Jelly donuts or jelly-filled sufganiyot are consumed during Hanukkah. Photo by Leon Ephraim
As I sit here reflecting on the first of the eight nights of Hanukkah, I am amazed that this year the starting and ending dates eluded me. By the time this column hits the printer, Hanukkah will be nearly over! However, as Hanukkah is a celebration of light, and the world can always use more light, I thought I’d dedicate this week’s column to this memorable holiday.
Hanukkah translates to “dedication”. The land that Jewish people consider to be “the Holy Land” was in 164BC, ruled by a group that wanted the people of Israel to assimilate. A battle won by a band led by Judah the Maccabee allowed the reclaiming of their temple in Jerusalem. They rededicated it to the God of Jewish tradition. When the people went to dedicate the temple, they found enough olive oil to last one day. Miraculously, it lasted eight. Hence, the eight candles of the menorah, symbolizing the eight days of light the oil provided.
As a child, I was confused by the date of Hanukkah moving every year. While most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar, the Jewish calendar relies on lunar months of 29 or 30 days. Hence, Hanukkah can fall between November 27 and December 26 in any given year.
Why blue and white for Hanukkah? While not traditional outside America, the colors were chosen to represent the connection to Israel. Blue and white are theologically connected to Judaism. Hallmark latched on to the idea to bring notice to the holiday in the marketplace. Blue and white made Hanukkah recognizable as a celebration.
Both fried in oil (schmaltz – rendered goose or chicken fat), latkes (potato pancakes), and sufganiyot (round yeast-raised pastries) are two of my favorite Hanukkah foods. Originally the pastries were meat-filled, but the Labor union promoted the jelly-filled version to keep bakers busy at a time of year when business was usually slow. Today 18 million jelly-filled sufganiyot are consumed daily during Hanukkah. Latkes were made initially from rye or wheat until potatoes were introduced into Eastern Europe. Some references say ricotta cheese was added to the grain or potato. The ingredients of either latkes or pastries aren’t the point. The schmaltz is the point, representing the eight days of oil.
Each lit menorah candle, reminds us that it takes only a small light to brighten a large path. This lesson reminds us that we each can be a candle spreading light in a world searching to illuminate the dark.
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