Chanukah is a special tradition in Judaism. This holiday is known as the festival of lights. On Chanukah, we commemorate the story of Judah and the Maccabi's which is not read about in the sefer torah. A holy miracle also occurred with just enough oil to last for one night but ended up lasting for eight nights. We use many symbols and traditions in the celebration of Chanukah. Many items to celebrate the festive occasion can be found in a Judaica store.

When you visit a Judaica store for a Chanukah celebration, look for a Channukia. This is a special candle holder containing nine places for candles. This signifies that oil that miraculously lasted for eight days. The ninth candle holder is for the Shamash, or lighter candle. Elaborately decorated Channukiot are made in all different shapes, sizes, and colors and you can choose the one that is right for you and your family.

We may not go to the synagogue or dress in our finest tallit, but we do love to play Dreidel for the Chanukah tradition. A Dreidel, or Sevivon, is a game played representing the Jews who were forbidden to study Torah but did so anyways. They hid that they were studying Torah by pretending to play games with a spinning top. Out of Israel, a Dreidel contains the Hebrew letter "Shin."

In Israel, the Dreidels contain the Hebrew letter "Pei."  The difference is the saying, "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham," and "Nes Gadol Hayah Poh." In English this means, "A great miracle happened there," and "A great miracle happened here." Here and there are in relation to Israel depending on where you are located. You can find beautifully crafted Sevivon at an Israeli Judaica store with the letters "Nun," "Gimel", "Hey", and "Pei."

Bring in the holiday of lights by lighting the Channukah candles each night. Share gifts and chocolate Gelt with friends and family. Enjoy your holiday and don't forget to visit a Judaica store to pick up all the tradition items for retelling the miracle of the oil.