Foods on Chanuka

From Halachipedia
Revision as of 21:34, 13 December 2009 by ChachamY (talk | contribs) (Created page with '==Good practices for Chanuka== # There’s a practice for children to play Drediel. <Ref> Sefer minhagim of Chatam Sofer. Otzer Minhagei Yishurun says that it’s the practice b…')

(diff) ← Older revision | Approved revision (diff) | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Good practices for Chanuka

  1. There’s a practice for children to play Drediel. [1]
  2. It’s good to learn Halachot Chanuka on Chanuka. [2]

Foods on Chanuka

  1. There is a Minhag to eat Sufganiot (Jelly doughnuts) and Latkas (potato pancakes) that are fried in oil because the miracle of Chanuka happened with the oil of the menorah. [3]
  2. There is a Minhag to eat foods that have cheese in them that are fried in oil because the miracle of Yehudit happened with cheese. [4]
  3. Some say having a Chanuka meal is optional. [5] Some say that there’s a small mitzvah in having feasts on Chanuka. [6] If one sings songs or says Divrei Torah about Chanuka at the meals then the meals are considered “Sudat Mitzvah” (a feast of a Mitzvah). [7]

Sources

  1. Sefer minhagim of Chatam Sofer. Otzer Minhagei Yishurun says that it’s the practice because in the days of the Greeks those who studied Torah secretly, when the Greeks came, would pretend to play this game. See Bnei Yisaschar 2:25 who gives a deep explanation of this game.
  2. Shalmat Chaim and Yalkut Yosef (Kitzur S”A 670:4).
  3. Kovetz Sarid UPalit in name of Rabbi Maimon (father of Rambam) says that one shouldn’t be lenient in any Minhag and one should make feasts on Chanuka to publicize the miracle and the Minhag is to make Sufganiot. This is brought down in Yalkut Yosef (Kitzur S”A 671:15).
  4. Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 191). The Ran (Shabbat 2) records the story of Yehudit, the daughter of Yochanan Cohen Gadol, who put the Greek general to sleep by feeding him cheese and wine and then cutting off his head.
  5. Sh”t Maharam 605, Tur, and S”A 670. Some explain that purim which was a physical threat is celebrated with a physical feast but Chanuka which was a spiritual threat is celebrated with spiritual candles and not a feast.
  6. Rambam (Chanuka 3:3) implies this with the language “Simcha”. So writes Tosfot (Tanit 18b), Rabbenu Yonah, Kol Bo, and Maharshal (Bava Kama 7:30). Bach 670, 683:1 argues that the meal is an obligation.
  7. Singing songs at the meals is recorded by Rama 670:2 and is brought down by Yalkut Yosef (Moadim pg 193)