Hanukkah

8 Hanukkah Traditions From Around the World

From bonfires to hanging menorahs to an extra candle, here are some lesser-known Jewish Hanukkah traditions from all over the globe.

Hanukkah 2025: The My Jewish Learning Guide to Gifting

We have Judaica with a twist (think pink kiddush cup), Jewish jewelry, essential reads and so much more.

This Map Shows Where the Hanukkah Story Happened

See where the events described in the Hanukkah story are believed to have occurred and what they look like now.

7 Kitchen Essentials For Perfect Latkes

Buy them now, thanks us later.

Advertisement

Next Torah Portion

Summary

In this Torah portion, Jacob favors Joseph, and this angers Joseph’s brothers. Joseph has dreams in which he predicts reigning over his brothers, provoking them further. They decide to sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt. Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute and sleeps with her father-in-law, Judah. In Egypt, the wife of Joseph’s owner tries to seduce Joseph, and when he rejects her, she accuses him of trying to rape her and has him sent to prison. In prison, Pharaoh’s baker and butler have dreams, and Joseph interprets them correctly.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Parashat Vayeshev

Genesis 37:1-40:23

Amos 2:6-3:8

Parashat Vayeshev: Finding Light, Making Change

This Torah portion tells the story of Tamar, a woman who saw the possibility of new life where others saw only death.

Daf Yomi

A global project of Talmud study, Daf Yomi covers the entire 2,711 pages of the Talmud in 7.5 years of daily study. Click below to join by signing up for our Daily Dose of Talmud newsletter and to see our most recent Daf Yomi essays.


Recharge Now

Our weekly Shabbat newsletter, Recharge, features a thoughtful, timely essay to enrich your Shabbat. Here are a few of our recent pieces:

Choosing How To Tell Our Story

Hanukkah offers a model for this moment.

Metadata Etched in Stone

On chronograms and other curiosities

Did the Biblical Matriarchs All Long To Be Mothers?

Genesis considers maternal ambivalence. 


MORE from MY JEWISH LEARNING

The Maccabees: Heroes or Fanatics?

The Maccabees triumphed over the Syrian Greeks and liberated the Temple, but their legacy is not so clear.

Why Do Jews Play Dreidel on Hanukkah?

7 questions and answers about these spinning tops.

The Jewish Life of Aramaic

From the Bible to the Seder table to the Kaddish, Aramaic has never left Jewish lips.

The Seven Genders in the Talmud

Judaism has recognized nonbinary persons for millennia.

These Are the Easiest 2-Ingredient Hanukkah Cookies

Chocolate chip Hanukkah gelt cookies come together in 15 minutes.

Advertisement