{"id":36086,"date":"2018-12-02T20:48:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-02T18:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/?p=36086"},"modified":"2024-12-16T15:51:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T13:51:20","slug":"p36086","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/en\/p36086\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: How Hanukkah Was Celebrated a Thousand Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though it is not one of the biblical Jewish holidays, the festival of Hanukkah held an important place for the Jews of medieval Cairo who wrote a majority of the documents in the Cairo Genizah. This famous collection of Jewish manuscript fragments was originally stored in Cairo’s Ben Ezra synagogue. It contained around 300,000 items, some of them over a thousand years old.<\/p>\n

The Genizah reveals that even in the Middle Ages, the Jews of Cairo (then known as Fustat) would send Hanukkah letters and greetings to one another. One such greeting contained a variation of a well-known Hanukkah blessing which is still in use today: “may He who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days in this time also perform with Your Holy Eminence for the rest of the wretched flock.”<\/p>\n

We have collected a few more greetings and wishes that can be found in the Cairo Genizah to share with you this holiday season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Part of a letter in Judeo-Arabic. The author sends greetings to the addressee and other relatives. “Afchal al-salam” (peace be upon him), and wishes to send his peace (‘salami’) \u201cLe-lamuli (to my master) al-Sheich Ya’qub Shatz, al-Sheich Taher, ve-seir al-sahab (and the rest of the members).”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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One of these dates to the mid-11th century: an invitation sent by a man to an honored friend for a Hanukkah event: “\u2026that we shall meet tomorrow in the synagogue.” He added, “God will put the days of Hanukkah upon him and all that he has, as a sign of good and a sign of blessing.”<\/p>\n

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“God will put the days of Hanukkah upon him and all that he has, as a sign of good and a sign of blessing.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Another fragment of a letter, written in Judeo-Arabic, reads, “Bada al-ayyam al-sharifa<\/i> (During these honorable days), al-mukhtazah al-mahawdeh b-elnasim<\/i> (well-known and recognized for miracles)\u2026He who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time<\/i>\u2026”<\/p>\n

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“Bada al-ayyam al-sharifa al-mukhtazah al-mahawdeh b-elnasim…” (During these honorable days well-known and recognized for miracles…)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was a great sin to allow anyone to spend the holiday alone, without family. In a letter sent by a man by the name of Yosef to one of his relatives, he wrote: “V-ana akool anani etzel el-eichem alei el-Hanukkah<\/em> (and I say that I will come to you in honor of Hanukkah).”<\/p>\n

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“V-ana akool anani etzel el-eichem alei el-Hanukkah\u201d (And I say that I will come to you in honor of Hanukkah).”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Happy Hanukkah!<\/p>\n

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The first two letters are currently part of the Cambridge University collections – TS10J 14.9 & TS8J22.7. The third is located at the JTS Library- ENANS 2.5. The letter which mentions the Hanukkah family visit is part of the Lewis-Gibson Collection, LIT2.140<\/em><\/p>\n

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