No matter how you spell it, Hanukkah begins tonight
Observer-Reporter
Rabbi David Novitsky of Beth Israel Synagogue in Washington lights the candles on the menorah in this file photo from 2016.
Observer-Reporter
Rabbi David C. Novitsky leads a group in song before the lighting of the menorah and the Hanukkah party in December 2012 at Beth Israel Synagogue.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series in which the Observer-Reporter will highlight acts of kindness by community members throughout December.
The Jewish festival of lights begins tonight, the first of eight.
As Washington’s Beth Israel synagogue newsletter “Chronicle” points out, if each way to spell the celebration was assigned a day, it would last for more than 20.
Hanukkah, the spelling of choice by The Associated Press Stylebook, and Chanukah, a variation listed in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, are perhaps the two most common.
Why so many? The newsletter notes English uses the Latin alphabet, not Hebrew, and the sounds of the letters are not identical, hence the wide variations with h, ch, and k.
The word itself means “dedication.” Jewish warriors, known as the Maccabees, rededicated the temple in Jerusalem, wresting it centuries ago from the Seleucids, successors of Alexander the Great.
Central to the festival of lights is the temple’s large, branched candle holder. One tiny container of oil kept the menorah burning brightly for eight days when it should have run out after just one.
“The miracle of the oil was emphasized so that the miraculous nature of the military victory, too, would not be entirely forgotten,” wrote Rabbi David C. Novitsky.
“Attention would thus be drawn to the generally miraculous nature of the Chanukah story.”
Members of Beth Israel will be celebrating the second night of Hanukkah together by lighting candles, singing and saying traditional blessings via Zoom video conference this year, the Chronicle notes.
“So, no matter how you spell it, enjoy the festival of the lights,” editor Donna McVehil concluded.
To share a story about an act of kindness, email staff writer Katie Anderson at kanderson@observer-reporter.com.