People often ask me at this time of year for the source of some of the rituals and traditions of Chanukah. I thought you might enjoy knowing some of them.

The story of the miracle of the oil is found in the Talmud, written several centuries after the historical events that led to the creation of Chanukah. The tractate Shabbat page 27b reads:
"Beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month Kislev, there are eight days upon which there shall be neither mourning nor fasting. For although the Greeks entered the Temple and defiled the oil, it was when the might of the Hasmonean [Judah Maccabbee] overcame and conquered them that, upon search, a single cruse of undefiled oil sealed by the High priest was found. In it was oil enough for the needs of a single day. Then it is that a miracle occurred - the oil in the cruse burned for eight days."

The Shulchan Aruch, which is a code Jewish laws summarizing the conclusions reached in the Talmud, tells us to do the following:
  Do not fast on Chanukah, or on the day before, or on the day after.   Fill your menorah with enough oil to burn for at least a half hour.   Place eight candles in a straight row, since no day of Chanukah is superior to another. Only the shammash, the ninth taper, shall stand above them all.
   First light the shammash. With it kindle first the candle on the left and move toward the right. (See blessings, page 3)
   Men, women and children may kindle a Chanukah menorah. It is good for all mernbers of the household to light their own menorah.
   Increase your donation to tzedakah during the holiday.
   Finally the eating of potato latkes. Actually, the custom is not to eat latkes but to eat foods fried in oil. In Israel, for instance, as many of you know, they eat donuts, not latkes.

But surely the most important custom of all is just the gathering of family and friends to partake in the customs. As you gather about the Chanukah menorah in your home, may God's blessing rest on you and your family.

And as we gather in peace and comfort, let's not forget the message of Chanukah. Remember to ask God's blessing on those not fortunate enough to enjoy the kind of religious freedom we do, on those who practice their religion in fear rather than safety and tranquility.