Traditions
What is lighting the chanukiah?
This is the day and month on which Chanukah begins.
The 25th of Kislev
He led the Jewish military revolt against the Greeks.
Who was Judah / Yehudah Maccabee?
The story of Chanukah takes place during this general time period.
What is the Second Temple / Bayit Sheini period?
This is how many days and nights Chanukah is celebrated.
What is eight?
This jelly-filled treat is associated with Chanukah because it is fried. Hint: It's Mrs. Perl's jam!
What are Jelly Donuts, or Sufganiyot?
This three-word Hebrew phrase describes the nature and purity of the one jug of oil found when the Maccabim came into the Bet Hamikdash.
What is "shemen zayit zach"?
Mattisyahu had this many sons who fought the Greeks.
What is five?
Today the third-largest city in modern Israel, it was once home to the Maccabim.
Mattisyahu and his family were from this shevet.
What is Levi / What are Kohanim?
The language that the word "dreidle" is from, meaning "little spinner".
What is Yiddish?
It is how many candles are lit in a single chanukiah over the entire holiday of Chanukah (including the shamash).
What is 44?
He was the king of the Greek empire involved in the story of Chanukah
This word is used to describe the Jews at the time of Chanukah who favored Greek culture over their own.
What is "hellenist"?
This is the difference between a menorah and a chanukiah.
What is the number of branches / candles?
This is how many candles must be lit in a home to fulfill the minimum requirement of the mitzvah on the eighth day of Chanukah.
What is one?
This is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word Chanukah.
What is "dedication"?
Depending on the version of the story, he was either trampled or crushed to death by a war elephant.
Who was Eliezer Maccabbee?
This king of Israel, who is responsible for building what is today the kotel (as well as Masada and many other sites) claimed to be a descendent of the Maccabim, though an account in the Gemara disputes this.
Who was Herod?
The fact that we follow Bet Hillel - and not Bet Shamai - in this famous debate over Chanukah candles dictates how we perform the mitzvah today.
The third day of Tevet is sometimes part of Chanukah and sometimes not for this reason.
What is whether or not Kislev is given 29 or 30 days / whether or not Rosh Chodesh Tevet is one or two days
Shimon Hamaccabee was the first person in history to combine these two roles.
What are king and kohen gadol?
Her heroics are the reason women have a tradition not to do malacha while the candles are burning.
Who was Yehudit?
The "Greeks" in the story of Chanukah were actually this mini-empire based in modern-day Syria, founded by and named after one of the generals of Alexander the Great.
What are the Seleucids / Seleucid Greeks?
The Maccabean Revolt began in this year.
What was 167 BCE.