Chanukah at Mayanot has been incredible so far and every night seems to be adding and adding in light not just with the candles
Before the 25 of Kislev, we started preparing for Chanukah in class. In Gamara and Halacha 200 we learned the Gamara, Mishna, Shulchan Aruch, Shulchan Aruch haRav, and commentaries like Tosfos and Rashi to understand where we derive our halachas of chanukah from. We continue to ask, Mai Chanukah...whats chanukah? Is it about the miracle of defeating the Syrian-Greeks when the odds were against us? Is it about finding the oil? or is it about the oil lasting 8 days.
We also learn the practical halachas of lighting the candles, where to light them if youre outside of Israel, in Israel, or Chabad. Women even have an extra minhag to not do work while the candles are burning which is really fun to because we get to sit around the candles for 50 minutes and sing and play games.
I also learned a maimer by the Rebbe about the different orders that appear in al hanism (the prayer added to benching and in Shmoneh Esrei) which changes the order of teshua, nflaos, and nism within the prayer, representing the order that they happened then, and the order that we see them occur now- with regard to how revealed we see Hashem's miracles. It makes the holiday really meaningful when you prepare for it ahead of time- so you can go into it knowing both the revealed and deeper aspects for it.
Every night so far of Chanukah we light the huge menorah on the roof (as shown below) so everyone can see it on the streets. Then we all go back to our respective floors and light our own menorahs near the door- a tefach next to it and on the left side so we can be surrounded by mitzvos since the mezuzah is on the right. Then we sing haneiros hallelu to the Chabad niggun- which is a really long song so its really fun and beautiful. We sit by the candles for a half hour, or 50 minutes as the Fredicher Rebbe says in yesterday's hayom yom, and sing other Chanukah songs, or listen to music or play dreidel.
The past three days different apartments held Chanukah parties for the rest of the seminary. Today was our apartment (the 90's) turn and we had a make your own sufganyot and then watched a chanukah movie. Tonght a lot of us went to Mamilla mall and watched the chabad house's public lighting. Then a boys choir sang a bunch of chanukah songs and were really good and fun!
On a side note, we just moved into our new rooms. We have to switch rooms twice a year in order to meet new girls and get different rooms. Now I live in the 80's which is awesome because both the showers work (which is an upgrade from the 90's) and theres internet! So start expecting more blog entries =)
Have a Happy Chanukah and we should all celebrate the rest of the days in Jerusalem =)
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| Menorah on the roof |
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| old roomies |
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| Chanukah party hosted by the 90's apartments |
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| Hadas and me |
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| menorah lighting in Mamilla |
