Even No Fax Payday Loan Won’t Come in Time for Hanukkah Holiday

You can be approved for a no fax payday loan online within two hours. But even if you get your cash deposited directly to your account, it won’t come in time for the beginning of the  Hanukkah holiday.

That’s because Hanukkah started Sunday evening. You  may be able to whip up a celebration for the eighth and final day of Hanukkah, Dec. 29.

Challah if you speak Hebrew

Now before you jump all over me for spelling “Hanukkah” wrong, you should know that there are three spellings listed for this Jewish holiday in Merriam-Webster, including Chanukah and Hanukah. The truth is, none of these is correct. That’s because Hanukkah is a Hebrew word, and Hebrew symbols look nothing like the letters in the English alphabet.

The three spellings that appear in the dictionary are only the tip of the iceberg. There are several more spellings out there. And there are several theories about what Hanukkah means, when it is, how important it is and how to celebrate it.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one

So we all know the name of the holiday, but not much else is general knowledge. There are a few things that the average non-Jewish person knows about Hanukkah. It last eight days. There are presents. There is a Menorah. All of these things are correct. For most of us, after that it gets a little fuzzy.

In the spirit of sharing all types of holiday joy, I offer you a brief tutorial on Hanukkah.

Preface to a miracle

Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Light. It dates back 21 centuries to when the Jews’ Holy Land was ruled by Syrian-Greeks, who tried to take over the land, including the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

A small band of faithful Jews were able to resist the enormous, powerful Syrian-Greek army, and they reclaimed the Holy Temple. The small Jewish force was called The Maccabees after its leader.

The Menorah

After the Jews’ triumph, they went to the temple to light the Menorah. Jewish faith mandated that only olive oil that was ritualistically purified could be used.

There was only a tiny amount of oil left that hadn’t been contaminated by the Greeks. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. The candles of the Menorah symbolize this event. A Menorah contains nine oil-fueled lights or candles. One light burns throughout the eight-day festival, and an additional candle is lit for each of days.

So on the first day of Hanukkah you light two candles, the “attendant” candle and one additional candle. On the second day you light three candles and so on. Today at sundown the third day begins, so you can still get a no fax payday loan in time to celebrate the last half of the holiday.

Christmakkuh

Presents weren’t always a traditional part of Hanukkah. Conservative Jewish custom is to give children money and encourage them to give some of it to charity.

In the United States, as little Jewish children began to assimilate with little Christian children, they felt left out. The tradition of giving money for several days of Hanukkah gradually morphed into giving presents on all eight days.

The food

Because oil plays a significant role in the Hanukka holiday, it is customary to eat foods fried in oil. The most common of these are latkes, potato pancakes. Many other foods fried in oil are acceptable traditional foods as well.

Latkes are shredded potatoes made into round cakes, about the size of the palm of your hand. At a Hanukkah party I attended this year, latkes were served with sour cream and apple sauce.

When is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah falls on a different date on the Christian calendar every year because the Jewish calendar is different. The Christian calendar began 2,008 years ago, while the Jewish calendar has been around for 5,769 years.

Also, days on the Jewish calendar begin at sundown. So Hanukkah this year began at sundown Sunday, the beginning of the 25th day of the month called Kislev on the Jewish calendar. It falls on the same date on the Jewish calendar every year.

Don’t play dumb

There is a lot more to learn about Hanukkah, such as the significance of dreidels and modern arguments about the origin of the holiday. But at least now  you can speak to your fellow humans with some authority on the subject.

Hanukkah doesn’t end until sundown Dec. 29, so if you apply for a no fax payday loan today, you’ll have your cash in time to celebrate the final few days.