Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah
From 101lifeStyle.com

Distribution Of Hanukkah Gelts:

The traditional gift of the Jewish culture is known as Gelt that is a Yiddish term for money. It includes the modern incarnations such as savings bonds, small chocolate, and checks which is known to be the gifts of Hanukkah. The old tradition of giving gelts, such as gold coins to children had first begun during the middle Ages in Europe. It is often used in the game of dreidels as a bet.

It is a cherished custom which goes back ages, but there is no mention of it in the Talmud or the book of the Jewish Law. But the importance of the coins during the era of Hasmonean is not denied.

It is written in the Book of the Maccabees in the year 142 B.C, that is 22 years after the temple was again regained by the Jews, then Simon who was the son of Mattathias, got Judea independence. Then the King of Syrian, Antiochus VII told Simon that: I turn the right over to you to make your own coinage for your country. Since the Jewish people had got back their independence, they made their own coin to express their independence and the newly won battle. The first coins were issued during the following years of the Hasmonean dynasty, and it depicted the symbol of prosperity of the country during those years. One of the coins had a design of the seven-branched menorah on one side and the Table of Shew Bread on the other, and both symbolized the restored Temple. These designs were made on the coin to remind the people of the instances that took place in order to get back control of the temple and the land from the Syrians.

The coinage system ceased to exist when the Second Temple got destroyed, right till the modern time, expect for a short time during the Bar Revolution. So during that time, there were no coins to distribute or use as Hanukkah gifts which was an important part of the custom of the Jewish clan during the middle Ages. During that time, it was a common custom to gift Hanukkah gelts to the local Jewish teacher which was his only means of living. When the custom changed further and it also made the rule that children should get coins, then there was more emphasis made on the importance of Jewish education and the importance of studying the Torah.

After the State of Israel has been founded, the coinage of the Jewish people has become a very important part of their history. The Bank of Israel passed a rule in the year 1958 to commemorate coins as a means of Hanukkah gelt. In the year 1972, a silver coin showed the 20th century Russian menorah, which was a message to the world about the Society Jewry. There were also other coins made showing various Menorahs of different lands of the Jews.

Hanukkah gelts is a wonderful tradition where you put whatever gelt you got in a tedakah box so that you can share your good fortune with the less fortunate people for are in need or give it for a good cause.

Hanukkah gelt is given to children, which is the traditions which have been coming down the years. It could be anything from chocolate coins or homemade treats which come in the shape of a coin.

An American chocolate company had first produced the Gelt. Gelts are used as the popular Dreidel game attraction. Each player is given an amount of gelts at first before spinning the wheel. They make a bet with their coins.

Dreidel - Hanukkah Game

Hanukkah Recipes