Hanukkah Candle Lighting
IllustrationMission Statement: To train, educate and equip for study both the Jew and the non-Jew in the rich Biblical/Hebraic Heritage.
Hanukkah: The Light is Messiah
The First Night
1. You will need nine Hanukkah candles and a Hanukkiah (Hon-a-key-ah) (a holder for each of the nine candles.)
2. You will pray this prayer first:
(Only on the first night do you say or sing She-hech-e-ya-nu prayer)
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, and sustained us, and brought us to this season.
**Short explanation of Shekianyu prayer: This is a traditional prayer for all festivals and for special occasions in your family's life. We have used it for anniversary blessings, baby's first tooth, birthdays, immersions, house dedications, etc. If it's a first time for anything then this is the prayer you would say. Remember this is only said on the FIRST night of Hanukkah.
3. Light the Shammash candle. (The servant candle can be found in several positions in a holder. It usually is elevated. It can be in the center as ours is pictured and some are on your far right.)
Each night of Hanukkah you would say or sing the following blessings BEFORE kindling the other lights:
Hanukkah Candle Lighting
Illustration
Day 8: (Start left & work to the right) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
Day 7: (Start left and work to the right) 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Day 6: (Start left and work to the right)1-2-3-4-5-6
Day 5: (Start left and work to the right) 1-2-3-4-5
Day 4: (Start left and work to the right) 1-2-3-4
Day 3: (Start left and work to the right) 1-2-3
Day 2: (Start left & work to the right) 1-2
Day 1:(Light Far Right Candle) -1
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with Thy commandments and has commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who didst perform miracles for our fathers in those days at this season.
4. Light the candle on your far right as you face the Hannukkiah. The following passage is to be read following the lighting of the first candle after Shammash.
"We kindle these lights to commemorate the miracles and the wonders, and the victorious battles that Thou achieved for our fathers in those days, at this season, through Thy holy priest. During all the eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make use of them; but we are only to look at them, in order to give thanks and to praise Thy Name for Thy miracles, Thy wonders, and Thy salvations."
5.Always left to right! A drawing will be provided on each night. That is all there is! Hurrah! The candles are lit! You did it! Now on to the fun. This would be the perfect night for telling the story of Hanukkah.
A CRAFT ITEM for the first night, of course, would be your Hanukkiah (candle holder). This would take some planning and the items you need for the project should be collected well ahead of time. Do not expect this Hanukkiah to be dry and strong enough to use the first night--unless you make it ahead of time. Crafts, materials and instructions for several different nights are presented in our book. Please read this a few weeks ahead of Hanukkah so that you will have time to be prepared.
GIFTS
Gifts are minor in Hanukkah but always loved by the children. It
has been my impression that by utilizing the theme of the night,
and the teaching with the gift works well and really makes an
impression on family members. For example gifts, from the heart
that use the imagination are just as important as monetary gifts
and have more meaning. Salvation is the greatest gift and through
Yeshua we receive that gift from our Father God!
Some families choose to give gifts only on the eighth night as a final grand conclusion to the celebration. Others choose to have the first night be the night that the father gives gifts to each member of the family. Another night would be the mother's turn, the children would have another night, maternal grandparents and paternal grandparents would also each have a night. Let's not forget an act of charity for one night's gift so that the family remembers that many people are in need. Usually teachers are given a special gift, money or food at this time of year. So the gift giving question can be answered with as many solutions as your family has needs. But what we are trying to stress is that this is not a celebration of eight nights of unlimited toys and treats, but a celebration of family and God. Time together is the most valued gift of all and will become the "tradition" and memory of your family's celebration.
Gift ideas for the first night - This might be a coupon book of things that they will do with a "servant's" heart. The tasks should all be age appropriate and can be redeemed whenever the receiver of the gift needs it. For instance a big sister might give her little sister a coupon for a storybook reading that is redeemable whenever the little girl wants a story. Or perhaps mom would be given a coupon for 30 minutes of uninterrupted peace and quiet by the most "active" child. Spouses could give coupons for candlelight dinners, etc. You get the picture?
Game: (spinning top game)-See Chapter 18 (Games & Skits) The first night of Hanukkah is the perfect night to learn how to play the DREIDEL! The dreidel is a top game. Symbolically the top recalls the turnover of events when Judah the Maccabee's few forces toppled Antiochus' army. The natural order of things was upset "overturned" and the strong were "spun" into the hands of the weak. The Hebrew letters on the sides of the dreidel are the first letters of the words in ;this very important sentence "Nes gadol hayah sham" which means " A great miracle happened there." )THERE referring to Jerusalem. In the city of Jerusalem the dreidel letters refer to the sentence "A great miracle happened HERE.") The great miracle it refers to of course is the reclaiming of the Temple in Jerusalem.
A variety of stories can be found about this game and where it came from. Jewish people frown on gambling, but at Hannukah this is the season ;where this game, and your other card games can add fun to your holiday without worrying about offending people. Don't forget to use your public library children's department for resource books, too.
The story goes that when King Antiochus ruled Israel he forbid any form of Judaism including the studying of the Torah. But the people found that gambling was acceptable, so they invented this game to cover up their studies.
One person would stand guard while the others studied, and if a soldier came then the one standing guard would sound the alarm. They would then throw their robes over the Torah scroll and begin spinning the dreidel. They used coins or nuts as tokens for the game. The soldiers would see the coins and the game going on, and would walk on by. But the game was a cover up for their studies.
Activity: This story would be a great "creative skit" for your family to portray. You could act this out by having someone be the evil soldiers and others playing the game while another watched. Be sure to have your cloak handy to cover the Torah when the evil soldiers come by!
You can find story books that include this game from our resource list, and we encourage you to play the game. Many people use chocolate gelted coins that you can buy at candy stores, nuts, or other wrapped candy. The dreidel we have included with this book is an example of one. Dreidels are available from many of the resources that we have listed, but always check at your local synagogue gift store first. These are inexpensive and fun to play with. A wonderful way to play the game and to involve your children is to make a dreidel. We have several sizes for different size hands at our house. Grandma and Grandpa can collect pennies all year long for Hanukkah. But playing dreidel means that Grandma and Grandpa can also arrive with sacks of chocolate treats or pennies to spoil the grandchildren and not get in trouble from Mom and Dad!
The game is easy to learn and can be taught very easy using this little rhyme:
A Common Version of a Traditional Poem
Nun, gimel, heh, and shin,
(Letters in the Hebrew alphabet are called these names instead of
"a", "b", "c")
See the wooden dreidel spin.
Nes gadol hayah shin,
(Translation of ;this Hebrew phrase is: A great miracle happened
there)
If I'm lucky I will win!
I play with my new dreidel
upon the shiny floor.
I ask some friends to play with me-
we must have two or more.
I give the players pennies-
the same amount to each.
We sit down in a circle,the pennies within reach.
Each player puts a penny
in the proper spot.
The middle of the circle
is what we call the pot.
Next I take the dreidel
and spin it round and round.
Which letter does it land on?
What fortune have I found?
I read the letter facing up-
it tells me how to play.
The letters are in Hebrew,
and here is what they say.
Nun means I do nothing-
I neither give nor take.
Heh means I take half the pot-
what a lucky break!
Gimel means I take it
all.
It looks as if I'll win!
But I must put a penny back
when it lands on shin.
We go around the circle-
it's lots and lots of fun,
till one has all the pennies.
Then the game is done!
Nun, gimel, heh, and
shin,
See the wooden dreidel spin.
Nes gadol hayah sham,
If I'm lucky I will win!
Traditional reading for Hanukkah
(This can also be chanted)
1. I will extol Thee, O LORD,
for Thou hast lifted me up,
And hast not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2. O LORD my God,
I cried to Thee for help, and Thou didst heal me.
3. O LORD, Thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4. Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His Holy name.
5. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a
lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
6. Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I will never be moved."
7. O LORD, by Thy favor Thou hast made my mountain to stand
strong;
Thou didst hide Thy face, I was dismayed.
8. To thee, O LORD, I called,
And to the LORD I made supplication:
9. "What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the
pit?
Will the dust praise Thee? Will it declare Thy faithfulness?
10. "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
O LORD, be Thou my helper,
11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
Thou has loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;12. That
my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever.
Psalm 30:1-12
Hanukkah music is a must. In the times of Yeshua the children were taught very young about the Bible and it was accepted that a child would have the entire book of Leviticus memorized by the age of four years. How? Through music. It is also through music that children are drawn into the celebration of Hanukkah. Included in this book is a page of distributors that offer tapes and records to help in the celebration. Not only are they colorful and fun, they leave an impression. It has been nine months since my five-year-old listened to the Hanukkah music tape we got her and I am still hearing choruses of "Yes, Oh Yes, I'm a Hanukkah latkah, Yes, Oh Yes, I dance and sing...." (You get the idea?) There are also a number of adult Hanukkah tapes (audio and video) available--especially from 1-800-Judaism. Give them a call!
CLOSING THE EVENING WITH PRAYER
Remember that this is an optional Messianic prayer that we have written. Feel free to use it or let God inspire you in an original prayer.
"May He give you enlightenment of the eyes, that you may see Yeshua in your coming days. May He give you the light of His presence in your walk. May the fire of prophecy burn in the souls of your children to guide and direct. May the light of God's instruction illuminate this home. May He give you grace in the eyes of your fellow man that you may be called beloved of God."
*Remember that you are free to choose anything else to do on these nights of Hanukkah. These are only suggestions. In the back is an extensive teaching appendix that you may want to look over and include in your planning. We are leaving spaces for you to write in this book so you can make notes as you need. C & L
