Chanukah Is Celebrated Without a Feast – Why?
I’ve always wondered why Chanukah doesn’t have festive meals like the other holidays. I know we eat foods fried in oil to remember the miracle with the oil and the candles, but why not meals with Kiddush, challah and the like? Someone said it’s because Chanukah is not in the Torah, but neither is Purim, and there’s a big meal on Purim. Thanks for your time,
Blessings in the First and Third Person
A friend of mine and I were studying the berachos (blessings) we recite on a mitzvah and were wondering why we start out talking directly to Hashem, and then we switch to third person for the end of the beracha.
Why Do We Bless the Children on Friday Night?
The blessing is known as the “birchas hayelidim” or the blessing of the children. It is based upon the blessing Jacob recited upon his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe, before he passed away. At the end of his blessing to Ephraim and Menashe the Torah says; “So he blessed them that day, saying, ‘By you shall […]
