strict adherents practice and the less strict ones don't.

And just to show that no group feels a need for balanced views, he said that as with Christianity, the differences between the denominations are enough that some groups reject practices and views of others and may consider them to be illegitimate. Life goes on.

Thanks to all for the kind words. Jemdandy, I was just trying to give background to my answers of the initial question about our observances. I'd think a newspaper would want something more festive. Thank-you for the suggestion, however. I'm flattered.

No, SW, what your colleague said about it and what I said about it are in agreement, and I'm sure he agrees with the origin and reasoning behind it. This is fact. I may not have been 100% clear. For me, who has been seen in this forum using "G-d" it is a matter of preference according to context and my feelings about it. For people at my level of observance, it is also a matter of individual choice. The hyper-observant always choose it, as I said, whereas there are many who have little religious knowledge or practice who don't even know it's an issue. It's similar to whether one chooses to express dates as B.C./A.D. or B.C.E./C.E. It's a little thing that is meaningful to some and silly to others.

Whether or not you keep kosher is a very big thing. My family has taken an intellectual view of practice for generations, so we don't. Family traditions carry as much weight as rabbinic ones, and when the rabbis don't know the answer, they poll the community to find out what practice has been handed down. We talk about the anthropological origins, and go outside of the texts. Instead, for my home, I follow the "new kashrut", choosing foods, as much as possible, that are created with good stewardship and kindness.

We don't have a central authority other than the court. We haven't had a king for a thousand years. There are organizations of organizations where they discuss how they see matters, and some see things very differently from others, but Jewish practice is an individual obligation and will be done in an individual manner. And then all the neighbors will kibbitz about it. :)

Snidely Whiplash....exactly!

My father was Jewish. First generation to be born in America after escaping religious persecution in Czechoslovakia.

Wikipedia quote:

Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Bible and was never considered a major holiday in Judaism, but it has become much more visible and widely celebrated in modern times, mainly because it falls around the same time as Christmas and has national Jewish overtones that have been emphasized since the establishment of the State of Israel.

Nicole, I don't know what they mean by "national Jewish overtones". Since the movement to establish the State, many decorations have been made in the colors of the Jewish flag, which became the flag of Israel, but approximately around the time since the establishment, decorations have gone back to being more colorful (the traditional Chanukah colors were red and gold). That's the only connection I know.

plllog....from what I understand....celebrating Hanukkah in a BIG way is a fairly "new" practice. It's a way of conforming, blending in with what's going on around us.

I guess what I wish to point out is Hanukkah is NOT a central focus in the Jewish religion like Christmas is in Christianity. Jewish people are just trying to be happy!

Thank you, Pillog. I love your lessons for us.

Nice, easy to understand lesson. Thanks for the explanation of questions I have had about Judaism.

You're welcome. Sephia, please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Yes, Nicole, you're right. I wrote about that in my first post. At length. :) I certainly didn't take exception to that part of your post. Christmas has only been a big deal for just a little longer, by the way, maybe late 18th C.. Before then, it used to be a day of revelry when people celebrated mostly with booze, which is why it was outlawed in the Puritan days. During my lifetime, Chanukah has been elevated by Christians in the USA, and made much of, which is different from the way it used to be. As Texas_Gem said, made into a sort of Jewish Christmas, but during the same time, Christmas has exploded as a secular holiday more about Santa Claus, gingerbread, movies and recorded theme music (much of which is not devotional), than Las Posadas, mangers, church services and carols, so candles and tops fit right in. They've gone hand in hand.

It was the last bit in the Wikipedia quote that I questioned. It's not that the Maccabee story hasn't been used in the way described. I've just never heard of nationalism dominating Chanukah celebrations. It might be (probably is) true for some people, especially Jews who are pro-Jewish but anti-religion. It's the "emphasized" I'm questioning.

Yes....but I don't think people know what the Maccabee story was about. The Greek slaughter of the Jews. A temple taken back from the Greeks, the winning of a war. Jews use Hanukkah as a remembrance day to not let their people be wiped out.

When I say this is all very "new", which was the point I wanted to make here....see my quote....

Wikipedia quote:

Hanukkah became more widely celebrated beginning from the 1970s, when Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson called for public awareness of the festival and encouraged the lighting of public menorahs

Nicole, I don't get your point. Chanukah is in the Talmud. It has been celebrated since it happened. In the 19th C., Christmas became a much bigger deal in the U.S., and Jews chose to add some of the same trappings to Chanukah. Yes, the grand public lighting of huge menorahs was a big political push by a non-mainstream sect, starting in the 1970's, for reminding people, as Christmas was getting bigger, more public and more secular, that this is a plural society and other people have other traditions. It certainly is one way Christians became more aware of the holiday (which even with presents and all, to us, is minor). The tradition has always been, since ancient times, that the Ḥanukkiah should be visible from the street, whether outside the door, or in the window. R. Schneerson was not the first to display one in public by a long shot. His was just big and loud. People who celebrate Chanukah generally know the Maccabee story. Its in the Septaugent. It's in the story books we read as kids.

Jews use just about every holiday as a remembrance not to get wiped out. Haven't you heard the old joke? Def. Jewish Holiday: They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat. Passover is more about the oppressors, however, and many Seders focus their commentary on modern day tyrants. I'm sure some people must focus on the woe at Chanukah, but it's not common.

The "public awareness" you quoted was about the other 97% of America. We've been celebrating Chanukah every year for thousands of years.

Jews use just about every holiday as a remembrance not to get wiped out.

Right.

I was just trying to point out that all this hoopla over Hanukkah isn't tradition. Making it more fun and more like Christmas has become the Santa Claus version of Hanukkah. That's just happened recently.

Have a great day all.... I'm busy gathering materials for the next remodel...