Hanukkah History
The city where I live in Israel, Modi'in, is built on top of a city from another time. In 165 BCE, when the Second Temple was still standing in Jerusalem, the Jews lived under the tyrannical rule of the Syrians. Jews were forbidden to practice any of their customs or traditions. They were not even allowed to read the Torah. Synagogues and other sacred spots were desecrated.

After many years of oppression, a small group of rebel Jewish soldiers, who once walked through the parks where I sit with my daughter today, banded together. The Maccabees, led by a warrior named Judah, were far outnumbered by the mighty Syrian army, but they were spurred to action when the Second Temple in Jerusalem, their holiest site, fell under attack. They charged into battle – the few against the many – and defeated the Syrians.

When the triumphant, tiny army entered the Temple they had reclaimed, they were devastated. Holy writings had been flung to the floor, every available surface was covered with dirt – or worse – and, most terrible, the Eternal Light, a sacred oil lamp that burned continuously, had been extinguished.

The Maccabees searched for olive oil with which to rekindle the flame. Only a tiny amount of oil could be found, barely enough to keep the flame burning for a single day. A messenger was immediately sent to fetch more oil, but the warriors knew it would take at least several days for him to return.

The messenger returned after eight days. To his astonishment and that of the Maccabee warriors, the tiny jar of oil they had found, the few drops that should not have lasted more than a day, burned brightly for eight days until the messenger returned with more sanctified oil.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, celebrates the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. In honor of that miracle, we light a Hanukkiah, often mistakenly referred to as a menorah. A menorah has seven candles, one for each day of the week. The Hanukkiah has nine candles, one for each night of Hanukkah, and an extra, "helper" candle.

The modern city of Modi'in, built over the remains of the Maccabees homes, was built only three years ago. And three years ago, my husband and I were among the few families who lit Hanukkah candles in this spot for the first time in over 2000 years.

Modern Mitzvahs
Mitzvah is the Hebrew word for commandment. The commandment at Hanukkah is to light the Hanukkiah each night at sundown for eight nights.

A Hanukkiah is usually displayed in a window visible from the street. This is done to remind those coming home from work that they, too, need to perform the mitzvah of lighting Hanukkah candles. The Hanukkiah itself should have eight candles in a straight line and a Shamash, or helper candle, a little higher or lower than the other candles. The Shamash is lit first, and it is with that candle that the others are lit.

Hebrew is read right to left, and the candles are "read" the same way. The first candle is the one farthest to the right (but not the Shamash). Each night, new candles are added to the left of the original candle, and the Shamash is used to light the newest candle first.

The Hanukkah candles are not supposed to be used to light a room, so you should keep other lights on in the room where the candles are. Of course, if you have small children in the house, never leave them alone in a room with candles burning!

You Won't Go Hungry at Hanukkah
Most Jewish holidays revolve around food, and Hanukkah is no exception. We eat fried food – the greasier, the better – in celebration of the olive oil used to keep the Eternal Light burning. Traditional Hanukkah foods are latkes, or potato pancakes, served with sour cream and applesauce, and doughnuts. For a tasty variation, try sweet potato pancakes. Hanukkah gelt, or chocolate candies in gold wrappers, are also popular.

Doin' That Dreidle Thing
Dreidle is the German word for "top," and the popular spinning toy game may have roots in a German gambling game. The four-sided dreidle features four Hebrew letters: Nun, Gimmel, Hay and Shin. These letters stand for the words "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" or "A great miracle happened there." (In Israel, the fourth letter is Pay, which stands for "Po," or "here.")

To play the dreidle game, you need two or more children, some Hanukkah gelt or another treat – M&Ms or another small candy work well – and, of course, a dreidle. To play: Divide the gelt or candies evenly between the players. Then each player tosses one candy into the center. The children take turns spinning the dreidle. If a player rolls a Nun, he does nothing. The next player rolls. A player who rolls Gimmel takes the whole pile from the center; rolling Hay entitles the player to half the pile, and the player who rolls Shin has to put a candy of his own into the center. Whenever the pile in the center is gone, each player must contribute one candy.

Want to see more?

• Celebrate Hanukkah: Activities to Make, Play and Eat With Your Preschooler
• Holiday Headquarters
• Holiday Beginnings: New Traditions for the Families of Today
• Talk about it!