CONGREGATION SHEARITH ISRAEL
  • About
    • Mission, Vision, Core Values
    • Become a Member >
      • Membership Brochure
    • Our Congregation and History
    • Blog
    • People >
      • Meet our Klei Kodesh
      • Meet our Staff
      • Meet our Lay Leadership
    • Places >
      • Shul Locations
      • Shearith Israel Cemeteries
      • Family Room
    • Communications >
      • The Shofar
      • Program Guide January - July 2021
      • Shearith Social Media
      • Sign up for our emails!
  • Connect
    • Let's Go Live >
      • Virtual Study Guides and Liturgy >
        • Shiva Minyan Liturgy
        • Our Favorite Jewish Stories Study Guide
        • The New Jewish Canon
        • Torah of Social Distancing Study Materials
        • Torah on Tap Study Materials
        • Shabbat Morning Torah Study Guides
        • Women's Torah Study Materials
      • Let's Go Live How To's
      • Updates on our Response to COVID-19
    • Get in Touch
    • Groups >
      • 20s and 30s
      • College Connection
      • Pillars: Hazak Community
      • Shearith Prime
      • Shearith Community Youth
      • Social Action >
        • Galentine's Day
    • Family Center >
      • Family Center Program and Event Descriptions
      • Tiny Treasures
    • The Ladder Project >
      • Donors to The Ladder Project
    • Music at Shearith >
      • Shabbat Musical Experiences
      • Small-Waldman-Cohen Signature Series
      • Hazzan Zhrebker Music
      • Our Shearith Choirs
    • SISterhood >
      • SISterhood Programs and Events
      • SISterhood Gallery Judaica Giftshop
      • SISterhood Board Forms
  • Pray
    • Shabbat and Minyan Times and Liturgy
    • Shearith Beyond
    • Livestream from Beck Family Sanctuary
    • Alternative Prayer Experiences
    • Holidays >
      • Purim and Mishloach Manot
    • Shabbat Musical Experiences
    • Refresh
    • Lifecycle >
      • Birth
      • B'nei Mitzvah
      • Conversion
      • Wedding
      • End of Life >
        • End of Life Info
        • Shearith Israel Cemeteries
      • Recent Passings/Yahrzeits
      • Yahrzeit Update Form
    • Misheberach (Healing)
    • Torah >
      • Torah and Haftarah Readings
      • Holiday Torah and Haftarah Readings
  • Lifelong Learning
    • The Weitzman Family Religious School >
      • WFRS 20-21 Registration
      • WFRS K- 7 Calendar
      • DeReKH
      • WFRS Curriculum
    • B'nei Mitzvah
    • Adult Learning Calendar >
      • Adult Learning Class Descriptions >
        • ScholarStream Classes
        • NEW: Together & Apart: The Future of Jewish Peoplehood
    • Kesher (Special Needs) Program
  • Membership
    • Membership Portal
    • Update Your Membership Portal
    • Become A Member
  • Give
  • Our Full Calendar
  • The Gallery

12/14/2017

Reclaiming the Custom of Chanukah Gelt

0 Comments

Read Now
 
Picture
By Rabbi Ari Sunshine

​The month of December is a particularly festive month. From bright lights decorating homes and streets, to holiday parties, huge storewide sales, and familiar songs emanating from radios and sound systems everywhere, the impact of the holiday of Christmas on our society is readily apparent to even the most casual observer.

As Jews in a largely non-Jewish society, during our own winter holiday, Chanukah, we are often swept up in the commercial aspect of this Christian religious holiday, namely, the prevalent custom of shopping and giving gifts. Interestingly enough, it was only in this past century that Christmas, and subsequently Chanukah, became more commercialized with a greater emphasis placed on shopping and significant gift giving. This puts us in an uncomfortable position—do we give gifts on each of the eight nights of Chanukah to please our children in light of the societal emphasis on presents at this time of year?

The custom of gift giving on Chanukah bears a closer look.  If we go back to the rabbinic origins of Chanukah, we will see that there is no obligation for giving gelt (Yiddish for money) or gifts on Chanukah.  While there is no explicit religious or historic significance of giving gelt, coins did play an important role in Maccabean history.  When the Hasmoneans, who most of us know as the Maccabees, gained their independence from the Syrian Greeks, they minted coins as one symbol of their sovereignty.  The custom of giving gelt seems to have emerged as a key part of the festival during the Middle Ages in Eastern Europe. 
 

One of the initial traditions was to give Chanukah gelt to the local Jewish teacher to help support him for the great service he provided the community by educating its children. That tradition ultimately was expanded to include the giving of coins to children, probably to provide them with positive encouragement for taking their Jewish studies seriously. Believe it or not, in some countries, Jews do not give any gifts at all.  It was only in America that the custom expanded still further to the giving of actual gifts.

How can we reclaim the—dare I say—renegade?—and overemphasized tradition of giving gifts, and return to the concept of supporting local Jewish teachers as a way of thanking them for their service? Here’s an idea you can try for tonight in lieu of giving gifts. The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Harvey impacted so many and its effects are still being felt, including by a number of teachers at Houston Jewish day schools who were flooded and did not have flood insurance. With help from some members of the Dallas Jewish community, a GoFundMe account has been set up to help these teachers by buying Target gift cards for them with the funds raised. The goal is to be able to give at least $250 to 50+ teachers. Donations will be accepted for as long as people are willing to give. For more information you can check out the page www.gofundme.com/brightenupthethirdnight.

As we “Brighten up the Third Night” for teachers in need and thank them for the gift of Jewish education they give our children daily, so may each of our observances of Chanukah continue to be be filled with the brightness of the Chanukah candles and the joy on each of our faces as we celebrate the miracle—and great blessing—of Jewish survival during the Maccabean era and in the 2000+ years since.

Chag Urim Sameach--a happy festival of lights to all!
​

Rabbi Ari Sunshine

Share

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

Details

    Authors

    Shearith Israel  clergy, staff and congregants share
    ​their stories. 

    Archives

    November 2020
    September 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All
    Annual Meeting
    DeReKH
    Family Center
    Guest Bloggers
    Holidays
    Israel
    Let's Go Live
    Marcy Helfand
    Prayer
    Rabbi Adam Roffman
    Rabbi Ari Sunshine
    Rabbi Matt Rutta
    Rabbi Shira Wallach
    Rosh Hashanah
    Rosh Hashanah 5779
    Sarah Lipinsky
    Social Justice
    The Ladder Project
    Traditions
    Worship
    Yom Kippur

    RSS Feed

9401 Douglas Avenue Dallas, TX 75225
​214-361-6606
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • About
    • Mission, Vision, Core Values
    • Become a Member >
      • Membership Brochure
    • Our Congregation and History
    • Blog
    • People >
      • Meet our Klei Kodesh
      • Meet our Staff
      • Meet our Lay Leadership
    • Places >
      • Shul Locations
      • Shearith Israel Cemeteries
      • Family Room
    • Communications >
      • The Shofar
      • Program Guide January - July 2021
      • Shearith Social Media
      • Sign up for our emails!
  • Connect
    • Let's Go Live >
      • Virtual Study Guides and Liturgy >
        • Shiva Minyan Liturgy
        • Our Favorite Jewish Stories Study Guide
        • The New Jewish Canon
        • Torah of Social Distancing Study Materials
        • Torah on Tap Study Materials
        • Shabbat Morning Torah Study Guides
        • Women's Torah Study Materials
      • Let's Go Live How To's
      • Updates on our Response to COVID-19
    • Get in Touch
    • Groups >
      • 20s and 30s
      • College Connection
      • Pillars: Hazak Community
      • Shearith Prime
      • Shearith Community Youth
      • Social Action >
        • Galentine's Day
    • Family Center >
      • Family Center Program and Event Descriptions
      • Tiny Treasures
    • The Ladder Project >
      • Donors to The Ladder Project
    • Music at Shearith >
      • Shabbat Musical Experiences
      • Small-Waldman-Cohen Signature Series
      • Hazzan Zhrebker Music
      • Our Shearith Choirs
    • SISterhood >
      • SISterhood Programs and Events
      • SISterhood Gallery Judaica Giftshop
      • SISterhood Board Forms
  • Pray
    • Shabbat and Minyan Times and Liturgy
    • Shearith Beyond
    • Livestream from Beck Family Sanctuary
    • Alternative Prayer Experiences
    • Holidays >
      • Purim and Mishloach Manot
    • Shabbat Musical Experiences
    • Refresh
    • Lifecycle >
      • Birth
      • B'nei Mitzvah
      • Conversion
      • Wedding
      • End of Life >
        • End of Life Info
        • Shearith Israel Cemeteries
      • Recent Passings/Yahrzeits
      • Yahrzeit Update Form
    • Misheberach (Healing)
    • Torah >
      • Torah and Haftarah Readings
      • Holiday Torah and Haftarah Readings
  • Lifelong Learning
    • The Weitzman Family Religious School >
      • WFRS 20-21 Registration
      • WFRS K- 7 Calendar
      • DeReKH
      • WFRS Curriculum
    • B'nei Mitzvah
    • Adult Learning Calendar >
      • Adult Learning Class Descriptions >
        • ScholarStream Classes
        • NEW: Together & Apart: The Future of Jewish Peoplehood
    • Kesher (Special Needs) Program
  • Membership
    • Membership Portal
    • Update Your Membership Portal
    • Become A Member
  • Give
  • Our Full Calendar
  • The Gallery