In an insightful commentary on Pirke Avot, Rabbi Shimon Bar Tzemach Duran (The Rashbatz), a renowned Algerian Rabbi from the 14th century, stresses the importance of teachers being kind to their students. His commentary on Proverbs 27:19 explains,
"Just as a person looks into the water and sees his or her reflection, he sees in the water what he chooses to show. If he laughs, the reflection laughs, if he is sad, so is his reflection. This is similar to the hearts of people: If you show your fellow people a happy heart, then those around you will also have a happy heart…”.
Why does Rabbi Duran use the metaphor of the face to speak about including and welcoming students into a classroom? How can we invite all Jews to feel comfortable in our diverse American Jewish community? We understand so much about a person, by truly looking at them in their eyes, in their face. Do we remember to see these faces in our community? In this section, will get to know different communities and the ways they commemorate and celebrate the Chanukah holiday.
* Proverbs 27:19
"Just as a person looks into the water and sees his or her reflection, he sees in the water what he chooses to show. If he laughs, the reflection laughs, if he is sad, so is his reflection. This is similar to the hearts of people: If you show your fellow people a happy heart, then those around you will also have a happy heart…”.
Why does Rabbi Duran use the metaphor of the face to speak about including and welcoming students into a classroom? How can we invite all Jews to feel comfortable in our diverse American Jewish community? We understand so much about a person, by truly looking at them in their eyes, in their face. Do we remember to see these faces in our community? In this section, will get to know different communities and the ways they commemorate and celebrate the Chanukah holiday.
* Proverbs 27:19
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, Rabbi Emeritus at Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle, Washington tells us more about Sephardic Chanukah traditions...
We have the honor to learn this month about Sephardi Chanukah traditions from Rabbi Simon Benzaquen, a Spanish Moroccan Rabbi and Rabbi Emeritus at the Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation in Seattle, Washington. The Sephardic Bikur Holim congregation was established almost 100 years ago by Jews from Western Turkey who settled in Seattle. SBH members come from a variety of backgrounds and observance levels and like many Sephardic communities all over the globe, they stress inclusion and the importance of unity despite diversity within their community.
From their website: “SBH is an inclusive congregation, one that does not close its parking lot on Shabbat and Yom Tov, one that does not create fissures within its own community, but one that seeks opportunities to bring the members of its community together.”
To start off our conversation, Rabbi Benzaquen explained a very clear difference between Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs during Chanukah “We use oil to light the Chanukiot. We did this when I was a kid and in many families in our community, we still do this today.” Instead of using the colorful candles that are so popular in most American Jewish households, in Rabbi Benzaquen’s community, many families use Chanukiot that work with oil and small wicks.
Also, in most Sephardi or Mizrachi homes, one Chanukia is lit as opposed to one Chanukia per person which is the custom in many Ashkenazi communities and homes. Rabbi Ben Zaquen indicated that this comes from a differing interpretation of the law regarding the observance of Chanukah in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat). Sephardi Jews understand “נר איש וביתו” or “One light for a man and his household…” to mean that each family only needs to light one Chanukia to fulfill the mitzvah of commemorating Chanukah, while Ashkenazi Jews believe that every “man” is commanded to light one.
The timing of the candle lighting is also special at the Sephardic Bikur Holim congregation. Candles are lit every evening towards the end of the Arvit (evening) service, right after the reciting of the Shir Ha’Malot prayer. Rabbi Benzaquen clarified the reasoning behind this minhag or custom, “We want as many people as possible to see the candles, to witness the נס or miracle. Therefore, we wait until the end of Arvit, so as many people as possible show up.” Following this communal candle lighting, most families return home and light a chanukia with their family.
Following the candle lighting, all family members are forbidden to ‘work’ and in most families, there is singing of Piyutim, or Jewish liturgical poems and eating of fried foods like donuts.
One of the most interesting things Rabbi Bezaquen told me about had to do with the Shamash, the service candle, that stands raised above the other candles throughout the eight nights of Chanukah. We are commanded to only see the Chanukah candles and not to use them “אלא לראותם בלבד” “They are only to be seen”. In most Ashkenazi households, the shamash is used to light the candles on the chanukia (this is how we always did it in my family!). But in Sephardic communities, and at Sephardic Bikur Holim, the candles are lit with a match or another candle and after lighting these, they light the shamash, which stays perched above the other candles throughout the lighting. The reasoning behind this ritual stems from how each community views the role of the Shamash; for the Sephardim, the shamash is there just in case we by accident “use” the light from candles. If this happens, we don’t need to worry because we “used” the shamash, and not the other candles that are there purely for celebratory reasons.
From their website: “SBH is an inclusive congregation, one that does not close its parking lot on Shabbat and Yom Tov, one that does not create fissures within its own community, but one that seeks opportunities to bring the members of its community together.”
To start off our conversation, Rabbi Benzaquen explained a very clear difference between Sephardi and Ashkenazi customs during Chanukah “We use oil to light the Chanukiot. We did this when I was a kid and in many families in our community, we still do this today.” Instead of using the colorful candles that are so popular in most American Jewish households, in Rabbi Benzaquen’s community, many families use Chanukiot that work with oil and small wicks.
Also, in most Sephardi or Mizrachi homes, one Chanukia is lit as opposed to one Chanukia per person which is the custom in many Ashkenazi communities and homes. Rabbi Ben Zaquen indicated that this comes from a differing interpretation of the law regarding the observance of Chanukah in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat). Sephardi Jews understand “נר איש וביתו” or “One light for a man and his household…” to mean that each family only needs to light one Chanukia to fulfill the mitzvah of commemorating Chanukah, while Ashkenazi Jews believe that every “man” is commanded to light one.
The timing of the candle lighting is also special at the Sephardic Bikur Holim congregation. Candles are lit every evening towards the end of the Arvit (evening) service, right after the reciting of the Shir Ha’Malot prayer. Rabbi Benzaquen clarified the reasoning behind this minhag or custom, “We want as many people as possible to see the candles, to witness the נס or miracle. Therefore, we wait until the end of Arvit, so as many people as possible show up.” Following this communal candle lighting, most families return home and light a chanukia with their family.
Following the candle lighting, all family members are forbidden to ‘work’ and in most families, there is singing of Piyutim, or Jewish liturgical poems and eating of fried foods like donuts.
One of the most interesting things Rabbi Bezaquen told me about had to do with the Shamash, the service candle, that stands raised above the other candles throughout the eight nights of Chanukah. We are commanded to only see the Chanukah candles and not to use them “אלא לראותם בלבד” “They are only to be seen”. In most Ashkenazi households, the shamash is used to light the candles on the chanukia (this is how we always did it in my family!). But in Sephardic communities, and at Sephardic Bikur Holim, the candles are lit with a match or another candle and after lighting these, they light the shamash, which stays perched above the other candles throughout the lighting. The reasoning behind this ritual stems from how each community views the role of the Shamash; for the Sephardim, the shamash is there just in case we by accident “use” the light from candles. If this happens, we don’t need to worry because we “used” the shamash, and not the other candles that are there purely for celebratory reasons.