Mission 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 Second Night
Theme: FAMILY NIGHT
1. You will need nine Hanukkah candles and a Hanukkiah (Hon- a-key-ah) ( a candle holder for each of the nine candles.)
2. 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.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has 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.
3. 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 and Shammash.
Hanukkah Candle Lighting Illustration
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
"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 priests. 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."
4. Then light the newest candle to the left of the previous night and continuing from left to right.
5. You always light from left to right. See other previous days.
This is a very special prayer that we like.
Feel free to use it or pray your own words.
"Tonight, as we celebrate Hanukkah together, we are conscious of our precious gift of family. So often we take one another for granted, forgetting to express our love and devotion. As we kindle these festive lights, let us rededicate ourselves to sharing our interests and time with one another."
This is the night that we want to teach you the beauty of blessing your family. God has given people many opportunities to experience His love, but none seem to paint a better picture of his love for us and his most precious gift, Yeshua. This blessing is to be performed with the parents standing behind the child and placing their hands on the child's forehead.
According to Diamant and Cooper (Living a Jewish Life) , "The Bible records several parental blessings, which are echoed in the custom of blessing children on Friday (Sabbath). There are three traditional blessings. First, the blessing for sons refer to Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Menashe, whose mother, Osenath, was an Egyptian-born noble-woman. The Midrash (Oral Commentary) says that these two were singled out for praise because they held fast to their Jewish identity. Second, the blessing for daughters names the martriarch. Sarah, whose response to adversity was laughter. Rebecca, the model of hospitality, and Rachel and Leah, who personify sisterhood in the most difficult circumstance. Lastly, there is what is known as the priestly blessing.--end quote.
Some parents add or substitute a more personal message for each child - praise for something that happened during the week, or just a whispered, "I love you." No one ever told us to add the "I love you" at the end but there are no other words that can possibly finish the prayer. These blessings are not limited to Hanukkah or Sabbath but can be used at any time.
Blessing for a son: May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.
Blessing for a daughter: May God make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.
This next part can be read, chanted or sung. ( A beautiful scene of this is ceremony during the Sabbath of the movie Fiddler on the Roof)
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine on you, and be gracious until you.. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Blessings for spouses are also traditionally recited by husbands and wives on Friday nights. Proverbs 31 is read by the husband to the wife, and Psalm 112 is read to the husband. These blessings can also be read by a child to a parent--it seems God knew that not all households would be "traditional." If your children or grandchildren do not live with/or near you, this would be a wonderful time to call them on the phone and exchange the blessing.
The husband reads Proverbs 31:10-31 to his wife in honor of her. In this proverb, the Messiah is the husband and the believers are the wife. The Messiah Yeshua will read this to us in the Messianic Kingdom. In this proverb there are many things about the way we, as believers, are to be and how we are to act and think. The wife blesses the husband in Psalm 112. Often times my husband and I hold hands as we read these two quotations to each other each week. We also have a song that we listen to often, and it was sung at our daughter's wedding. It is called "I See Jesus in Your Eyes" and you might want to locate a copy of it to play or sing.
It is a beautiful reminder that when we see Yeshua in our mate then we can trust them with our love, and that the sound of their voice always reminds us of Him. The song can also be adapted for children to sing to a parent as well, and we invite you to listen to it at your local Christian bookstore.
This might be a good time to read or recite other favorite verses or poems as part of your entertainment for the evening. This together time might also include more playing of the dreidel game or other games.
Gift idea--This is a special night-whether you celebrate a family night as the second night or combine the ideas we present here in to another night makes no difference. The theme is exciting when you know that you are not under the obligation to spend money, but instead much thought and prayer goes in to our Messianic gift idea. We hope that you enjoy this idea as much as we did. Enjoy!
This is the night where you can give what ever you like! It is the imaginary gift night! You can give anything to anyone in your family that you like! The only requirement is that you must prayerfully give thought to a representation of that gift to that person. The idea can be announced a week before the day or even be the activity of the evening, but always set the boundaries so that everyone gets a gift and no one is left out. You don't spend money--but time on thinking of the gift! We've listed some examples to help you. Be sure to let us hear from you about your special imaginary gift so we can pass ideas on to others next year! Example. A niece once gave her favorite aunt a piece of paper on which was written. Menu-- Pomegranates, chocolate ice cream and hot fudge. When it came turn for her to explain to her aunt she said, "This represents your favorite foods. I am giving you lunch with Yeshua and you can eat without gaining any weight!"
Example. The father came to his own aged father and gave him an old picture of their favorite fishing place when they were much younger. When it came the son's turn to explain he said, "Dad, that favorite fishing place is still there. I wanted to tell you that those times come often to my mind, and I want to walk with you again as we once did hand in hand. Thank you for the memory."
Example. A mother found her little daughter in her arms one evening at Hanukkah. And the very little girl said, "Mommy, I just want to give you hugs and kisses because I love you so much." How many of us would love that for a gift! Example. The son walks up to the father and hands him a picture of his dad's dream car. The son says, "Dad, this is the car that I know you will never own. But in our hearts tonight I am taking you for a long ride along a mountain road. I love you and just want you to know that I wish I could give you that car, but I know you understand my heart."
Example. The elderly aunt finds a picture of a string of pearls. The niece reminds the aunt that she appreciated the elderly aunt selling those pearls many years ago to provide for the niece's wedding gown. Sometimes it is nice to be remembered.
More? That is up to you....why is that person special? What did they want but could never afford? What "thing" of worldly value could they have sacrificed for another persons need? What one thing would bring a tear or shout of joy to them? Only you can know! Now it's your turn!
Closing the evening
Perhaps you would like to start a new family tradition at this part of the service each night. You may pray or sing a prayer or song such as Bind us Together or another. We have written another Messianic prayer for this family night that you may use if you prefer, or in addition to your own.
Blessed are you our Father God who has brought peace to this home this night. Without peace this home is just a house in which we dwell. Peace means "wholeness in God," and through the acceptance of Yeshua in to our lives, we rejoice that our home is complete. Eternal God, we Thank You for preserving us in health and joy. We pray that all families everywhere may experience the love for one another which we share. Praised are You, O Lord our God, who turns the hearts of the children to their parents and the devotion of the parents to their children. We long for a Messianic peace that only Yeshua can bring, and we thank you that He abides here this night. Bless each member of our family. (Bless our friends that gather with us.) Come Lord Yeshua tomorrow and be with us and guide us. In the name of Yeshua HaMashiach we all pray. Amen.
You might also choose the reading from John 2:1-13 (Wedding in Cana) or Luke 2:41-52 (child lost at Passover). Both of these stories convey Yeshua with his family. Both are beautiful examples of family concern, obedience and both speak of festivals! The wedding is a picture of the wedding of the Messiah Yeshua with his bride in the Messianic Kingdom. The picture of Yeshua at the Passover is a wonderful example of the amount of knowledge that Yeshua and other children were expected to know by the time they were twelve years old. Perhaps we all need to re-examine our commitment to learn the Scriptures as the believers in the First Century did. If you were a non-Jew you would have attended synagogue which was a place of teaching. The worship was done in the Temple in Jerusalem. The synagogue would have shown you the festivals and the Sabbath at your level whether you were an adult just learning or a small child. A non-Jew would have studied for about a year before they would have converted to Judaism. Cornelius of Acts 10 is an example of such a non-Jew. He was before Paul's time, and we know from the Scriptures that he was praying the prayers at the ninth hour which he would have learned from the Jewish services. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could worship with those First Century believers? Can you imagine it?
CLOSING PRAYER:
Blessed are you O Lord our God, King of the Universe who has made us a family! Thank you for giving us your example of a family in Yeshua. Let us always draw near to You through Your son and our Messiah, Yeshua! Bless us this night with your presence as we sleep. Keep safely in your care. And draw us to your side again. Amen
