Hanukkah
Hanukkah, also known as the Holiday of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday remembering the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for 8 nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev consistent with the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
The holiday is observed by the ligting of the lights of a special candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each night of the holiday, progressing to 8 on the final night. An extra light called a Shamash (Hebrew: "guard" or "servant") is also lit each night, and is given a apparent position, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b–23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than announcing and understanding on the Hanukkah story. (The Shamash is used to light the other lights.) As such, if one were to read from the lights—something not allowed—then it's not clear whether the light one's reading from was from the Hanukkah lights or the Shamash light. So the Shamash acts as a safeguard from accidental violation.
English translation: "Establishing" or "Dedication" referring to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Also called: Holiday of Lights, Holiday of Dedication
Observed by Jews
Type: Jewish
Significance: The Maccabees successfully rebelled against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for 8 days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day's lighting.
Begins: 25 Kislev
Ends: 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
Celebrations: Lighting candles each night. Singing special songs, such as Ma'oz Tzur. Reciting Hallel prayer. Consuming festive meals and foods fried in oil, such as latkes and sufganiyot. Playing the dreidel game, and giving Hanukkah money
Related to: Purim, as a rabbinically decreed holiday.
Origins of the holiday
From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", marks the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of Antiochus IV and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". Consistent with the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for 8 days, which was the length of time it took to press, make and consecrate fresh olive oil.Hanukkah is also brought up in the deuterocanonical books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. 1 Maccabees states: "For 8 days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. Then Judah and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the rededication... should be observed... every year... for 8 days. (1 Mac. 4:56–59)" Consistent with 2 Maccabees, "the Jews celebrated joyfully for 8 days as on the feast of Booths."
The martyrdom of Hannah and her seven sons has also been linked to Hanukkah. Consistent with the Talmudic story and 2 Maccabees, a Jewish woman named Hannah and her seven sons were tortured and executed by Antiochus for refusing to worship an idol, which would have been a violation of Jewish law.
Meaning of the Name
The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb "çðê", meaning "to dedicate". On Hanukkah, the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple.In the Jewish tradition, many homiletical explanations have been given for the name:
The name can be broken down into "çðå", from the Hebrew word for encampment, and the Hebrew letters ë"ä, which stand for the 25th day of Kislev, the day on which the holiday begins: Hence, the Jews sat in their camp, that is, they rested fighting, on the 25th day of Kislev.
Hanukkah is also the Hebrew acronym for "ç' ðøåú åäìëä ëáéú äìì" meaning "8 candles as determined by House of Hillel" This is a reference to the disagreement between two rabbinical schools of thought–Hillel and the House of Shammai–on the proper way to light Hanukkah candles. Shammai said that 8 candles should be lit from the start, and reduced by one candle every night, whereas Hillel argued in favor of starting with one candle and lighting an additional one every night. Jewish law adopted the position of Hillel.
Hanukka's Historical sources
The Mishna
The story of Hanukkah, along with its laws and customs, is entirely missing from the Mishna outside of a single passing reference, (Megillah 3:6). Rav Nissim Gaon postulates in his Hakdamah Le'mafteach Hatalmud that information on the holiday is commonplace to the point that Rabbinical explanation is unnecessary. Reuvain Margolies suggests that as the Mishnah was redacted after the Bar Kochba revolt, authors could not have included discussion of Hanukkah as the Roman occupiers would not have tolerated the overt nationalism inherent in the story.The Talmud
The miracle of Hanukkah is described in the Talmud. The Gemara, in tractate Shabbat 2 focuses on Shabbat candles and moves to Hanukkah candles and says that after the forces of Antiochus IV had been driven from the Temple, the Maccabees discovered that almost all of the ritual olive oil had been profaned. They found only a single container that was still sealed by the High Priest, with enough oil to keep the menorah in the Temple lit for a single day. They used this, and miraculously, that oil burned for 8 days (the time it took to have new oil pressed and made ready).The Talmud presents three options:
The law requires only one light each night per household,
A better practice is to light one light each night for each member of the household
The most preferred practice is to vary the number of lights each night.
There was a dispute among the sages over how the last option was to be performed: either display 8 lamps on the first night of the holiday, and reduce the number on each successive night; or begin with one lamp the first night, increasing the number till the eighth night. The followers of Shammai favored the former custom; the followers of Hillel advocated the latter. As is the case in most such disputes, Jewish law followed Hillel. Except in times of danger, the lights were to be placed outside one's door or in the window closest to the street. Rashi, in a note to Shabbat 21b, says their purpose is to publicize the miracle.
The Septuagint and other sources
The story of Hanukkah is alluded to in the book of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees of the Septuagint but Hanukkah is not specially brought up; rather, a story similar in character, and obviously older in date, is the one alluded to in 2 Maccabees 1:18 et seq consistent with which the relighting of the altar fire by Nehemiah was due to a miracle which occurred on the twenty-fifth of Kislev, and which appears to be given as the reason for the selection of the same date for the rededication of the altar by Judah Maccabeus.The Books of Maccabees are not part of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), but are part of deuterocanonical historical and religious material preserved in the Septuagint. The Tanakh ends with the consequences following the events of Purim, and had already been codified many centuries earlier by the Men of the Great Assembly (Anshei Knesset HaGedolah).
Another source is the Megillat Antiochus. This work (also known as "Megillat HaHasmonaim", or "Megillat Hanukkah") is in both Aramaic and Hebrew; the Hebrew version is a literal translation from the Aramaic original. Recent scholarship dates it to somewhere between the 2nd and 5th Centuries, probably in the 2nd Century, with the Hebrew dating to the seventh century. It was published for the first time in Mantua in 1557. Saadia Gaon, who translated it into Arabic in the 9th Century, ascribed it to the Maccabees themselves, disputed by some, since it gives dates as so many years before the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE. The Hebrew text with an English translation can be found in the Siddur of Philip Birnbaum.
The story of Hannuka
Around 200 BCE Jews lived as an autonomous people in the Land of Israel, also referred to as Judea, which at that time was controlled by the Seleucid king of Syria. The Jewish people paid taxes to Syria and accepted its legal authority, and they were free to follow their own faith, maintain their own jobs, and engage in trade.Traditional view
By 175 BCE Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the Seleucid throne. At first little changed, but under his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem was looted, Jews were massacred, and Judaism was effectively outlawed. In 167 BCE Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. As was the normal practice of the Hellenic religion when sacrificing to the Greek gods, pigs were sacrificed on the altar to Zeus.Antiochus' actions proved to be a major miscalculation as they provoked a large-scale revolt. Mattathias, a Jewish priest, and his five sons Jochanan, Simeon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and Judah led a rebellion against Antiochus. Judah became known as Yehuda HaMakabi ("Judah the Hammer"). By 166 BCE Mattathias had died, and Judah took his place as leader. By 165 BCE the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The holiday of Hanukkah was instituted by Judah Maccabee and his brothers to celebrate this event. After recovering Jerusalem and the Temple, Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made. Consistent with the Talmud, olive oil was needed for the menorah in the Temple, which was required to burn throughout the night every night. But there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for 8 days, the time needed to make a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An 8 day holiday was declared by the Jewish sages to commemorate this miracle.
The version of the story in 1 Maccabees, on the other hand, states that an 8 day celebration of songs and sacrifices was proclaimed upon rededication of the altar, and makes no mention of the miracle of the oil. A number of historians believe that the reason for the 8 day celebration was that the first Hanukkah was in effect a belated celebration of the holidays of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret. During the war the Jews were not able to celebrate Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret properly; the combined holidays also last 8 days, and the Sukkot festivities featured the lighting of lamps in the Temple (Suk.v. 2-4). The historian Josephus mentions the eight-day holiday and its customs, but does not tell us the origin of the 8 day lighting custom. Given that his audience was Hellenized Romans, perhaps his silence on the origin of the eight-day custom is due to its miraculous nature. In any event, he does report that lights were kindled in the household and the popular name of the holiday was, therefore the "Holiday of Lights" ("And from that time to this we celebrate this holiday, and call it Lights").
It has also been noted that the number 8 has special significance in Jewish theology, as representing transcendence and the Jewish People's special role in human history. Seven is the number of days of creation, that is, of completion of the material cosmos, and also of the classical planets. Eight, being one step beyond seven, represents the Infinite. Hence, the Eighth Day of the Assembly holiday, brought up above, is consistent with Jewish Law a holiday for Jews only (unlike Sukkot, when all peoples were welcome in Jerusalem). Similarly, the rite of brit milah (circumcision), which brings a Jewish male into God's Covenant, is performed on the eighth day. Hence, Hanukkah's 8 days (in celebration of monotheistic morality's victory over Hellenistic humanism) have great symbolic importance for practicing Jews.
Modern perception
Most modern scholars argue that the king was in fact intervening in an internal civil war between the traditionalist Jews in the country and the Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem. Consistent with Joseph P. Schultz:Modern scholarship on the other hand considers the Maccabi revolt less as an uprising against foreign oppression than as a civil war between the orthodox and reformist parties in the Jewish camp.
These competed violently over who would be the High Priest, with traditionalists with Hebrew/Aramaic names like Onias contesting with Hellenizing High Priests with Greek names like Jason and Menelaus. In particular Jason's Hellenistic reforms would prove to be a decisive factor leading to eventual conflict within the ranks of Judaism. Other authors point to possible socio/economic in addition to the religious reasons behind the civil war.
What begun in many respects as a civil war escalated when the Hellenistic kingdom of Syria sided with the Hellenizing Jews in their conflict with the traditionalists. As the conflict escalated, Antiochus took the side of the Hellenizes by prohibiting the religious practices the traditionalists had rallied around. This may explain why the king, in a total abandonment of Seleucid practice in all other places and times, banned the traditional religion of a whole people.
Hanukkah rituals
Hanukkah is celebrated by a series of rituals that are performed every day throughout the 8-day holiday. Some are family-based and others are communal. There are special additions to the daily prayer service, and a section is added to the blessing after meals. Hanukkah is not a "Sabbath-like" holiday, and there is no obligations to refrain from activities that are not allowed on the Sabbath, as specified in the People go to work as usual, but may leave early in order to be home to kindle the lights at nightfall. There is no religious reason for schools to be closed, although, in Israel, schools close for the whole week of Hanukkah. Many families exchange gifts each night, and fried foods are eaten.Ligting the Hanukkah lights - the Chanukkiya
The primary ritual, consistent with Jewish law and custom, is to light a single light each night for 8 nights. As a universally practiced "beautification" of the mitzvah, the number of lights lit is increased by one each night. An extra light called a Shamash, meaning guard or servant is also lit each night, and is given a apparent position, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 21b–23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than announcing and understanding on the Hanukkah story. This differs from Sabbath candles which are meant to be used for illumination. Hence, if one were to need extra illumination on Hanukkah, the Shamash candle would be available and one would avoid using the not allowed lights. Some light the Shamash candle first and then use it to light the others. So all together, including the Shamash, two lights are lit on the first night, three on the second and so on, ending with nine on the last night, for a total of 44 (36, excluding the Shamash).The lights can be candles or oil lamps. Electric lights are sometimes used and are acceptable in places where open flame is not permitted, such as a hospital room. Most Jewish homes have a special candelabrum or oil lamp holder for Hanukkah, which holds 8 lights plus the additional Shamash light.
The reason for the Hanukkah lights is not for the "lighting of the house within", but rather for the "illumination of the house without," so that passers-by should see it and be reminded of the holiday's miracle. Accordingly lamps are set up at a prominent window or near the door leading to the street. It is customary amongst some Ashkenazim to have a separate menorah for each family member, whereas most Sephardim light one for the whole household. Only when there was danger of anti-Semitic persecution were lamps supposed to be hidden from public view, as was the case in Persia under the rule of the Zoroastrians or in parts of Europe before and during World War II. However, most Hasidic groups, light lamps near an inside doorway, not necessarily in public view. Consistent with this tradition, the lamps are placed on the opposite side from the mezuzah, so that when one passes through the door he is surrounded by the holiness of mitzvoth.
Time of lighting
Hanukkah lights should burn for at least one half hour after it gets dark. The custom of the Gaon from Vilna observed by many residents of Jerusalem as the custom of the city is to light at sundown, although most Hassidim light later, even in Jerusalem. Many Hasidic Rabbis light much later, because they fulfill the obligation of announcing the miracle by the presence of their Hasidim when they kindle the lights. Inexpensive small wax candles sold for Hanukkah burn for approximately half an hour so on most days this requirement can be met by lighting the candles when it is dark outside. Friday night presents a problem, however. Since candles may not be lit on the Shabbat itself, the candles must be lit before sunset. However, they must remain lit until the regular time–thirty minutes after nightfall–and inexpensive Hanukkah candles do not burn long enough to meet the requirement. A simple solution is to use longer candles, or the traditional oil lamps. In keeping with the above-stated prohibition, the Hanukkah menorah is lit first, followed by the Shabbat candles which signify its onset.Blessings over the candles
Typically three blessings are recited during this eight-day holiday. On the first night of Hanukkah, Jews recite all three blessings; on all subsequent nights, they recite only the first two. The blessings are said before or after the candles are lit depending on tradition. On the first night of Hanukkah one light is lit on the right side of the Menorah, on the following night a second light is placed to the left of the first candle and so on, proceeding from right to left over the 8 nights. On each night, the leftmost candle is lit first, and lighting proceeds from left to right.For the full text of the blessings, see List of Jewish prayers and blessings: Hanukkah.
Hanerot Halalu
During or after the lights are kindled the hymn Hanerot Halalu is recited. There are several differing versions; the version presented here is recited in many Ashkenazic communities:Ashkenazic version:
Transliteration EnglishHanneirot hallalu anachnu madlikin 'al hannissim ve'al hanniflaot 'al hatteshu'ot ve'al hammilchamot she'asita laavoteinu bayyamim haheim, (u)bazzeman hazeh 'al yedei kohanekha hakkedoshim. Vekhol-shemonat yemei Hanukkah hanneirot hallalu kodesh heim, ve-ein lanu reshut lehishtammesh baheim ella lir'otam bilvad kedei lehodot ul'halleil leshimcha haggadol 'al nissekha ve'al nifleotekha ve'al yeshu'otekha We light these lights for the miracles and the wonders, for the redemption and the battles that you made for our forefathers, in those days at this season, through your holy priests. During all 8 days of Hanukkah these lights are sacred, and we are not permitted to make ordinary use of them except for to look at them in order to express thanks and praise to Your great Name for your miracles, Your wonders and Your salvations.
Maoz Tzur
Each night after the lighting of the candles, while remaining within sight of the candles, Ashkenazim (and, in recent decades, some Sephardim and Mizrahim in Western countries) usually sing the hymn Ma'oz Tzur written in Medieval Germany. The song contains six stanzas. The first and last deal with general themes of divine salvation, and the middle four deal with events of persecution in Jewish history, and praises God for survival despite these tragedies (the exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian captivity, the miracle of the holiday of Purim, and the Hasmonean victory).Other customs
After lighting the candles and Ma'oz Tzur, singing various other Hanukkah songs is customary in many Jewish homes. Various Hasidic and Sefardic traditions have additional prayers that are recited both before and after lighting the Hanukkah lights. This includes the recitation of many Psalms, most notably Psalms 30, 67, and 91 (many Hasidim recite Psalm 91 seven times after lighting the lamps, as was taught by the Baal Shem Tov), as well as other prayers and hymns, each congregation consistent with its own custom. In North America it is common to exchange presents or give children presents at this time.Additions to the daily prayers
An addition is made to the "hoda'ah" (thanksgiving) benediction in the Amidah, called Al ha-Nissim ("On/about the Miracles"). This addition refers to the victory achieved over the Syrians by the Hasmonean Mattathias and his sons.The same prayer is added to the grace after meals. In addition, the Hallel Psalms are sung during each morning service and the Tachanun penitential prayers are omitted. The Torah is read every day in the synagogue, the first day beginning from Numbers 6:22 (consistent with some customs, Numbers 7:1), and the last day ending with Numbers 8:4.
Since Hanukkah lasts 8 days it includes at least one, and sometimes two, Jewish Sabbaths (Saturdays). The weekly Torah portion for the first Sabbath is almost always Miketz, telling of Joseph's dream and his enslavement in Egypt. The Haftarah reading for the first Sabbath Hanukkah is Zechariah 2:14–4:7. When there is a second Sabbath on Hanukkah, the Haftarah reading is from I Kings 7:40–50.
The Hanukkah menorah is also kindled daily in the synagogue, at night with the blessings and in the morning without the blessings. The menorah is not lit on the Sabbath, but rather prior to the beginning of the Sabbath at night and not at all during the day.
During the Middle Ages "Megillat Antiochus" was read in the Italian synagogues on Hanukkah just as the Book of Esther is read on Purim. It still forms part of the liturgy of the Yemenite Jews.
"We thank You also for the miraculous deeds and for the redemption and for the mighty deeds and the saving acts wrought by You, as well as for the wars which You waged for our ancestors in ancient days at this season. In the days of the Hasmonean Mattathias, son of Johanan the high priest, and his sons, when the iniquitous Greco-Syrian kingdom rose up against Your people Israel, to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the ordinances of Your will, then You in your abundant mercy rose up for them in the time of their trouble, pled their cause, executed judgment, avenged their wrong, and delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent ones into the hands of those occupied with Your Torah. Both unto Yourself did you make a great and holy name in Thy world, and unto Your people did You achieve a great deliverance and redemption. Whereupon your children entered the sanctuary of Your house, cleansed Your temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and appointed these 8 days of Hanukkah in order to give thanks and praises unto Your holy name."
Zot Hanukkah
The last day of Hanukkah is known as Zot Hanukkah, from the verse read on this day in the synagogue (Numbers 7:84, Zot Chanukat Hamizbe'ach, "This was the dedication of the altar"). Consistent with the teachings of Kabbalah and Hasidism, this day is the final "seal" of the High Holiday season of Yom Kippur, and is considered a time to repent out of love for God. In this spirit, many Hasidic Jews wish each other Gmar chatimah tovah ("may you be sealed totally for good"), a traditional greeting for the Yom Kippur season. It is taught in Hasidic and Kabbalistic literature that this day is particularly auspicious for the fulfillment of prayers.Hanukkah music
There are several songs associated with the holiday of Hanukkah. The most well known in English-speaking countries include "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" and "Chanukah, Oh Chanukah". In Israel, Hanukkah has become something of a national holiday. A large number of songs have been written on Hanukkah themes, perhaps more so than for any other Jewish holiday. Some of the most well known are "Hanukkiah Li Yesh" ("I Have a Hanukkah Menora"), "Kad Katan" ("A Small Jug"), "S'vivon Sov Sov Sov" ("Dreidel, Spin and Spin"), Haneirot Halolu" ("These Candles which we light"), "Mi Yimalel" (Who can Retell") and "Ner Li, Ner Li" ("I have a Candle").Hanukkah foods
There is a custom of consuming foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of a small flask of pure olive oil used by the Jewish High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. This small batch of olive oil was only supposed to last one day, and instead it lasted eight.Accordingly, potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah, especially among Ashkenazi families, as they are maked by frying in oil. Similarly, many Sephardic, Polish and Israeli families have the custom of consuming all kinds of jam-filled doughnuts, (bimuelos, or sufganiyot) which are deep-fried in oil.
There is also a tradition of consuming dairy products on Hannukah that is recorded in rabbinic literature. This custom is seen as a commemoration of the involvement of Judith and thus women in the events of Hannukah (see Judith and Holofernes above).
Hanukkah games
Dreidel
The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, is a four-sided spinning top that children play with on Hanukkah. Each side is imprinted with a Hebrew letter. These letters are an acronym for the Hebrew words ðñ âãåì äéä ùí (Nes Gadol Haya Sham, "A great miracle happened there"), referring to the miracle of the oil that took place in the Beit Hamikdash.נ (Nun)
ג (Gimel)
ה (Hey)
פ (Shin)
In Eretz Yisroel, the fourth side of most dreidels is inscribed with the letter ô (Pe), rendering the acronym ðñ âãåì äéä ôä (Nes Gadol Haya Po, "A great miracle happened here"), referring to the fact that the miracle occurred in the land of Israel. Some stores in Haredi neighbourhoods may sell the traditional Shin dreidels.
Some Jewish commentators ascribe symbolic significance to the markings on the dreidel. One commentary, for example, connects the four letters with the four exiles to which the nation of Israel was historically subject: Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome.
After lighting the Hanukkah menorah, it is customary in many homes to play the dreidel game: Each player starts out with 10 or 15 coins (real or of chocolate), nuts, raisins, candies or other markers, and places one marker in the "pot." The first player spins the dreidel, and depending on which side the dreidel falls on, either wins a marker from the pot or gives up part of his stash. The code (based on a Yiddish version of the game) is as follows:
Nun–nisht, "nothing"–nothing happens and the next player spins
Gimel–gants, "all"–the player takes the entire pot
Hey–halb, "half"–the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
Shin–shtel ayn, "put in"–the player puts one marker in the pot
Another version differs:
Nun–nim, "take"–the player takes one from the pot
Gimel–gib, "give"–the player puts one in the pot
Hey–halb, "half"–the player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
Shin–shtil, "still" (as in "stillness")–nothing happens and the next player spins
The game may last until one person has won everything.
Some say the dreidel game is played to commemorate a game devised by the Jews to camouflage the fact that they were studying Torah, which was outlawed by Greeks. The Jews would gather in caves to study, posting a lookout to alert the group to the presence of Greek soldiers. If soldiers were spotted, the Jews would hide their scrolls and spin tops, so the Greeks thought they were gambling, not learning.
Hanukkah money
Hanukkah money is often given to children to enhance their enjoyment of the holiday. The amount is usually in small coins, although grandparents or other relatives may give larger sums as an official Hanukkah gift. In Israel, Hanukkah money is known as dmei Hanukkah. Many Hasidic Rebbes distribute coins to those who visit them during Hanukkah. Hasidic Jews consider this to be an auspicious blessing from the Rabbi, and a segulah for success.Rabbi Abraham P. Bloch has written that “The tradition of giving money (Chanukah money) to children is of long standing. The custom had its origin in the seventeenth-century practice of Polish Jewry to give money to their small children for distribution to their teachers. In time, as children demanded their due, money was also given to children to keep for themselves. Teen-age boys soon came in for their share. Consistent with Magen Avraham (18th cent.), it was the custom for poor yeshiva students to visit homes of Jewish benefactors who dispensed Chanukah money (Orach Chaim 670). The rabbis approved of the custom of giving money on Chanukah because it publicized the story of the miracle of the oil.”
Twentieth-century American chocolates picked up on the gift/coin concept by consuming chocolate money.