#My menorah la bamba free#

Light is a major theme of Hanukkah, as one of the descriptive names of the holiday, Hag Ha-Urim (“Festival of Lights”), makes clear. Will join together and arise and be redeemed. In every generation a hero will arise, a redeemer for the people.Īnd in our day the whole people of Israel Who can retell the mighty deeds of Israel, who can count them? Who Can Retell? Hanukkah Song with lyrics The ability of Jews to defend, protect, and rule themselves is one of the country’s values and the Hanukkah celebrations in Israel highlight this theme. Yet many Jews, remembering centuries of oppression, take pride in the prowess of the State of Israel. Many people do not want to appear jingoistic or to look as though they were celebrating a version of “might is right” and they are uncomfortable with taking pride in military strength or victories. In the contemporary Diaspora, celebrations of might are sometimes similarly viewed as lacking in proper humility or spirituality. The Talmudic Rabbis downplayed the role of military might and lifted up the role of God in their celebration of Hanukkah. Such a bold celebration of a human-centered, military victory can challenge both Rabbinic and Diaspora sensibilities. The Maccabees are described in the sons as bringing redemption and salvation, two acts usually associated with God. The biblical verse was transformed into lyrics that extol the mighty acts of Israel. This song references Psalms 106:2, which celebrates God’s mighty acts. Jews regard the Hasmonean dynasty as a reference point of pride–the most recent period of autonomous Jewish rule in the Land of Israel until the founding of the State of Israel.Įarly in the 20th century, the song “Who Can Retell?” (“ Mi Yemalel?”) was written to celebrate the deeds of humans in bringing about both the victory of the Maccabees and the hoped for victory of people In modern times. The military victory and subsequent autonomous reign of the Hasmoneans provided an important example for the early Zionists, and these historical highlights continue to be important to the modern state. These popular Israeli Hanukkah songs show some of the nation’s perspectives on the holiday. In the succeeding years, Hanukkah has received unique Israeli interpretations as a national holiday, with symbols and themes given new meanings. They each represent a celebration of Jewish peoplehood and as such, they are particularly open to interpretation and reinterpretation from both secular and religious viewpoints.Įarly Zionists such as Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) adopted Hanukkah in particular as a celebration of Jewish national strength. In the Torah commentary of the Sefat Emet (“Language of Truth”), Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger describes Hanukkah and Purim as holidays that the Jewish people “merited by their own deeds” rather than received through the commandments of the written Torah. Hanukkah Songs from Israel How Zionism influenced the Festival of Lights.

#My menorah la bamba free#

Free audio streaming. Find Israeli Hanukkah songs here. Lyrics for the following songs in English, Hebrew and transliteration. Hanukkah prayer and blessings for each night | Chanukah prayer On My Jewish Learning