A table outside a shop on Jaffa Street laden with all kinds of chanukiot.And from the bakeries down the street the smell of soofganiot (jelly donuts) frying in oil.
Sure signs that Chanuka is coming!
The first light will indeed be kindled on December 20.
The Chanuka chanukiah, with eight arms and one for the servant candle (8+1=9), is not to be confused with the menorah, the lampstand with seven branches that was used in the Temple in ancient days.The sculpture in the photo is "Menorat Hashalom" by Salvador Dali.
It is the first thing travelers see when they land at Ben-Gurion Airport and exit from Terminal 3.
In case you were thinking of climbing on it, note that the sign says "Climbing prohibited."
And just for fun enlarge the photo to see two young women stretched out for a rest.
The reflections in both pictures are for James' meme, Weekend Reflections.
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I can hardly wait to be in Israel a year from now (going on a tour)! Great reflections--the clouds reflected on the building are so pretty and the reflections of street scenes and Chanuka items is delightful!
ReplyDeleteShalom Pat. You will be welcome. Will this be your first trip to Israel? Tell us more. Hope we can meet.
ReplyDeleteOh, didn't remember it was from him, the great man.
ReplyDeleteThe two kind are often mixed up in movies and TV...
ReplyDeleteAlways great to see other celebrations at this time of year (or anytime really)
ReplyDeleteShalom Dina, and thanks for the good explanation of the difference. I sort of knew this, but now it is very clear in my mind. Preparations are being made in many places for the coming celebrations...the sense of anticipation is a joyful thing to experience I think.
ReplyDeleteI'm a tiny bit envious of Pat, looking forward to her visit next year! We have been seeing "come to Israel" commercials on TV here recently...it's calling my name.
Hi Dina, thank you for stressing the difference between Chanukkah and Menurah candles because I thought they are just the same. Informative post as always happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteWeekend Reflection
The first picture is intimate and the second one more public, but both show scenes around religious celebrations , each offering a different view, and a beautyful reflection!
ReplyDeleteYou have a very interesting take on Numerology :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the difference between the two candle holders - seen it so many times, but I should pay more attention to detail:)
ReplyDeleteShalom dear readers. I think the confusion comes because of a linguistic void in English. English simply lacks a name for what we in Modern Hebrew call a chanukiah.
ReplyDeleteI guess you could say "Chanuka menorah" to make it clear that you don't mean the other menorah.
RuneE, I'm glad you liked the title of the post.
ReplyDeleteActually I had in mind a trick question I once heard at a lecture at the Ecumenical Theology Fraternity: "How many holes for candles does the chanukiah [the Chanuka menorah] have?"
Those who answered "9" were judged to have a "goyishe Kopf" while those who said "8 + 1" supposedly had a "yiddishe Kopf."
Meaning that you either think with a Jewish head or with a non-Jewish head.
This sort-of joke was told by the Christian reverend.
Thank you Dina - maybe I'm 10 - 1 :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL Rune!
ReplyDeleteI'll keep an eye and count whenever seen over here. Thank you for teaching.
ReplyDeletePlease have a bright and kind weekend.
Great photos and I really appreciated the explanation that went with them!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Dina.
ReplyDeleteHey, weren't menorot and chanukiot both originally lamp stands, rather than candle-holders?
It might surprise some to know that, despite the unfortunate English translations, there are no candles mentioned in the original texts of the TaNaKh or New Testament...
Shabbat Shalom!
It's a 15-day tour and Jerusalem is in the middle of that time. 2-Dec thru 5-Dec is Dan Panorama, Jerusalem. Those days will include Masada, Ein Gedi, Abraham's Tent, up to Jerusalem, then Mount of Olives, Palm Sunday Road, Garden of Gethsemane, Temple Mount, Southern Steps, Western Wall, Cardo, Upper Room. 4-Dec is a day of leisure, then 5-Dec is Shiloh, Bethel, Samaria, Mt. Gerizim. It's a pretty busy tour with a church group. It would be really cool to meet you! We won't have phone or computer with us, though.
ReplyDeleteI, too, appreciated your explanation of the differences between the two different candle/lamp stands. I have just been learning about the items in the (pre-Temple) Tabernacle and the significance of each of them. It is so awesome to learn what each of them was for and what the symbolism was.
I remember loving the excitement of Chanukah. Art loves the gefilte fish with the red horse radish. It's been a long time since we've had it. And of course, the kids enjoyed the dreidel. Such happy memories.
ReplyDeleteMartus, yes, you're right. Originally it was all olive oil burning, not candles as we have today. Even now, many Jews will use the oil chanukia for Chanuka week, although there is a cheaper alternative to olive oil now.
ReplyDeleteA nice summary of biblical mentions is here:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-lampsandlampstands.html
Pat, wow, what a tour. You are going to see things in Samaria (West Bank) that many tourists and even many Israelis never see. I wish you strength for the journey.
Kay, can Art get gefilte fish in jars in Hawaii?
That chandle at airport is impressive. I`v seen that sign "climbing prohibited", haha.. my kids want to climb on it!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend:-)
This is really interesting, Dina. Great shot at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteOoooh! Jelly donuts!
ReplyDeleteToday I learn...thank you Dina! Mr. Dali's Menorah is quite beautiful!
ReplyDelete