A Holiday Resource for the M.O.T.s

[LaffingBear]

Tis the Season....

 

For questions like, "Oh, Hanukkah's your Christmas, right?", "Is this the one when you don't eat? ", or just the straightforward, "What is Chanukah?"

 

Happy Holidays!

 

What is Hanukkah?

 

Hanukkah is an eight-night celebration. In 2017, the holiday begins at sundown on the 12th of December on the Western (Gregorian) calendar, which is the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. The Hanukkah celebration includes lighting the candles of the Hanukiyah (in English-speaking countries this is often called a Menorah, which is the Hebrew word for a candelabra) on each day of the holiday, playing with the dreidel, eating latkes and exchanging Hanukkah gelt.

 

Like another famous winter-time holiday, Christmas, Hanukkah is about history. The celebration of Hanukkah is a commemoration of an event that happened more than 2,000 years ago.

 

In 167 B.C., the Syrian king Antiochus IV began to outlaw Jewish religious practices and forced Jews to adopt Greek rituals. His men took control of the Jews' Holy Temple in Jerusalem, looted it and erected an idol of a Greek god there. One Jewish family, the Hasmoneans (led by Mattityahu and his five sons), decided to take a stand against the persecution. The Greek forces arrived in the town of Modiin, near Jerusalem. It was here that after refusing to violate his own religion by praying to the Greek god Zeus, Mattityahu attacked the Greek soldiers.

 

This action began the Jewish rebellion. Mattityahu and his sons became known as the Maccabees, which means "men who are as strong as hammers" in Hebrew. The small army, led by Mattityahu's most famous son, Judah Maccabee, fought sizeable Greek forces. In 165 B.C., the Maccabees were triumphant. On the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev, the Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple.

 

They decided to rededicate the temple -- the word "Hanukkah" means dedication. The Jewish army was unable to find enough oil to light the Menorah, or candle holder, to be used in the service. The Maccabees found only one bottle of oil, enough for only a single night. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight nights, giving the Jews time to produce more oil.

 

The holiday of Hanukkah commemorates this miracle. By lighting candles for eight nights, beginning every year on the 25th of Kislev (usually in December on the Western calendar, but not always), Jews celebrate the triumph of the Maccabees, the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days.

 

Menorah: 6 branches, 7 lamps. Not for Hanukkah!

 

Hanukkiah (or Hanukkah Menorah):

http://www.tabletmag.com/wp-content/files_mf/hanukkiah620.jpg

 

Dreidel:

http://www.behrmanhouse.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/library_item_610w/posts/images/dreidel_0.jpg

Gelt:

http://www.ohnuts.com/blog/Hanukkah_Gelt1.jpg

 

Latkes:

Edited December 12, 2017 by LaffingBear

[jjkrkwood]

My latkes are cooking as we speak ......

[gallahadesquire]

My latkes are cooking as we speak ......

Yum!

[+ azdr0710]

what is MOT?.....thanks.....tried googling and all, but no obvious answer

[gallahadesquire]

Give

what is MOT?.....thanks.....tried googling and all, but no obvious answer

In the context, I think it means Member of the Tribe, I.e. Our Jewish colleagues

Edited December 12, 2017 by gallahadesquire

[jjkrkwood]

Yum!

 

And as the garne' , I mix sour cream with a bit of honey..... The applesauce is just a bit too mainstream for a queen like me....

[+ sync]

what is MOT?.....thanks.....tried googling and all, but no obvious answer

 

I was also curious about MOT. I was able to find the following:

 

M.O.T. - Jewish English Lexicon

www.jewish-languages.org/jewish-english-lexicon/words/319

M.O.T.. Definitions. "member of the tribe;" a Jew. Example Sentences. Rachel went on a blind date and the first question her friend Jacob asked her was, "Is he an MOT?" Languages of Origin. English. Who Uses This. Younger: Jews in their 30s or younger. Ethnic: Jews whose Jewish identity is primarily ethnic. Regions.

[craigville beach]

And as the garne' , I mix sour cream with a bit of honey..... The applesauce is just a bit too mainstream for a queen like me....

 

homemade applesauce without sugar and made with a variety of apples is the way to go. I live in an area of northern worcester county massachusetts known as the home of johnnie appleseed.

[gallahadesquire]

homemade applesauce without sugar and made with a variety of apples is the way to go. I live in an area of northern worcester county massachusetts known as the home of johnnie appleseed.

 

DUDE! Someone else from Central Mass! Thank god! We'll have to compare notes. Shrewsbury here.