Healthcanc

Did I spell it right? Should it be Hanukah? Or Chanucha? Hannukkah? You can't win when you transliterate.  Western Wall Chanukiah (menorah) Tonight is the first night of Chanukah, an 8-day Jewish holiday that celebrates a miracle. Oh! It's Xmas Eve, too. But you know that story, and honestly, I don't, so let's stick with our strong suits and talk a bit about Chanukah, because it is an underdog beats tyrant-who-isn't-religiously-tolerant  victory story, and nothing makes us feel better than an underdog walking off with the trophy. In a nutshell (we've been cracking them all day long): The Greeks ransacked The Temple  in Jerusalem and did not allow the Jews to practice their religion anymore. (No Sabbath, no Torah, no tradition). We got the Temple back, big fight, and wanted to re-light the  menorah , the  n er tamid ,  a lamp that is never supposed to go out, never did when the Jews were in charge. But they were booted for awhile, and it did go out. But afte...

Translate that, Nittel Nacht, it would be . . .  well, I don't know.  I know that Kristallnacht is the night that the Nazi's broke every Jewish storefront in Germany.   But on Nittelnacht  Jews play cards and watch Elf .  Or maybe Titanic . Or Meet Me in St.Louis .  The rabbis forbid learning Torah on Christmas Eve. Except to learn about why it is forbidden to learn Torah on Christmas Eve. Learning is what observant Jews do, or wish they did, most nights, most days, in their discretionary time. It is one of those pastimes that keeps on giving. So you would think that learning is definitely something Jews should do on Xmas eve. But no. We'll get to the reasons. Last night FD finishes the last slice of pizza, 47th Street (New York) pizza , but   made in Iowa, sold in Chicago. He asks me if I want to join him, walk over to the synagogue to hear a shiur ( she-your , Hebrew for class ) about the origins of nittel nacht . Nittel Nacht 47th St P...