CONTINUING EDUCATION

Kiddush for Erev Shabbat
Congregation  L'Dor Va~Dor

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Like wine, Shabbat is sweet. We lift this cup to celebrate the love of family and the joy of living. We sing the Kiddush and taste the wine to remind us that Shabbat is a day of sweetness and love. We praise You, Eternal our God, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Baruch ata, Adonai Eloheinu,
melech ha-olam, borei p'ri hagafen.

The seventh day is consecrated to Ah-doh-nye, our God. With wine, our ancient symbol of joy, we celebrate this day and its holiness. We give thanks for all our blessings... for life and health, for work and rest, for home, love and friendship. On Shabbat, eternal sign of creation, we remember that we are created in the divine image. We, therefore, raise this cup in Thanksgiving.

Bah-rooch ah-tah Ah-doh-nye eh-loh-hay-noo meh-lech hah-oh-lahm, bo-ray p'ree-hah-gah-fen.

Blessed is the Eternal, our God, Sovereign of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.

Blessed is our God, creator of the universe, who hallows us with mitzvot, and takes delight in us. In love and favor, the Eternal One gave us the holy Sabbath as a reminder of the work of creation. It is first among our sacred days and a remembrance of the Exodus - from - Egypt.

O God, you have chosen us, set us apart from all people, and have given us the Sabbath day as a sacred inheritance. We praise You for the Sabbath and its holiness. Ah-mayn. (Please return the Kiddush Cup)

Overview of Hanukah

When we think of Hanukah, what comes to mind? No doubt, images of candles set in beautiful Hanukiot (Hanukah menorahs) in our windows, flickering brightly against the darkness of a cold, winter night; the delightful smells and tastes of potato latkes, sufganiot (jelly doughnuts) and chocolate Hanukah gelt (coins); a fun game with the s'vivon (dreidel), and the exchanging of some gifts with our family and friends.

As we sing Maoz Tzur ("Rock of Ages") and recite the blessings which remind us of the miracles of this season in our people's history, the story of the brave Judah Maccabee rushes through our minds. We think of the bravery of the Maccabees in revolting against the Syrian Greeks who ruled Judea and how they rededicated the Temple, which had been defiled by our enemies, to the service of God.

It is, in fact, the story of rededication that forms the nucleus of Hanukah. The very name of the holiday means "dedication." As we celebrate this minor festival today, let us bear in mind the word "dedication," or "rededication." Even though we should enjoy the food, candles, and games, Hanukah's primary focus is spiritual. Hanukah reminds us that in every age, we need to rededicate ourselves to God, torah and k'lal yisrael (the worldwide Jewish community), as did the Maccabees.

When we gather together to celebrate this beautiful holiday of rededication, let the candles which illumine the darkness of the night, remind us of the light of torah, which illumines our souls; as we eat the delicious delicacies, let us nourish our lives and the world with the mitzvot, the commandments of the torah.

The true celebration of Hanukah occurs not during these eight days, but all year 'round, as we dedicate ourselves anew to our faith.

 Hanukah: The origin and meaning of our eight-day joyous festival

 Hhanukah, the joyous festival which celebrates the survival of Judaism in the face of both oppression and internal dissent, is celebrated for eight days beginning on the 25th day of the month of Kislev (on the Jewish calendar). This year the beginning of Hanukah coincides with sundown on Thursday, Deember 21st.

Historically this observance was initiated by a military victory in 165 BCE. Jewish forces under the leadership of the Hasmonean cohain (priest) Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee defeated the army of Antiochus IV piphanes, ruler of the Selucid empire.

The events of Hanukah were later memorialized in the Talmud's account of the miraculous cruse of oil. It lasted for eight days allowing time for the preparation of a supply of oil for the Menorah in the ancient Temple.

The problems of victory

Victory came in the context of a disunited Judean community struggling for its identity in a rapidly changing ancient world. As always, different Jews had varying responses to the advance of Hellenism, changes in technology and "geo-politics" (the latter largely revolving around the competition between the Ptolemaic rulers in Egypt and the Selucids in Antioch).

In the second century BCE, Judea was an autonomous province within the Selucid "orbit." The Jews remained loyal to the torah as the law of the community although various Jewish factions disagreed as to the details of the law and its application in everyday life.

Assault on Freedom

In 168 BCE, Antiochus attempted to override Judea's autonomy. He desecrated the Temple, outlawed the worship of the God of Israel and forbade the observance of Jewish rituals. At the same time he attempted to mandate worship of the Greeks' gods. This assault on Jewish freedom galvanized an otherwise fragmented Judean population. In a timely display of unity the Jews rallied behind the Hasmonians presenting a united front strong enough to repel Antiochus' edicts and army.

The revolt continued into 165 BCE when, on the 25th of Kislev, the Judean forces regained control of the Temple Mount - the seat of Jewish government - and set about restoring the worship of our God and the torah as our law. Of course, as part of this process the golden Menorah in the Temple was rekindled - hence our kindling of lights on Hanukah.

Internecine squabbles

The outside threat being repelled, the Jews went back to their internecine squabbles. These continued unabated for almost 100 years until a compromise was reached during the reign of the Jewish Queen Salmone Alexandra (ruled 76-67 BCE) and resuming again for a period after her death.

Looking back on this trying and tragic period of Jewish history, our rabbis established the festival of Hanukah. It is both a commemoration of a military victory and a celebration of the miracle of Jewish survival.

Therefore, when kindling the lights of Hanukah we are reminded not only of the restoration of our Temple but of the ultimate unity of the people of Israel - following the Light of torah - no matter how threatening a changing society and our own "family" disagreements may seem.

Purim

In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day ... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. - Esther 9:1

And they gained relief on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and gladness. - Esther 9:17

[Mordecai instructed them] to observe them as days of feasting and gladness, and sending delicacies to one another, and gifts to the poor. - Esther 9:22

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.

****Reprinted from http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm****