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"God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for set times-the days and the years; and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from darkness. And God saw that it ws good."
How many lights? It's a good question as different traditions do things differently. Even in ancient times, the question of how to light the lights of Hanukah was discussed heatedly, but the prevailing opinion is that the light should be increased every night throughout the festival to symbolize light overcoming darkness, good triumphing over evil, freedom over tyranny. In some households, each person lights a candle in addition to those on the hanukiah or menorah. The seven-branched candlestick (menorah) is not normally used by observant Jews since there is a traditional prohibition to use anything that was once a part of the liturgical worship of the Temple destroyed in Jerusalem in 70 CE. To use a menorah, there must be some alteration of the form, possibly miniaturized or some other differentiation from what is considered to be the original form. This is also very controversial. Many distinguish between the menorah and eight or nine-branched candlesticks by calling the latter, a hanukiah as it is specifically used during Hanukah and at no other time. Each of the candles represents one of the days of Purification. Aha, you say but that should be clear. No it isn't because time is relevant to geographical location. This is why on some sites, you'll see a calendar posted for the 7-15 th , but on others 8-16 th. Jewish holidays are also based on a lunar calendar, not a solar calendar so that they seem to be jumping about the months as we know them. Therefore, frequently, even hanukiahs vary from one tradition to another. In Poland, because Jews were frequently subject to expulsion and forced to pack and move regularly, a hanukiah might be a simple piece of wood or metal with hooks on each end to hang on a chain with two large candle holes for Shabbat candles on either end and smaller holes for the seasonal candles in between with the shamash candle in the center. In such a simple form, the hanukiah could be schlepped easily from place to place or hidden in times of persecution and unrest.
The copyright of the article 1 Hanukah How Many Lights in Fairytales is owned by Mary C. Legg. Permission to republish 1 Hanukah How Many Lights in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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