This post was printed in the 100 Centre Street Journal in January, 2016
Now that the Hanukkah menorahs have returned to their boxes in the cellar and we’ve recovered from our Gregorian New Year’s celebration, it’s time to look back at some of the questions that arose from the holiday season. I hope that my responses will not only interest you but also spur you to come up with additional questions about Judaism or interfaith topics--if you pass them along to Dodie or bring them to me directly, I’ll be happy to consider responding in print. I should also say that if you see something in the answers I’ve provided here that you disagree with, please let me know and I’ll be happy to discuss it. Finally, I’ve included a question for you at the end of the article, so I hope you’ll have the patience to read the whole thing!
So to the Hanukkah questions, courtesy of Dodie Catlett:
1. What is the significance of Hanukkah gelt, and when/why did it change from coins to chocolate?
As with many Jewish customs, Hanukkah gelt has its roots both in Jewish history and in the encounter of Jews with the primarily Christian cultures of Europe and North America. To start with Jewish history and religious practice, it’s important to remember that Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Greek empire. When the Maccabees (Hasmoneans) reestablished sovereignty over Jerusalem, they struck coins reflecting that sovereignty. Further on in history, the rabbis of the Talmud decreed that when a person had to choose between purchasing kiddush wine and oil for the Hanukkah lamps (in the days before wax candles), he should buy oil in order to publicize the miracle of the oil in the temple that should have lasted one day but instead lasted eight. For that reason, the tradition arose of giving gifts of money to the poor at Hanukkah time to pay for oil.
More recently, in Europe and in North America (I’m not as familiar with Hanukkah customs in other parts of the world), the practice arose of giving money to tradesmen and students at Hanukkah time as a kind of year-end tip. I assume that this practice was at least in part in imitation of the year-end tips that non-Jews would offer in honor of Christmas and the New Year. Equally recent was the custom of spinning the dreidel, which was a basic kind of gambling game that would require money to become interesting. The practice of gift giving at Hanukkah is rather fraught for many Jews, since there’s a sense that Hanukkah has gained prominence (and commercial attention) only by its proximity to Christmas. It’s important to remember, however, that gift-giving at Christmas time is also a fairly recent phenomenon and can be equally fraught for many Christians concerned with commercialization and a lack of spiritual significance.
The rise of chocolate gelt (as opposed to real coins) seems to have its origin in the shift from Hanukkah as an opportunity to give tips to our tradesman (although many of us still tip our mail carriers and newspaper delivery people at the New Year) to a holiday for children. Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University was quoted by NPR as suggesting that chocolate in the form of coins was a way of preserving the cultural memory of earlier practices. What’s important to remember is that Hanukkah traditions, like all Jewish practices, will continue to evolve as Jews strive to find an ongoing balance between similarity and distinctiveness in relation to the larger culture.
2. I’ve seen menorahs with seven lights and with nine lights; why the difference?
A “menorah,” strictly speaking, is a lamp stand. According to the Torah, the menorah in the Temple had seven lamps (again, this is in the time before wax candles) and is described in several places, including Exodus 25:31-40.
These days, when people say “menorah” or, more specifically, a “Hanukkah menorah,” they are referring to a “hanukkiyah,” the nine-branched lampstand that we use only for Hanukkah. Generally, these hanukkiyot (to use the Hebrew plural) include eight candle holders (or oil lamps, for people who prefer period instruments) on one level, plus another at a different level (lower or higher) for the “shamash” (“beadle”), which we use to light the other lights.
3. Why was the color blue chosen for Jewish holiday merchandise and gift wrap?
This question is particularly interesting because it points to several aspects of the Jewish experience, including the widespread acceptance of Hanukkah as a legitimate alternative to Christmas in this country and the rise of Zionism and the state of Israel as a gloss on the Hanukkah story of self-determination and cultural distinctiveness.
To begin with the latter factor, it’s important to note that the colors of the Israeli flag are blue and white, in part to echo the traditional colors of the Jewish prayer shawl. The blue is called t’khelet, which is described in the Torah and has been traced to pigment derived from mollusks. These colors, which the Zionist movement adopted at its inception in the late 19th century, were described in “Judah’s Colors,” an 1864 poem in German by Ludwig August Frankl: “Blue and white are the colours of Judah; white is the radiance of the priesthood, and blue, the splendors of the firmament.” (see Ronald L. Eisenberg, Jewish Traditions: A JPS Guide, 2004, p. 577 and Amanda Green, “Why Are Blue and White the Hanukkah Colors?,” Mental Floss on-line).
Since the explanation about Hanukkah in this country has focused not only on issues of religious freedom and self-determination but also Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, Jews readily associate the holiday with the establishment of the State of Israel and thus the colors of the state, namely blue and white. These colors have the added advantage of being clearly distinct from green and red, which in this country are the currently accepted colors for Christmas (I understand there is a history there, as well, but I am ignorant of it). In both cases, marketers have cemented the use of these colors as an easy visual shorthand for both retailers and consumers to recognize products for one or the other holiday.
As a curious aside, I learned in my internet searches that in the first half of the 20th century, most Hanukkah candles (and electric Hanukkah lights) were manufactured in an orange color, so that before the current vogue for blue and white, the color of Hanukkah was indeed orange. If any of you has any memories of the shift from orange to blue and white (or, indeed, memories of other colors associated with Hanukkah), I would love to hear about them!
With blessings for a happy and healthy New Gregorian Year!
Rabbi Jim
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