“HANUKKAH MEDLEY”:

Boruch Ate, Maoz Tsur, Al HaNisim
Featuring Cantor Emma Lutz, Cantor Lucy Fishbein, Cantor Shanna Zell

Maoz Tzur

מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי, לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי, וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּֽחַ, לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּֽחַ, מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּֽחַ, אָז אֶגְמוֹר, בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ.

Maoz tzur yeshuati lecha na-eh le-sha-bei-ach tikkon beit tefilati, ve-sham todah ne-za-bei-ach, le’eit tachin matbei-ach, mi-tzor na-me-nat-bei-ach, az egmor, be-shir mizmor, chanukat hamizbei-ach!

Rock of Ages, let our song, praise Thy saving power;
Thou, amidst the raging foes, wast our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us, but Thine arm availed us,
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.
And Thy Word broke their sword, when our own strength failed us.

Sevivon Sov Sov Sov

סְבִיבוֹן סוֹב סוֹב סוֹב, חַנוּכָּה הוּא חַג טוֹב! חַנוּכָּה הוּא חַג טוֹב, סְבִיבוֹן סוֹב סוֹב סוֹב!
חַג שִׂמְחָה הוּא לָעָם, נֵס גָדוֹל הָיָה שָׁם! נֵס גָדוֹל הָיָה שָׁם, חַג שִׂמְחָה הוּא לָעָם!

Seviovon, sov sov sov, Chanukah hu chag tov! Chanukah hu chag tov, seviovon, sov sov sov!
Chag simcha hu la’am, neis gadol hayah sham! Neis gadol hayah sham, chag simcha hu la’am!

Dreidel, dreidel – spin, spin, spin. Hanukkah is when we’ll win! Hanukkah is when we’ll win, Dreidel, dreidel – spin, spin, spin!
A happy day for our people fair – a great, big miracle happened there! A great, big miracle happened there – a happy day for our people fair!

I have a Little Dreidel

I have a little dreidel – I made it out of clay. And when it’s dry and ready, oh dreidel, I shall play!
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay… and when you’re dry and ready, oh Dreidel we shall play!

1. Where does Hanukkah come from? During the spread of the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great, the Greeks brought their culture – language, mathematics, philosophy, and religion – to the peoples that they conquered. In general, the Greeks left the Jews alone for more than one hundred years, but in 169 BCE, the Seleucid King Antiochus, desperate for funds and recruits to thwart the Roman advance – partnered with proponents of Greek culture to plunder the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, inciting a revolt that ultimately led to an independent Jewish state.
2. What’s a Seleucid? After Alexander the Great’s death, his Empire was divided among his three generals. One general, Macedon, inherited Greece and its isles. Another, Ptolemy, inherited Egypt, while yet another, Seleucus, inherited Syria and Mesopotamia. The Ptolemites and Seleucids waged war over Judea and its environs for many years, with the Seleucids ultimately taking control in 198 BCE.
3. Who were the Maccabees? What did they have to do with this? “Maccabee,” or “The Hammer” was a nickname given to Judah and his family, the Hasmoneans, who led a revolt against Seleucid rule, once the Seleucids began outlawing certain Jewish rituals in an attempt to accelerate their affiliation with the Seleucid kingdom.
4. Why is Hanukkah 8 nights? 
   1. According to the Talmud, when the Maccabees rededicated the Temple following their victory, they lit the Temple Menorah., which ordinarily stayed lit at all times. However, there was only enough oil to light the Menorah for one night. A miracle enabled the oil to last for 8 nights and 8 days, long enough for a round trip to collect more oil.
   2. Meanwhile, according to the Book of Maccabees, once the Hasmoneans recaptured the Temple, they celebrated Sukkot, which they could not celebrate while fighting with the Seleucids. Thus, Sukkot, which ultimately came to last 8 days [in the Diaspora] became the length of the Hanukkah celebration.
5. How did Hanukkah become so important? It’s actually not a major holiday in the traditional Jewish calendar, but Hanukkah grew in prominence among American Jews who appreciated a Jewish celebration alongside Christmas. This parallelism is also the source of the historically novel tradition of gift giving on Hanukkah.
6. What’s a Hanukkiyah? I thought it was called a Menorah. The Menorah is the seven branched candelabra that sat in the Holy Temple. According to the Talmud, this is what the Maccabees lit when they reconquered the Temple. The Hanukkiyah, designed especially for Chanukkah, has eight branches and a shamash, for commemorating Hanukkah.
7. How do I light the Hanukkiyah? See blessings for instructions.
8. Latkes – What’s that? Many people celebrate Hanukkah with fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days. Latkes, or levivot in Hebrew, are fried potato pancakes. In Israel, far more common are sufganiyot, fried donuts.
9. What’s with the dreidel? Legend states that the Jews often could not celebrate their holidays (especially a militaristic holiday like Hanukkah) during the Roman occupation. Therefore, Jews designed games to teach their children about Chanukkah, including a game of chance using a top. Called sevivon in Hebrew or dreidel in Yiddish, the top commemorates Chanukkah using a mnemonic. There are 4 letters on a dreidel:  נ Nun, ג Gimel, ה Hei, and ש Shin (פ Peh in Israel), which stands for the following: Neis Gadol Hayah Sham (Poh), or, a great miracle happened there (here). Participants play by placing candy or coins in a pot and spinning the dreidel. 
   1. If the dreidel lands on נ, nothing happens.
   2. If the dreidel lands on ג, the spinner takes the pot.\
   3. If the dreidel lands on ה, the spinner takes half the pot.
   4. If the dreidel lands on ש, the spinner contributes to the pot.