Human Accomplishments, Divine Miracles

By JILL SUZANNE JACOBS

HANUKAH
The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration, 2nd Edition
By Ron Wolfson.
Edited by Joel Lurie Gishaver.
192 pages. Jewish Lights. $18.95.

Must Hanukkah always be in competition with Christmas as the perennial "other winter holiday" on the American calendar? One might get that initial impression when reading the first pages of Ron Wolfson's Hanukah: The Family Guide to Spiritual Celebration. The book opens up with an essay on Christmas-envy and the author's boyhood memories in Nebraska halashing (Yiddish for pining for or envying) Christmas lights and celebrations.

My childhood memories growing up in the East Bay of San Francisco are similar (sans snow), and as a Jewish educator I heard about this dilemma a lot. Parents would often say to me, "How can I make Hanukkah as exciting as Christmas?" And my answer to them was, "Don't. This is not a competition. But if you really want to head-off Christmas-envy, make a really big deal about Sukkot."

That said, Hanukkah is a holiday rich with opportunity. Its rituals and its lore give it many possibilities for meaning: this is a holiday of how the few stood up to the many, about the freedom to practice one's own religion. It is a holiday about miracles, a holiday about light, a holiday about God.

And to top it off, it's a holiday that's easily practiced. One Hanukkiah (the 9-branched Hanukkah lamp), some matches, a box of Hanukkah candles and a few blessings and you are all set. But if you want to go further—to deepen your holiday celebration with a greater understanding of the rituals and some ideas for additional embellishment—then Wolfson's book is actually a good place to go. I was a bit put off by the opening, but as I read further, I realized the book makes a terrific resource.

The book includes profiles of American Jewish families' Hanukkah celebrations, the complete Hebrew text and transliterations for all the blessings and prayers said at candle-lighting, and numerous discussions on the meaning of the holiday. There are chapters devoted to games, songs, crafts, and the unique challenges of interfaith families. And, pardon the metaphor, it's great one-stop Hanukkah shopping.

And speaking of shopping, the book does address the issue of Hanukkah becoming "over-materialized," and what concerned parents can do to combat that. For example, the book suggests assigning a different gift-giving theme to each night that includes "poem night" where everyone recites a poem he or she has written, or "gifts of self" night where everyone gives a non-monetary gift. Another idea is giving "gifts with a future" such as creating a family photo album, buying Israel bonds, or taping an oral family history. Another neat idea is buying Bank of Israel Hanukah gelt.

Each year the Bank of Israel issues a commemorative Chanukah gelt coin honoring a different Jewish community around the world. Giving these coins out each year can be a great tradition, not to mention a wonderful and meaningful collection.

On a deeper level, Wolfson leads the reader into an exploration of different Hanukkah texts, plumbing them for the deeper meanings of the holiday. One of my favorite discussions centered around the prayer HaNerot HaLelu—These Candles are Holy. It's recited right after candle lighting, but I'm willing to bet that it falls by the wayside in all but the most observant families. And it's too bad, because as Wolfson points out, with the understanding of that prayer lies a key insight of the holiday.

According to Wolfson, this prayer, and the Hanukkah holiday in general teach that, "G-d works through people. Some human accomplishments are Divine miracles … When people rise up to actualize their potential, G-d is there. When freedom is won, G-d is present." What a great message for parents to teach their children. And what wonderful values for American Jews to embrace.