why do we give presents on hanukkah

Now, to get back to your question, it is true that the practice of giving gifts on Chanukah has been popularized largely due to Chanukah’s proximity to the Christian holiday season. As such, to maintain Jewish tradition, many Jewish families make a point to give Chanukah gelt

as opposed to other presents. Your wife knows what she’s talking about.

Full Answer

What are some traditional Hanukkah gifts?

Win them over with these holiday gift ideas

• Harry & David Eight Nights of Hanukkah Gift Basket. If you're bringing a gift for the hostess or just want to have something delivered, this Star of David-shaped box is ...
• Fantastic Square Alligator Serving Tray with Matte Finish Design. ...
• Uncommon Goods Minute Mimosa Sugar Cube Trio. ...

Why do people give and receive gifts on Hanukkah?

Gift guide for every night of Hanukkah

• First night: Framed photo. Start off the festivities with something sentimental. ...
• Second night: House plant. ...
• Third night: Hanukkah homesick candle. ...
• Fourth night: Hanukkah socks. ...
• Fifth night: Polaroid camera. ...
• Sixth night: Something sweet. ...
• Seventh night: Donate to a charity in their name. ...
• Eighth night: Journals. ...

What are some Hanukkah traditions?

Traditions

• Menorah. The most important of all Hanukkah traditions is the lighting of the menorah each evening. ...
• Liturgy and prayers. The Hanukkah observance is also characterized by the daily reading of Scripture, recitation of some of the Psalms, almsgiving, and singing of a special hymn.
• Nonreligious traditions. ...
• In Israel. ...

What greetings are appropriate on Hanukkah?

• "Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy Hanukkah and new year."
• "Thinking of your family as you celebrate a season full of traditions."
• "Wishing you a season full of light and love."

See more

Why do kids get gifts on Hanukkah?

Because Hanukkah fell during the same time of year, Jewish parents – especially after World War II – began giving their children eight nights worth of gifts so that they would not feel like they were missing out. Christmas envy among Jewish children still exists today, but local parents are trying to minimize it.

What do you give at Hanukkah?

Ideas include gold gelt coins (traditional chocolate coins in gold foil), a dreidel and handwritten blessings to say as the Hanukkah candles are lit. Top your gift jar with festive blue and silver ribbon.

What day of Hanukkah do you give gifts?

There is no single answer to this very individual question. Some parents, for example, give a modest gift to each child on each of the 8 nights of Hanukkah. Others give a single gift on the last day of Hanukkah.

Do Jews give presents during Hanukkah?

The plain answer to this question is, yes, Jews, particularly in America, do give gifts for Hanukkah in a way that is similar to Christmas.

How many presents do you get on Hanukkah?

Something for everyone on your list. Eight days and nights of celebrating the festival of lights doesn't just mean lighting the menorah and eating delicious fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot—it also calls for eight rounds of gifts to celebrate Hanukkah with your loved ones.

Do you receive gifts on Hanukkah?

“It's not historically part of Hanukkah at all.” In that, gift-giving on Hanukkah is not unlike gift-giving on Christmas — it has little, if anything, to do with the religious requirements of the celebration.

Do you give a gift on the first night of Hanukkah?

Another option, of course: starting with small gifts on the first night and building up to a grand finale on the eighth evening. Cohen favors this approach from a religious perspective, too — he says that inherent in the idea of Hanukkah is the idea of raising Jewish identification and awareness.

What do you do each day for Hanukkah?

HanukkahCelebrationsLighting candles each night. Singing special songs, such as Ma'oz Tzur. Reciting the Hallel prayer. Eating foods fried in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot, and dairy foods. Playing the dreidel game, and giving Hanukkah geltBegins25 KislevEnds2 Tevet or 3 Tevet11 more rows

Do you buy gifts for Hanukkah?

“It's not historically part of Hanukkah at all.” In that, gift-giving on Hanukkah is not unlike gift-giving on Christmas — it has little, if anything, to do with the religious requirements of the celebration.

What are the 8 days of Hanukkah gifts?

8 Days of Giving ~ My Favorite Hanukkah GiftsDay One – Traditional Gifts.Day Two – Books.Day Three – Games and Puzzles.Day Four – Pajama Night!Day Five – A Family Gift.Day Six – Giving to Others.Day Seven – Handmade Gifts.Day Eight – Traditional Food Night.

What do you do on the first night of Hanukkah?

On the first night of Hanukkah, place a candle in the holder on the far right, and light it with the shamash. Then put the shamash back in its spot (leaving it lit). On the second night, light the candle second from the right, then the candle on the far right, and replace the lit shamash.

What did the poor people get for Hanukkah?

A variant of this custom was observed by the Judeo-Spanish Jews. During Hanukkah, the poor would receive tzedakah from whomever they approached. They would quote the above-mentioned verse from Genesis 43 “ shuvu shivru lanu me’at okhel “. Upon the recitation of this verse, the poor person would be given either food or money to purchase food. ( ibid., p. 374).

When was Hanukkah gelt commemorated?

Finally, the custom of Hanukkah gelt was commemorated on an Israeli 100 perutot coin in 1957 and by a special Israeli stamp in 1954 (Rifkind, p. 107 with pictures).

What was the custom of the Hazzan?

The custom was that the hazzan, shamash, shochet and choirboys went around at night asking for Hanukkah gelt with lanterns in their hands (ibid.; Akiva ben Ezra, Minhagei Hagim, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 1963, p. 136).

Why do people give tzedakah?

Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried (Hungary 1804-1886; Kitzur Shulhan Arukh, 139:1 at end) states: “and they give a lot of tzedakah during Hanukkah, because tzedakah can correct the flaws in one’s soul, and especially tzedakah given to poor Torah students in order to sustain them”.

Why did the poor burn grass on Hanukkah?

In Persia, the children of the poor went from door to door on Hanukkah for gifts, in each case burning a wisp of grass in order to discourage the evil eye from visiting the household (Devora and Menahem Hacohen in Goodman, p. 156).

What is the custom of the Yemenite Jews?

In his classic work Halikhot Teiman, Rabbi Yosef Kafih (1917-2000) described the customs of Yemenite Jews before they made aliyah to Israel in 1949. He reports:Every day before evening the mother gives her son a small coin, half a buksha. The boy hurries to the shuk, buys with half that coin a bunch of carrots, small and soft, and with the rest fine sugar which the storekeepers prepare in small paper packets and they add a bit of red food coloring. The boy returns home in joy, puts the sugar and coloring in a small bottle, adds water and it turns into a red sweet drink, which is like wine which the grownups drink, which is called “Hanukkah wine”. (third edition, Jerusalem, 1982, p. 38; cf. Solomon Feffer in Goodman, p. 158 for a very similar description of this custom)

Did Jews know about Hanukkah?

Joselit shows that in 19 th centuryAmerica, Hanukkah was totally neglected. Jews did not even know when Hanukkah occurred and did not light the candles. More and more American Jews began to give Christmas presents, including Yiddish speaking immigrants (Joselit, pp. 230-233).

Why do people give presents during Chanukah?

Therein lies the short answer to your question: The “tradition” of giving presents during Chanukah was provoked by the long shadow that Christmas casts over Jewish homes. And nowhere is this shadow longer and darker than in America, where holiday gift-giving is a national obsession. Historians suggest that the consumerist side of the holiday began to develop in the mid-19th century, and it’s possible that Chanukah gift-giving began about the same time.

What are some good gifts to give for Chanukah?

From a Jewish perspective, charitable donations are by far the best Chanukah gifts to give to other family and friends. Be sure to send cards (perhaps made by your children) with information about the organization, so recipients will know that your gift was thoughtful and made with them in mind.

What does "tzedakah" mean in Hebrew?

You might encourage your children to give some of that money to tzedakah (“righteous giving” from the Hebrew root tzedek, meaning “justice ”) and then take your child shopping to choose gifts with the rest of the money, thereby making them aware of how much things cost.

Why do we give gelt to children during Chanukah?

Appropriately, during Chanukah it is customary to give gelt to children as a reward 5 for Torah study. 6. There is also a deeper reason for this age-old custom.

What is the purpose of Chanukah gelt?

Chanukah gelt celebrates the freedom and mandate to channel material wealth toward spiritual ends. This includes donating part (10%) of the gelt to charity and using the remainder for kosher, wholesome purposes. 7 Gelt giving is a great opportunity to teach your kids about this important Jewish value.

What does "gelt" mean in Yiddish?

"Gelt" is Yiddish for money. So Chanukah gelt literally means Chanukah money. When I was young I thought "Chanukah Gelt" was a Chanukah type of money, and I didn't want just a few US coins - that read normal "gelt". My father dug up some coins he had from his trips abroad and gave them to me for Chanukah gelt - I finally had "real" Chanukah money!

Why do Chanukah lights take precedence?

When discussing what a poor man is to do if he does not have enough money to purchase both Chanukah candles and kiddush wine, the Talmud 3 states that Chanukah lights take precedence because they serve to publicize the miracle. The widespread custom of giving Chanukah gelt to the poor 4 enabled them to get the money they needed for candles without feeling shame.

Why is the 5th night important?

Additionally, one of the reasons given for the significance of the fifth night is that the fifth day of Chanukah can never fall out on the Shabbat. Thus we wish to add extra light on that day. Reply

Where did Hanuka gelt originate?

Origins of Hanike gelt The real tradition of Hanike gelt, starts in the 17 century, in the Jewish communities in Poland. When Hanuka came, the Shameshim of the Synagogues received an extra money that was related as Hanike guelt. It was also customary to send additional money to the Yeshiva students during this time of Hanuka.Finally money was given to the children to give their Melameds or Teachers in the Heiders. Soon the children were also demanding money for themselves. This way the tradition extended to give money to the children, calling it Hanike Gelt and the other customs lost popularity. Reply

Who laid their hands on the possessions of Israel?

In his record of the Chanukah events, Maimonides writes: “The Greeks laid their hands upon the possessions of Israel .”. The Greeks invaded the possessions of Israel in the same spirit in which they defiled the oil in the Holy Temple. They did not destroy the oil; they defiled it.

Why do some families give Hanukkah money instead of gifts?

What Some Parents Do Today. Today, some families prefer to give Hanukkah money rather than gifts because they view gelt as a more authentically Jewish tradition . Minka Goldstein, a mother of six, says she gives one dollar per candle, not counting the shamash (the “helper” candle used to light the other ones).

What is the meaning of Hanukkah?

Pronounced: KHAH-nuh-kah, also ha-new-KAH, an eight-day festival commemorating the Maccabees’ victory over the Greeks and subsequent rededication of the temple. Falls in the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually corresponds with December.

Why are coins used in Hanukkah?

The most popular explanation is that coins became a symbol of the holiday because the ancient Jews’ ability to make their own coins was a symbol of the independence they gained in the battles that the festival of lights commemorates.

When did the trend of exchanging Hanukkah gifts take off?

Ashton, Director of American Studies at Rowan University and author of Hanukkah in America: A History, explains that the trend of exchanging Hanukkah gifts really took off in the 1950s. At this time, Jewish child psychologists as well as rabbis started promoting gifts as a way to make post-Holocaust Jewish kids happy to be Jewish, rather than sad about missing out on Christmas.

Do parents give gifts for Hanukkah?

Making it Meaningful. Like Zuckerman, most parents do give some gifts for Hanukkah. Though gifts might make Hanukkah seem like a “Jewish Christmas,” there can be value in taking time to select a thoughtful and tasteful gift for a child you love.