13 Yiddish Words for Christmas!

My quest for more knowledge about Judaism, Hanukkah specifically, has taken me down an accidental path to Christmas. "Wait a minute!", you shout silently in your mind. "Hanukkah and Christmas? But..."

Exactly! But.....

Allow me to fill you in.

The Accidental Path

I was reading through my Twitter timeline when a particular Tweet stood out like a core thumb:

Elizabeth Scalia ‏@TheAnchoress

13 Yiddish words for Christmas! http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/12/05/yiddish-words-christmas … Delightful! Would hate to see Yiddish disappear.

I was kicking around some ideas for a post about Hanukkah when I saw The Tweet. It was love at first sight, a perfect subject for today's post - a "marriage" of the Jewish and Christian cultures for this Holiday season. Thirteen Yiddish words for Christmas! 

Oy vey!

The 13 Words  

I'll post a few of The Words and link you to the rest of the list.

• 1. Bupkes (Loose definition: Nothing, nada, usually used to express disappointment)
  Example: “All those naughty boys and girls? Getting bupkes this year.”
  2. Schmutz (Loose definition: Dirt, filth)
  Example: “I put down that half-eaten candy cane for just, like, 20 seconds and now I have all this sticky schmutz all over my desk.”
  3. Chazerai (Loose definition: Miscellaneous stuff, junk; the “ch” is more a rolled “kh” with a gentle, little throat-clearing sound; click to hear it)
  Example: “The real Christmas miracle? That that sled ever takes off, what with all that chazerai weighing it down.”

The list of the remaining ten Yiddish words for Christmas can be found at HLN.com

Be sure to amaze your Jewish friends with your encyclopedic knowledge of the Yiddish vocabulary! Even if your "encyclopedic knowledge" is only thirteen words. 

Chag Hanukka Sameach.

Merry Christmas!

Hanukkah and the Dreidel

Today is Yom Bet, 26th Kislev, 5773, Hanukkah on the Hebrew calendar.

As I mentioned yesterday, my knowledge of Judaism and its customs is very limited in scope. However, I have always known of the dreidel. I know that the dreidel is a sort of top, a spinning toy not unlike the tops I played with as a child. I did not and do not, however, know the significance of the dreidel in relation to Hanukkah, but I am about to find out.

Dreidel

What is a Dreidel?  

Dreidel is a Yiddish word that comes from the German word "drehen," which means “to turn.” In Hebrew the dreidel is called a "sevivon," which comes from the root "savov" and also means "to turn."

A dreidel has one Hebrew letter on each side. Outside of Israel, those letters are: נ (Nun), ג (Gimmel), ה (Hay) and ש (Shin), which stand for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Sham." This phrase means "A great miracle happened there [in Israel]."
After the State of Israel was founded in 1948 the Hebrew letters were changed for dreidels used in Israel. They became: נ (Nun), ג (Gimmel), ה (Hay) and פ (Pey), which stand for the Hebrew phrase "Nes Gadol Haya Po." This means "A great miracle happened here."

Thanks to judaism.about.com for that information

The Dreidel and Hanukkah

Aish.com tells us:

The significance of the dreidel, the four-sided top with Hebrew letters on each side, however, is not as clear. Some suggest that the dreidel was invented at the time of the Syrian-Greek decrees against the Jewish people. One of the prohibitions was the study of Torah. Fearlessly, the Jews continued teaching and studying Torah in secret. Should a Greek soldier appear, they would hide their books, pull out tops and play with the children.

That, in a nutshell, is the story of the dreidel and its importance to Hanukkah. 


Chag Hanukka Sameach.

Shalom.


 

 

Miracles: Day 2 of Hanukkah

Although for the last few days we at The Lower 48 (Plus 2) have been celebrating Christmas Across America, we would also like to celebrate with our Jewish friends The Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah, marking the re dedication of the Second Temple (Holy Temple) in Jerusalem in the 2nd Century BC Revolution of the Maccabees.

While I am Catholic, I humbly recognize that the roots of my Church are undeniably planted in the Faith of Moses, Catholicism and Judaism being different branches of the same tree.

Today is Day 2 of Hanukkah. Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, asher qiddeshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu lehadliq ner shel Hanukkah. (Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light[s).

הנרות הללו אנחנו מדליקים על הנסים ועל הנפלאות ועל התשואות ועל המלחמות שעשית לאבותינו בימים ההם, בזמן הזה על ידי כהניך הקדושים. וכל שמונת ימי חנוכה הנרות הללו קודש הם, ואין לנו רשות להשתמש בהם אלא להאיר אותם בלבד כדי להודות ולהלל לשמך הגדול על נסיך ועל נפלאותיך ועל ישואותיך. ( We light these lights for the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers, in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all eight days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make ordinary use of them except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name for Your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations.)

If you, like me, have a very limited knowledge of Judaism, the links in this post will open your eyes and your heart to its beauty. Please take a moment to click on them and allow the Light of God to shine upon your soul.

Chag Hanukka Sameach.

Shalom.

***Photos courtesy of Monkey in the Middle***

Happy Hanukkah!

Blessed Hanukkah