From the traditional blessings of candle lighting to the joyous melodies of Ma’oz Tzur, Hanukkah is full of unique phrases and words that carry profound meanings. From Hebrew to English, it’s a special time of year to express the sentiment of a festival of light and salvation.
Prayers and Blessings
One of the main components of Hanukkah is candle-lighting, and this is typically accompanied by prayer and blessings. Generally, these revolve around thanking God for the miracles of Hanukkah and the observance of the eight nights of celebration. The traditional blessings for candle-lighting are:
Ka Lur Sha
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to light the light of Hanukkah.
She He She Lish Mo Tif
Baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech haolam shehecheyanu v’kiy’manu v’higiyanu lazman hazeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who have kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.
Songs
Hanukkah is just as much about celebrating the festival of lights as it is about singing joyous and uplifting songs about the holiday. One of the main songs for Hanukkah in the Ashkenazi tradition is Ma’oz Tzur, which is sung right after lighting the menorah candles. The full lyrics in Hebrew of Ma’oz Tzur are as follows:
- Ma’oz Tzur yisgehldeh lee, oorah khooleem b’shabbeheh, nehgehd bhoolee nuheh beheymeenu koosem l’shabbeheh
- Ahl handloom shaar yireh y’hoo, v’alehp koyel mi Yerushaleem, ahshehree ehts bekol mighdool miz’mor l’deebid ya’aleh v’yavo v’simloh
- Ehl mehloh mahtiv shehleeleh, looh mahshehvoso lee v’nees’hemv, ma’ahshehvoso lee l’ma’aneh nehgeh loh maytim sh’leeleh
- Khorn ufshingeh nehmeenoo, divreh malkhut mizmureh ehd, l’hodoso nahgeh dehvo beya’ehseer b’ivrehm nish’beeheh lee oorah
- Zos hanukkah ahseer l’hoo dulllee, yayleh dhahmee nehgeh keedshoh, v’nasan lahmee yavo sh’shatneh, l’shir todoh b’y’had mizmor
- Ah’teh m’loh y’shuoteeh l’fanekha, el m’lokh hehlee b’mshoolee, v’shomreem nehgeh loh mehdberekht eelay khaysh vehyoo b’sho’meer
- Vay’shalem nehgeh bohreh lo lehv, v’sheeloteh nehgeh khl’leh moyood, kol ohmeh shomreem n’ttheehee noon l’moel b’mitz’voos y’dey noh
- Ahl eemes yishmeh’oo yaarobon, yirby uv’yom hashvee ee umeshalem, loh yishkon beemtzoteh hoo bekodsho, uv’tsion behahreem l’m’shooleh
- Ah’mehn Ah’mehn v’ahmehreh khoo, ahmas’ee yirbeem beyirushalem, v’shomreem ner shel hoo haneekhoh, v’shabkhoseeh ma’seh hoo mizbakh.
The meaningful words and prayers of Hanukkah create a festive and joyous atmosphere, no matter how the holiday is celebrated. Through song and prayer, we are blessed to thank God for His miraculous intervention and celebrate the light of the menorah which we are commanded to keep. For each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, these blessing and songs bring an atmosphere of tradition, awe, and joy throughout the night.
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Last update 2023-11-27. Price and product availability may change.