History of Hanakkuh And Fun Quiz

From Cornell Christianson's book "Holiday Skits & Contests" available from Amazon.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC. When the King of Syria outlawed Jewish rituals, he had his soldiers seize the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. But the Jews fought back and defeated the Syrians. When they re-entered the Holy Temple, they found it in shambles and desecrated by the foreign soldiers.

They looked everywhere for oil, and found a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. This gave them enough time to obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit and rededicate the altar of the Holy Temple. Today, Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night, thus commemorating the eight-day miracle.

HANUKKAH QUIZ

1.  How many days is Hanukkah?  Seven, Eight or Nine?

ANSWER: Eight.

2.  How many candles are on a Hanukkah Menorah?  Seven, Eight, Nine?

ANSWER: Nine. One candle is used to light each day’s candle.

3.  The lights on a Hanukkah Menorah can be candles or oil lamps. Are electric lights ever permitted?

ANSWER: Yes, electric lights are sometimes used and are acceptable in places where open flame is not permitted, such as a hospital room.

4.  Hanukkah is also known as what festival?

ANSWER: The Festival of Lights.

5.  True or False? The reason for the Hanukkah lights is for the "lighting of the house within".

ANSWER: False. It is for the "illumination of the house without," so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday's miracle. Accordingly, lamps are set up at a prominent window or near the door leading to the street.

6.  When were the Hanukkah lights purposely hidden from public view?

ANSWER: In Europe during World War 2 when Jews were persecuted.

7.  What traditional Hanukkah dish is a version of potato pancakes?

ANSWER: Latkes, which are fried in oil.

8.  What are other traditional Hanukkah foods?

ANSWER: Jam-filled doughnuts and cheese products.

9.  The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top that children play with on Hanukkah. Each side is imprinted with a Hebrew letter which is an acronym for what Hebrew words?

ANSWER: A great miracle happened there.

10.  What does the word “Hanukkah” mean? 

ANSWER: “Hanukkah” means “re-dedication” meaning re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the Syrians.

11.  What is the meaning of Hanukkah?

ANSWER: Hanukkah celebrates the survival of the Jewish people through thousands of years of trials and tribulations.