 |
|
||||||||||||
            |
NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 2007 HEBREW STUDY GROUP
Steve Pruner writes: Chag Chanukah Sameach to you as I write these few words on the third day of Chanukah. The festival of lights began on the 25th of Kislev to celebrate a great miracle and I had the pleasure of participating in the recitation of the appropriate blessings and observing the lighting of the Chanukiah on the second night of Chanukah at the Earlham Road Synagogue for the Joan Goodman Memorial Lecture. The word Chanukah is derived from another Hebrew word meaning to “dedicate”. Through some research I have learned that the word Chanukah can be divided into two where the first part (Chanu) means “they rested” and the second (Kah) has a numerical value of 25. The Maccabees rested on the 25th of Kislev after successfully battling the Greeks and then proceeded to rededicate the Temple. Our “Prayerbook Hebrew” textbook does not cover this in any detail as Chanukah is not in the Torah but the Talmud. However, there is a blessing which you will be familiar with which is said before lighting your menorah: Baruch ata adonai elohainu melech ha-olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Chanukah. In Chapter 2, we practiced the blessings for the bread and wine, and Chapter 16 contains a section on the blessings said for the lighting of the Chanukah candles. If you skip ahead to Chapter 16, you will notice there are two blessings said for the lighting of the Chanukah candles. A third blessing is added on the first night only and that is also found in the same chapter. This third blessing is the shehecheyanu which we have already learned to read on page 22. The shehecheyanu is said on the first day of all festivals. The Maccabees battled for three long years to achieve their goal; however, I am sure we will not need as much time to get through our textbook. Of course, I have made a poor comparison because we are not facing a battle. In fact, it is a pleasure to study Hebrew and we are progressing very well in our studies. Chapter 4 was a challenge. Be careful to clearly enunciate the ending of “they” in the masculine (haim) and feminine (hain) form. The only difference is the ending. Page 29 contains exerts from two familiar prayers: the Aleinu and the Ein Keloheinu. Chapter 5 is about adjectives and should prove to be very interesting as we expand our vocabulary. We should start this chapter at our next study session after we review the homework from the previous chapter. I should point out that there will not be a study session on the 29th of December. Members of the study group should have already received an email from me about this date. Chapter 5 will be a small challenge but having a rest on the 29th may help us succeed in conquering it. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by life and unsure if we can overcome the difficulties thrown at us. The Maccabees were outnumbered and overwhelmed but in the end they won. Through hard work and belief, anyone can face a challenge. Study hard, persevere, and you will succeed. Again, I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Chanukah. Next Sessions:
Please see the diary section of the newsletter for further details of dates, times and location. If you have any questions or require more information, I would be happy to hear from you.
Steven Pruner
|
||||||||||||
