So, it’s Chanuka.
There are plenty of stories about the holiday in the Talmud- but those were codified 400, even 500 years after the event.. We Jews have decided that the Book of Makabi (the second book is not contemporary) should not be part of our canon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from contemporary accounts of the event.
Continue reading The First of Eight!
Shiva Asar B’Tamuz. The 17th day of Tamuz.
“So?”, you ask. It’s when the destruction of the two Great Temples were effected. (Some folks will add that it’s the day when Moshe broke the tablets and when an idol was placed in the Holy of Holies of the Temple.) But, it’s simply the day the walls of Jerusalem were breached by both the Babylonians and the Romans- which led to the destruction of both of the Temples. (The other things ascribed to the 17th of Tamuz can be found in the mishna of the final chapter of Ta’anit.)
Continue reading 17th of Tamuz
Tomorrow is the 9th day of Av. And, at the very end of this Hebrew month is the day my mother died and the day my oldest daughter was born. All auspicious moments.
Continue reading Tomorrow is Tisha B’Av
So, it’s getting close to the first or second holiest day of the year for Christians. And, it’s getting close to a minor holiday for Jews. One that Christians tend to elevate so that they feel they are “giving equal time”.
Continue reading Dedication on the 25th
Tonight is the first night of Chanuka. That means it is the 25th of Kislev. (It is also the day our family traditionally celebrated my grandfather’s birthday- who only knew his birthday was on Chanuka.) The holiday of Chanuka is NOT the same as Christmas, even though the Christians adopted the 25th for their celebration.
Tonight is the first night of Chanuka. For those of you who follow the Gregorian calendar, you would say the holiday is arriving early. It won’t fall this ‘early’ again for some 80,000+ years. (Chanuka always falls on the 25th day of Kislev, though, in our calendar.)
