Search results for: ""Chanukah""

Introduction to Chanuka
Chanuka commemorates the miracle of God's saving the Jews during the time of the Greek empire. The Greeks wanted to destroy Judaism and Jewish practices and have the Jews follow the Greek culture and religion. A small group of Jews defeated the Greek army, which was the world's greatest military force at the time. Contrast Chanuka with Purim (on Purim, the Jews' physical lives were in danger while on Chanuka, their religion was being threatened).
When Shiv'a Resumes: Chanuka
Shiva is not interrupted for Chanuka.
Women: Time-Based Positive Commandments/Mitzvot: Obligations
In addition to prayer obligations (see Women: Minimal Prayer), women and girls 12 years old and up are required to keep these time-dependent positive commandments, among others:
  • Candle-lighting for Chanuka (see Chanuka: Candles: Who Should Light )
  • Candle-lighting for Shabbat, Jewish festivals, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur.
  • Havdala (say or hear) after Shabbat, Jewish festivals, Rosh Hashana, and Yom Kippur.
  • Kiddush (say or hear) on the first night (or first two nights outside Eretz Yisrael) of every Jewish festival, and also the next morning.
  • Passover (all commandments, including eating matza at the Passover seder).
    Note Because she must eat matza, she must therefore say birkat ha'mazon afterward (so if a woman omits ya'ale v'yavo in birkat ha'mazon at the seder, she must repeat birkat ha'mazon!).
  • Megila on Purim.
  • Shabbat (For why women must keep time-dependent, positive commandments on Shabbat, see Introduction to Shabbat )
  • Shofar on Rosh Hashana.
    Note Jewish women universally accepted upon themselves to hear shofar on Rosh Hashana, but they only need to hear 30 blasts.
  • Hearing the reading of Parashat Zachor.
SheHecheyanu
A mourner (avel) is permitted to say she'hecheyanu for himself but should not say she'hecheyanu if required for the congregation.  An avel should say she'hecheyanu on:
  • Eating a “new” fruit.
  • Wearing a new garment.
  • Lighting Chanuka candles at home for the first time that year.
 An avel should not do the following, since he should not say she'hecheyanu unless it is necessary:
  • Light Chanuka candles in synagogue.
  • Read the megila.
  • Blow shofar on Rosh Hashana.
Introduction to Purim
Purim commemorates the saving of the Jews in the Persian Empire from Haman's plan to wipe them out completely. The story is a classic example of how God intervenes in human history in a hidden manner. The essential element was that the Jews were saved from physical destruction/death (contrast with Chanuka, where the Jews were not being threatened with physical death but with the destruction of their religious beliefs and practices).
 
Halachot
  • Giving charity to poor people.
  • Giving gifts of ready-to-eat food to friends.
    Reason To promote friendship and a feeling of community.
  • Reading the megila of Esther at night and the next day.
  • Eating a festive meal.
  • Giving three half-dollars (or whatever the local unit of coin currency is where you live) to charity in commemoration of the half-shekel, which was given by all Jews to the Temple when it stood in Jerusalem.
    Note This is not actually an observance of Purim, but it has become traditional to give the 3 half-dollars on Purim.
Widespread Customs
  • Dressing up in costumes.
  • Making noise during the reading of Haman's (and his wife's) name in the megila, in order to wipe out their names.
  • Drinking more wine than normal.
  Note    Jewish women are required to fulfill all of the commandments of the holiday, just as men are, since the women were also saved.
Mourners Leading a Minyan

The dead person benefits if his/her son or sons lead public prayer services, whether during shloshim or the entire year (11 or 12 months). However, if the mourner is uncomfortable leading the minyan or is not a good reader or will be embarrassed, he should not feel obligated to do so.

 

A mourner does not lead a minyan on:

  • Shabbat;

  • Jewish Festivals (including chol ha'moed);

  • Purim;

  • Rosh Chodesh.

Opinions differ concerning Chanuka, so follow your local custom.

Precedence of Mitzvot
A frequently performed commandment generally takes precedence over a less frequently performed commandment, but ONLY:
  • Regarding the order in which they are to be performed, and
  • If there is no specific reason to do the less frequent one.
If you are only able to do one of several commandments, do the most important one. 
Example If you can only put on either talit or tefilin, you would put on the tefilin since that is the more important commandment, even though putting on a talit is the more frequently performed one.
Another Example Friday before sunset when Chanuka will be on Shabbat--lighting Shabbat candles is done more frequently, but we light the Chanuka candles first since if we lit the Shabbat candles first, it would already be Shabbat and we could not light the Chanuka candles at all.
Shacharit: Tachanun: When Not To Say
Tachanun is related to judgment. Tachanun is NOT said at times of din/judgment:
  • At night,
  • On Tish'a B'Av,
  • In a house of mourning, and
  • Yom Kippur.
Tachanun is also NOT said at times of simcha/happiness:
At mincha before (and certainly not on):
  • Shabbat,
  • Jewish festivals,
  • Rosh Hashana, and
  • Rosh Chodesh.
At any prayer service on:
  • Isru chag (the day after each of the Jewish festivals),
  • Entire month of Nisan.
           Reason   Nisan has more than 15 days that we omit tachanun, and once we omit it for most of the month, we don't say it at all.
  • All of Chanuka, Purim, Shushan Purim, Tu B'Shvat, Rosh Chodesh, and from Rosh Chodesh Sivan until the day after Shavuot.
  • Tishrei from shacharit before Yom Kippur until after Simchat Torah (Shmini Atzeret in Eretz Yisrael). Resume saying tachanun:
    • Second day of Cheshvan, or
    • Day after isru chag of Simchat Torah (this is the more prevalent custom among Ashkenazim). Each person should follow his or her family or community custom.
Any time these people are present in your minyan (or in any other minyan in the building) either before a circumcision or while still involved in the brit or meal:
  • Mohel,
  • Sandak, or
  • Father of a boy having his circumcision.
       Note This even applies to mincha if the brit will take place after mincha.
 
Any time a groom is present during the first week after marriage.
Hidur Mitzva/Mehadrin
Almost all mitzvot may be enhanced by:
  • Making them beautiful (hidur mitzva), or
  • Observing non-required stringencies (mehadrin).
Hidur Mitzva
Examples
  • Women baking challa for Shabbat and Jewish festivals (and separating challa as a remembrance of the challa that was given to the priests/cohanim in the Temple).
  • Wearing especially nice clothes and eating special foods on Shabbat and Jewish festivals.
  • Using beautiful fragrances, tastes, textures, colors, and artistry in serving God.
Beautiful
Examples
  • Shabbat/Jewish festival table (set with beautiful challa cover, silver, kiddush cups).
  • Havdala set and pleasant-smelling spices for havdala.
  • Sukka and putting your finest things in it.
  • Etrog/etrog case.
  • Shofar.
  • Seder plate, matza holder, and matza cover.
  • Illuminated hagadas (hagadot) and megilas (megilot).
  • Chanuka candle-holder (menora, chanukiya).
  • Torah scroll written with a fine pen and beautiful script and wrapped in beautiful silks.
  • Mezuza covers.
  • Ketuba.
  • Wimple (to wrap baby in prior to brit mila; then donated to hold the two parts of the Torah together).
  • Elijah's Chair/Kisei Eliyahu.
  • Synagogues.
  • Chuppa.
Mehadrin
Examples
  • Chalav Yisrael--When consuming milk and milk products, eating or drinking only those items whose production was supervised by religious Jews;
  • Pat Yisrael—When eating bread, only eating bread baked by Jews (not necessarily by religious Jews);
  • Glatt meat—When eating meat, eating only meat that had no lesions on the animal's lungs;
  • Lighting more than one Chanuka candle each night (beginning on the 2nd night) and having more than one person in each house light their own candles.
Introduction to Morning Prayers/Shacharit (Weekday): Order of Prayers
Here is a typical order of waking/morning prayers for weekdays (many people say these blessings at the synagogue instead of at home):
  • Wake
    Wake and wash hands (Three-Times Method).
  • Bathroom
    Take care of any toilet needs, wash your hands (One-Time Method).
    Say blessings al netilat yadayim and asher yatzar (until l'fgarim meitim).
  • Torah Blessings
  Say Torah blessings (from la'asok bi'divrei Torah until talmud Torah ki'negged
  kulam).
  • Talit Katan
    Put on talit katan (for men).
    Say blessing if not married or if not putting on talit gadol later.
      Note You may put on the talit katan before washing your hands
  • Birchot HaShachar
  Say birchot ha'shachar (from natan la'sechvi…until ven brit) before, or at,
  synagogue.
  • Talit/Tefilin
  Put on:

 

  • Talit (for married men or other men with that custom).
  • Tefilin (for men).
  • L'olam Yihei Adam/Korbanot
   Say:
  • L'olam yihei adam,
  • Short shema,
  • Paragraph ending mekadeish et shimcha ba'rabim,
  • Readings on sacrifices/korbanot,
  • 13 rules.
  • Psukei D'Zimra
  Say:
  • Psalm 30/Mizmor Shir Chanukat habayit.
  • Baruch she'amar through yishtabach (includes ashrei).
  • Bar'chu/Shema/Amida
  Say bar'chu through end of amida (including shema, with two blessings before and
  one after), tachanun (when appropriate) and ashrei through to alenu.
  • Psalms/Alenu
  Say alenu and psalm for the day.
 
Terms To Know
  • Neitz, HaNeitz—Sunrise
  • Alot HaShachar—72 minutes before sunrise
  • MiSheyakir-- 36 minutes before sunrise in New York in winter and 40 minutes in summer. Nearer to the equator, the maximum time is shorter.
Note Even though mi'sheyakir means when there is enough light to identify your friend, it also means when you can differentiate between blue and white threads in the tzitzit, since the mitzva of tzitzit is only during the daytime.

When Things Happen
Before Alot HaShachar (72 minutes before sunrise)
You can put on tzitzit/talit and tefilin without blessings.

Alot HaShachar
You can say:
  • Birchot ha'shachar.
  • Shema and amida, b'di'avad.
Mi'sheyakir (36-40 minutes before sunrise)
You can say:
  • Blessings over tefilin and tzitzit/talit.
  • Shema and amida as necessary.
K'Vatikin
You can say shema l'chatchila--and begin saying the amida exactly at sunrise.

By Third Halachic Hour of the Day
You have until the third halachic hour of the day to say:
  • The blessing mekadeish et shimcha ba'rabim if you want to include the word Adonai.
  • Morning shema.
By Fourth Halachic Hour of the Day
You have until the fourth halachic hour of the day to say any of the prayers from barchu until the end of the amida.

Halachic Mid-Day
You have until halachic mid-day, b'di'avad, to say the shacharit amida.

          
Introduction to Mourning

Who Is a Mourner

A mourner is defined in halacha as someone mourning during the 12-month mourning period for parents or the 30-day mourning period for the other five relatives (spouse, brother, sister, son, daughter). After 30 days, one is no longer a mourner for anyone but one's parents.

Mourners' Restrictions

If the mourner goes about business as usual, it may show he or she doesn't care about the close relative who died. The mourner should ideally not want to do these things. The mourner honors the dead person by refraining from pampering him/herself and refraining from going about his or her life as usual.

Public Meals

A mourner may not attend a public meal for any purpose. For example, if the mourner attends a lecture or Torah class at which food is being served, he or she may not eat the food. This only applies to sit-down meals; snacking is permitted.

Siyum/Brit/Bar Mitzva

After 30 days after a parent's burial, a mourner may:

  • Attend a siyum or bar mitzva and eat there.
  • Attend a brit but not eat there.
Note If there is music (live or recorded), the mourner must leave.

Weddings

A mourner may not eat at a wedding and may not even be in the wedding hall after the ceremony took. The mourner may also not hear the music at a wedding.

Exceptions
  • If the mourner is the parent of someone getting married, the mourner can fully participate in the wedding.
  • If the mourner is the bride or groom, he or she must normally wait to get married until after shloshim/30 days.
Note If it is after shiva, but still during shloshim, consult a rabbi.

Kiddush and Shabbat or Festival Meals

A mourner may not publicly (noticeably) mourn on Shabbat or festivals so he or she may attend Shabbat or festival meals and kiddushes if he or she would be expected to attend. If the mourner always or routinely invites some person or a lot of different people on Shabbat or festivals, it is still permitted. If the mourner does not routinely invite some person or a lot of different people to a Shabbat or festival meal, then he or she may not, for his or her own enjoyment, invite guests for meals. However, the mourner is permitted to do so for other purposes (for the benefit of the invited person or people), such as kiruv or hachnasat orchim. There is no limit to how many guests the mourner may host.

The mourner may attend or host a sheva brachot in his/her home.

A mourner should not be invited to meals, even for Shabbat or festivals; but if he/she was invited, he/she may go.

Holidays

A mourner does eat at a Purim or Jewish festival seuda, since there is no mourning on Purim nor on any festival (except Chanuka).