The Return of Erev Shabbat Jewish Blogging

[gnomi]

This week, Chanukah!

Y'mei ha-Chanukah, Chanukat mikdasheynu
B'gil u'v'simcha m'malim et libeynu
Laila v'yom s'vivoneynu yisov
Sufganiot (note from NSB -- some say "levivot") nochal bam larov
Heiru hadliku nerot Chanukah rabim
Al hanism v'al hanifla-ot asher chol'lu haMakabim.

The days of Chanukah, the dedication of our Mikdash (Temple)
With joy and happiness we fill our hearts
Day and night, we'll spin our sevivonot (dreidels)
Jelly doughnuts (some say "potato pancakes"), we'll eat many of them.
Shine, light the many Chanukah candles
For the miracles and the wonders that the Maccabees perpetrated.

It is traditional on Chanukah to eat foods that encorporate oil to recall the miracle of the oil lasting for 8 days. To that end, I've made 3 side dishes that involve oil (two of which use olive oil). There will also be latkes. Though, because it's a meat meal, there won't be sour cream.

Chag ha Chanukah sameach and Shabbat shalom!

Comments

[zsero.livejournal.com]

Oy Chanukah, oy Chanukah, a yomtev a sheiner,
a lichtiger, a freilicher, nito noch azeiner,
alle nacht mit dreidlach shpiln mir,
heise zudige latkes essn mir on a shir.
Deriber, kumt kinder, tzint kleine lichtelach on,
zogt "al hanisim", dankt dem eibershtn far di nisim,
un geit tantzn in rod.

Oh Chanukah, oh Chanukah, a pretty holiday
brilliant, happy, there's nothing like it.
Every night we play with dreidls,
we eat hot, sizzling latkes without limit.
Therefore, come children, light small candles;
say al hanisim, thank the One Above for the miracles,
and go dance in a wheel.


PS: my fur goes up when I hear chanukah songs with lines like Asher cholelu hamakabim, attributing it to the Maccabees instead of to God. The secular Zionists turned Chanukah into an atheist celebration of "my power and the strength of my hand", deliberately erasing its character as a religious holiday, a Thanksgiving to the One who enabled a miraculous victory. The Zionist song Mi Yemalel is a prime example: listen to the words, actually listen to them, and you'll see what I mean (though a few key changes can make the song "kosher").