Illuminating Hanukkah

By LISA TRAIGER

A DIFFERENT LIGHT
The Hanukkah Book of Celebration
Edited by Noam Zion and Barbara Spectre
248 pages. Pitspopany Press. $27.95.

A DIFFERENT LIGHT
The Big Book of Hanukkah
Edited by Noam Zion and Barbara Spectre
248 pages. Pitspopany Press. $27.95.

If you thought that Hanukkah was just about lighting candles, playing dreidel and getting presents, Noam Zion and Barbara Spectre want you to think again. This pair of scholar/educators, based at the trans-denominational Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, have compiled what must easily be the most comprehensive "user's guide" to the holiday yet published, available in two volumes.

Sure you have your standards: the brachot—blessings on lighting the candles each night—potato pancake recipes, directions for playing dreidel, and the ubiquitous story of the Maccabee victory. These days you can find that information just about anywhere, now that Hanukkah has gone mainstream. If you're happy with your celebration of the festival of lights, then these books aren't for you. But, if you want to increase your observance and knowledge of the holiday, these books will last for years and years.

The books, written by the same author who created the popular Passover haggadah, A Different Night, have an endless array of activities, essays, historical tidbits, explanations and activities to illuminate Hanukkah throughout the eight days of observance and for years to come.

The Book of Celebration is divided into three sections: "Rituals," "Retelling and "Rejoicing: Family and Friends, Food and Fun," and "Hanukkah for Today." A full color "art gallery" depicting renditions of chanukiyot—candelabras specially designed to commemorate the eight days of Hanukkah—the Maccabees, Judith, and other related symbols is included, along with a glossary and a FAQ section.

The section for "Family and Friends" contains practical suggestions and activities for young children, elementary school-aged kids, and teenagers. Zion writes, "Parents are the 'high priest' of informal Jewish family education, their homes the 'temples' for a wealth of learning experiences." He encourages creating family rituals, retelling Hanukkah stories, playing games (dreidel and more) and giving—not only receiving—gifts. My seven-year-old quickly appropriated the book and immersed himself in the cartoons, word games, puzzles, quizzes, hidden messages, and arts and crafts projects. My five-year-old liked the depictions of sign language for menorah and other relevant words and the Maccabees' "Chutes and Ladders" game. Eight gift ideas—ranging from homemade to more quality gifts—will help de-emphasize the commercialization of the season. Try it one year, it may be a refreshing change of pace.

The broad reach of the book can fulfill the needs of anyone from the rank beginner to the learned scholar. The first question in the FAQ section, for example, asks if the candles used have to be multicolored. (No.) In the "Chanukah Today" section, eight of the brightest lights in contemporary Jewish thought reflect on the relevance of Hanukkah. Rabbi David Hartman mulls over the miracle of the oil, concluding that the importance is not in how long the oil burned, but in the faith of those who lit that small amount, trusting that it would somehow last. Founder of the Reconstructionist movement, the late Mordecai Kaplan reflects on the theme of assimilation, passive and active, in the Hanukkah story. Novelist Herman Wouk reminisces on American Hanukkah in the 1950s, a dark, drab time when the new American Jewish generation felt "like children in the dark outside a house where there was a gay party." The Israeli Orthodox Rabbi Mordechai Gafni outlines an eight-fold path to spiritual illumination that echoes the Zohar, Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, and other Hasidic masters.

In The Big Book, Rabbi Hartman explains that Hanukkah is a puzzling holiday for no megilla—a scroll that tells a story—and no book of the Jewish Bible, is devoted to its story. There are symbols and customs, and each generation reinvents Hanukkah to suit its purpose. The holiday is also looked at through a multiplicity of Jewish identities—Reform, Ultra-Orthodox, secular, Reconstructionist—through history, philosophy, rabbinics, science and personal courage. The first chapter begins with an exploration of the American Jewish renewal movement and the tension between the secular and religious Zionists versus the ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionists. It continues, touching on the Reconstructionist movement's ethical Hanukkah, the Reform movement's anti-war celebration of the Maccabees and the Hasidic approaches to the holiday.

The Big Book certainly has something for everyone with an avid curiosity about all things Hanukkah. Historians will revel in the scholarly treatment the Maccabean revolt gets, philosophers will immerse themselves in the discussions on the tensions between Greek and Jewish culture and how those resonate in the Judeo-Christian Western society. Scientists will enjoy the profile and discussion of Albert Einstein, the first scientific superstar, who revolutionized modern physics with his insights on the nature of light. A chemical history of the candle discerns how fuels like wax or oil turn into light and heat. Kabbalists and scientists have a meeting of the minds in a section called "Eight Ways of Looking at the Nature of Light." The first question, "What is light?" is answered scientifically, explaining light as the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that people can see. Then the kabbalistic perspective describes the Ein Sof (Divine Infinity) that emanates into the physical world. Heavy concepts, yes. But they are clearly and expertly explained.

A chapter on heroes allows that Hanukkah is not just about commemorating the exploits of an ancient band of revolutionaries. The holiday continues to remind us that contemporary heroes, famous and unknown, have changed the world. Modeled on John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, these Jewish profiles encompass righteous gentiles, community organizers, mitzvah or good deed heroes, fearless Jews like Leo Baeck, Hannah Senesh, Yoni Netanayahu and more.

Both books are expertly edited, beautifully written and artfully designed. The large 8 1/2 x 11 inch format with wide scholars' margins, allows the editors to insert relevant and cogent information as needed, either in boxes or footnotes. Historic photographs and sketches along with contemporary drawings enliven the pages. The Book of Celebration even takes a "page" from online publications. A menu bar is printed along the side, highlighting where the reader lands and helping him or her navigate what comes before and after.

When these two books landed on my front porch, with an audible thud, I might add, the amount, the diversity, the richness, and the completeness of the material initially overwhelmed me. But having spent some time with them, I recommend that if you only buy one set of Hanukkah books this year, these are the ones to buy. They'll be well used and appreciated for years to come.