Hanukkah: Eight Days of Giving???
A frequent topic of holiday discussion amongst my children and their non-Jewish friends is that of gift giving. The friend will wistfully ask: “Is it true that Jewish kids get a present every night of Hanukkah?” To which my kids have to reply: “Maybe in some families, but not in ours.”
Whether Hanukkah presents are doled out on one, two or eight nights is simply a matter of choice for individual families. In fact, Jewish tradition does not say anything about Hanukkah presents, rather suggests that gelt (or coins) should be given on Hanukkah as incentive for children to pursue their studies.
The story is told that in the 2nd century BCE, under the rule of the Assyrians, a large portion of the Jewish population had become Hellenized, assimilating into the Greco-Syrian culture, and abandoning the study of Torah and all things Jewish. After the Maccabean victory, Judaean leaders were tasked with re-educating these Hellenized Jews. It is said that coins may have been distributed as an incentive to encourage the pursuit of Jewish education.
Later on, in the 12th century, Maimonides, one of the wisest of Jewish commentators, added his two cents on this link between material incentive and the pursuit of learning. In Maimonides’ view, children need a little bribery as encouragement to pursue their Jewish studies. He advocated dishing out nuts, figs and sugar to young children so that learning might feel sweeter, until the day when knowledge could be appreciated for its own sake.
As it turns out, the word “Hanukkah” is closely associated with the Hebrew word “chinuch” or education. While I still cling to the notion that my children might develop a love of learning without a need for monetary or sugar based incentive, the theme of education is one that I cherish. In our house, it is reflected in Hanukkah celebrations through family discussion about the Hanukkah story and its meaning. In addition, while we, like many North American Jews, have fully succumbed to the commercial influences of Christmas (with gelt long ago replaced by presents) we always include a well chosen Hanukkah themed book or two amongst our children’s gifts.
Finally, the giving of Hanukkah gelt or gifts also presents a wonderful opportunity for a teaching moment about tzedakah. Having older kids share some of their gelt with a charity of their choice or encouraging younger ones to donate to a toy drive delivers a valuable lesson with tangible meaning that children of all ages can understand.
Friday, November 20th, 2009