Shalom Magazine

By Rabbi Moshe Y. Bleich

Wellesley Weston Chabad

The Hebrew word Chanukah shares the same root as chinuch, education. The occupying Greek forces were determined to force Hellenism upon the Jewish population, at the expense of the ideals and commandments of the holy Torah. Unfortunately, they were quite successful in their endeavor. After the Greeks were defeated, it was necessary to re-educate the Jews - to reintroduce a large part of the population to Torah values. Thus, the strong link between Chanukah and education.

Appropriately, during Chanukah it is customary to give gelt (money) to children, to teach them to increase their charitable giving and their good deeds, and to add to the festive holiday spirit.

This subtle form of "bribery" is an essential component of the educational process. Maimonides discusses the importance of using incentives and prizes until a child is old enough to independently understand the importance and beauty of the Torah and mitzvot.

There is also a deeper reason for this age-old custom:

In his record of the Chanukah events, Maimonides writes: "The Greeks laid their hands upon the possessions of Israel."

The Greeks invaded the possessions of Israel in the same spirit in which they defiled the oil in the Holy Temple. They did not destroy the oil; they defiled it. They did not rob the Jewish people; they attempted to infuse their possessions with Greek ideals - so that they would be used for egotistical and impure ends, rather than for holy pursuits.

Chanukah gelt celebrates the freedom and the mandate to channel material wealth toward spiritual ends.

Chanukah gelt can be given any time throughout Chanukah (aside from Shabbat). Some people participate in the admirable custom of gelt-giving each weeknight of Chanukah. At Chabad, it is customary to give gelt every night, but to hand out a heftier sum on the fourth or fifth night.

As far as giving gelt, as opposed to gifts, my teacher and mentor, the Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, once explained the concept of money vs. gifts. The gist of it was that a gift is a finished product, and only the recipient can use the gift. Money is not a finished product. One needs to do something with it for money to become useful. Further, money becomes relevant based on its use, for good, or the opposite. The point of "chinuch" education (as mentioned above, Chanukah comes from the word chinuch) is that we teach our children that what matters is what they do with what’s given to them. Not to be simply a recipient but rather, to be doers.

Geni and I would love to invite the entire Jewish community to celebrate Chanukah with us on Wednesday night, Dec. 21, at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St. in Wellesley. There will be plenty of entertainment for adults as well as for children, including face painting, music, latkes, Chanukah gelt, and lots more.

For more information or to RSVP, please visit WWW.WellesleyWestonChabad.Org, email us at ChabadWellesley@Aol.com, or call 781-239-1076. Chag Somayach!