Share a Prayer: Haneirot Halalu – These Lights which we Kindle

Welcome to “Share a Prayer” a quick look at a prayer that is found in our daily, Shabbat or Holy Day Prayer Service. Often during the course of the service we encounter some real gems that we don’t have time to reflect upon; this will give us an opportunity to select one prayer and take a closer look.

While many of our kids consider Hanukah the “Hag Kabalat Ha Matanot” the  festival of gift reception, Hanukah is commonly referred to in our tradition as “Hag Ha Urim”; the festival of light. Not only is light the first article of Creation, but it has always symbolized what is the very essence of Hanukah; joy, hope, happiness and freedom. Thus after kindling the Hanukah candles, it is traditional to recite or sing the brief but powerful prayer which extols and elucidates the Hanukah Lights – Ha Neirot Halalu, “these lights which we kindle.”

We all are familiar of the History of Hanukah – in 167 B.C.E. the evil Seleucid forces of King Antiochus defiled the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. Replacing the ritual objects of the Temple with statues of Zeus and other pagan artifacts, Antiochus planned to have the Jewish people “forget the Torah” and completely assimilate into Hellenistic society; we would, in effect have disappeared. But, miraculously, in 164 B.C.E, the Selucids were defeated and the Holy Temple was cleansed and rededicated by the small but mighty forces of the priestly family of Mattathias under the leadership of the great Judah the Maccabee. The great miracle of Hanukah is not only a that small band of righteous fighters was able to defeat a mighty evil army, but, that despite all of the compelling forces of assimilation, we, the Jewish people still exist today. Furthermore, according to tradition, in the process of restoring the Temple, the Maccabees wishing to rekindle the Sacred Menorah, only found enough consecrated oil to last for one day. Miraculously, as the tale is told, that small amount of oil lasted for eight days until new oil could be produced.

Ha Neirot Halalu,  traces its origin to the Talmudic Tractate of Sopherim (20:6) and can can be found in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Siddurim. Recited After saying the blessings over the candles, this poem reminds us of “the reason for the season” – to remember the heroic acts of the priestly Maccabee family and to be thankful for all that God did for our ancestors and continues to do in our time. The other significant purpose of our poem is to underscore the centrality of the theme of light in our tradition. We are reminded that the Hanukah Lights are holy and therefore we are not permitted to use the candles for illumination, we are only allowed to contemplate them.

Rav Binyamin Tabory of the Virtual Beit Ha Midrash introduces an interesting discussion as to the reason for ascribing Holiness to the lights of Hanukak. He begins by citing a source from the Talmud, (Shabbat 22a) that suggests that the candles in and of themselves are not sacred;

“While the Gemara does conclude that we are not permitted to use the Hanukah candles for a purpose other than the Mitzvah, for example, for counting coins, it explicitly states that it is NOT because of their holiness!”

However, Rabbi Tabory reminds us that the sacred nature of the Hanukah lights comes form their connection to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The Biblical Portion of Behaalotcha (Numbers 8:1- 12:16) describes in precise detail the procedure for erecting and kindling the Menorah, the candelabrum that was a key feature of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that traveled through our the wilderness with our ancestors when they left Egypt. Paralleling this Torah portion is the Haftara (Zechariah 2:14-4:7) which describes the construction and operation of the Menorah in the Holy Temple. Appropriately, we also read this Haftara on the Shabbat of Hanukah. Recognizing the preeminent significance of the Menorah, the Maccabees, as we recall form the Hanukah story, make it a priority to rekindle the Menorah as they worked to rededicate the temple. Indeed, the traditional Hanukah miracle itself, revolves around the oil used in the Menorah. Moreover, one of the central Mitzvoth of Hanukah, Pirsumi Nisa – publicizing the Miracle of Hanukah as an example of God’s saving power, is accomplished by placing the Hanukah lights in a window so that all can see them.

Clearly, the Hanukah lights connect us not only to the Maccabees but all the way back to the Mishkan carried by our ancestors as they fled Egypt and on to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem which, for generations has continued to serve as the focal point for all of our prayers. The bottom line according to Rabbi Tabory is:

“The Mitzvah of lighting Hanukah candles can be seen as a continuation of the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem…The Halakha [Jewish law] tells every Jew to take the candles of the Temple (Mikdash) and light them in his private house. Not only is the synagogue a “miniature Temple” (a Mikdash me’at), but the goal of this Mitzvah is to transform every home into a Mikdash me’at.” 

The song Ha Neirot Halalu  indeed encapsulates the very essence of Hanukah. As we kindle the Hanukah lights not only are we illumined with joy, happiness and freedom, but we become part of an ancient, universal process that began in the wilderness of Sinai, continued in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem and culminates in the miniature Temple that is our Jewish Home; the essential foundation of Jewish Life.

I hope you enjoy this brief look at our prayers. If you have a suggestion, question or request, email me at hazzan@e-hazzan.com.

Here is a link to the text in Hebrew and English

Here is a link to a previous post on Hanukah with several Hanukah melodies

This is a link to video of a traditional version of Haneirot Halalu

This is a link to video of a traditional version of Haneirot Halalu from Israeli TV

This is a link to video of a Moroccan version of Haneirot Halalu

Hag Urim Sameiach ! A Joyous and Inspirational Hanukah to all!

Hazzan Michael Krausman

Share a Prayer: Birchot Ha Shachar – The Preliminary Morning Blessings

Welcome to “Share a Prayer” a quick look at a prayer that is found in our daily, Shabbat or Holyday Prayer Service. Often during the course of the service we encounter some real gems that we don’t have time to reflect upon; this will give us an opportunity to select one prayer and take a closer look.

The public part of each morning prayer service begins with a series of Brachot (Blessings) that reflect our first thoughts and actions of the day. As I have often said, the purpose of a blessing is to connect an action, event, state of being or feeling with God. Thus, just as saying the Motzi prayer connects the act of eating bread with God, the Birchot Ha Shachar enable us to begin each day with an affirmation of the deep connection every aspect of our existence has with the Creator. The additional benefit of reciting this series of Brachot is that it helps the worshipper avoid taking that with which we are blessed for granted.  Joni Mitchell, the popular ’70′s recording artist sang a perfect song to illustrate the danger of this feeling of entitlement or ingratitude, ” don’t it always seem to go they never no what they’ve got ’till it’s gone..” Just as someone who temporarily loses his vision appreciates the gift of slight, any one who has suffered an injury will confirm that the ability to stand and move around freely is certainly something for which to be thankful each day.

Ben Keil author and freelance journalist points out that these Brachot come for two Talmudic  sources; fifteen, mainly expressing gratitude, coming from Tractate Brachot (60b) and three being listed in Tractate Menachot (43b.) At their inception, each of these blessings was intended to be recited by the individual in order of relevance early in the morning. Thus, for example, the blessing for restoring vision to the blind was recited when first opening one’s eyes, while the blessing for clothing the naked was recited prior to getting dressed. Even though some debate ensued, the sages who framed our formal liturgy decided to include these blessings communally in the synagogue service so that people of all comfort levels with the prayers would have an opportunity to express their gratitude together.

Not surprisingly, there is a marked difference in the way in which Conservative and Orthodox Siddurim articulate some of these Brachot. So, while the Orthodox version of the blessing thanking the Lord for not creating the worshipper as a woman, the Conservative version of the prayer thanks God for creating us in God’s image. Similar differences can be found in the Blessings thanking God for not making one a Gentile or a slave. According to some Orthodox commentators, the reason for the negative connotation of the above blessings is that Gentiles, woman and slaves do not have the same opportunities to fulfill Mitzvot (biblical commandments) as Jewish men have.  Rabbi Reuven Hammer , celebrated  scholar in the field of Jewish Liturgy and author of Or Hadash the authoritative commentary on the Sim Shalom Siddur explains that the process by which the changes in the Brachot were derived by the Conservative Rabbis involved consultation of classic Rabbinic texts as well as historic documents found in the Cairo Genizah, an ancient repository of sacred texts. Rabbi Hammer describes the approach of the Conservative Prayer Book in the following manner:

 Siddurim of the Conservative movement, taking their cue from the Tosefta and from the Genizah, use a positive formulation in order to express our feelings of gratitude, while showing sensitivity to others and demonstrating an appreciation of the status of women. We are indeed proud to be Jews, to be free and, above all, to be human beings made in the divine image.

As with almost all blessings, the Birchot Ha Shachar are each introduced by an  ancient formula which has roots dating back to the biblical Book of Chronicles; “Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha Olam – Praised are You Adonai our God, who rules the universe.” This formula serves to underscore the personal nature of our relationship with God as we begin our morning and throughout each day.  Rabbi Meir, one of our greatest sages, taught that we should endeavor to recite 100 blessings every day. Reciting Brachot  enables us to connect every moment of our existence – from the mundane to the miraculous, to the Holy Presence of our Creator.

I hope you enjoy this brief look at our prayers. If you have a suggestion, question or request, email me at hazzan@e-hazzan.com.

 Here is a link to the text in Hebrew and English

Hazzan Michael Krausman