Answers to The Fly Fishing Rabbi and Hanukkah Quiz

Thanks to everyone who participated in The Fly Fishing Rabbi and Hanukkah quiz! Participants came from throughout the United States, Canada and the UK.

Everyone who emailed me an answer received a free Fly Fishing Rabbi refrigerator magnet. The winners of the prize drawing were selected randomly and have been informed.

And now on to the quiz questions and answers (drum roll…)

Fly Fishing Rabbi Questions: (All of the answers are somewhere on this website)

1. What are two fly fishing charities where donations go to help trout or the environment?

The holidays are a time to think about giving tzedakah, charity, to help others. As fly fishers, our task is not only to help people, but also the rivers we fish and our natural world. On the right side of my website about halfway down is a box entitled “Fly Fishing Charities” where I offer links to environmental and fly fishing organizations that I donate to on a regular basis.

Here is the list of those charities: American Forests, American Rivers, Casting for Recovery, Federation of Fly Fishers, Natural Resources Defense Council, Nature Conservancy and Trout Unlimited.

2. What kind of “fish” did I accidentally order, but not eat in Venice?

Cuttlefish, a member of the squid family! I do not eat pork and shellfish, as part of keeping the traditions of kosher, the Jewish dietary customs. In Venice, I saw an item called cuttlefish on the menu. Due to some problems in translation (an ignorance on my part!), I ordered it. To read the rest of the story: CLICK HERE

3. At a fly fishing Bar Mitzvah, what are two songs that the DJ could play at the party?

Here’s my list of fishing songs that would be good for a Fly Fishing Bar Mitzvah party:
Louis Armstrong’s “Gone’ Fishin”, “Crawfish” by Elvis, “Catfish John” by The Grateful Dead and “Catfish Blues” by Jimi Hendrix. (Crawfish and catfish are not kosher, but there is nothing wrong with singing about them!) Or the playlist might also include “Wading in the Velvet Sea” by Phish, the perfectly named band to hear at a Fly Fishing Bar Mizvah!

To read about the Fly Fishing Bar Mitzvah party, CLICK HERE

Hannukah Questions: (None of the answers are on The Fly Fishing Rabbi website)

4. What does the holiday of Hanukkah celebrate?

Hanukkah celebrates the defeat of the Greeks and the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the second century BCE (Before Common Era, a term that Jews use in place of BC). One main theme of the holiday is religious freedom, as the Jews fought to protect their rights to practice their rituals and faith.

The Greek King Antiochus occupied Israel and Jerusalem. He did not like the Jews and desecrated the holy Temple. He placed statues of Greek gods on the holy site and sacrificed pigs on the altar, a particularly heinous offense since the Jews do not eat pork and consider the pig an unclean animal. The king essentially outlawed the practice of Judaism.

A small band of Jews gathered together, led by the Maccabee family (whose name means “hammer”). They revolted against the Greeks and kicked them out of the holy land, a great accomplishment considering the size and power of the Greek army.

When the Maccabees began to clean up the Temple, they wanted to relight the menorah, the seven branched candle holder. They only had one small jar of oil, enough to last for 24 hours. Then a miracle happened. That small jar lasted 8 days, until a new supply arrived. Today we celebrate Hanukkah and light the candles for 8 days to remember the miracle of the oil.

Hanukkah offers many ideas to celebrate: religious freedom, miracles and bringing light to dark places. Of course, we also give gifts to one another on Hanukkah to celebrate the holiday.

5. Why do Jews eat latkes on Hanukkah?

Latkes are potato pancakes deep fried in oil. My favorite latke recipe comes from my late grandmother. She would grate the onions and potatoes by hand and use a ratio of 1 part onion to 1 part potato! Her trick was to squeeze out the extra water before placing the latke in the oil. I follow my grandmother’s recipe, except that I fry them in olive oil, which tastes terrific.

Jews eat latkes because of the oil in which they are cooked. The oil reminds us of miracle of Hanukkah: the small jar of oil that was supposed to last 24 hours but burned for 8 full days.

6. What is the name of the 9 branch candle holder used on Hanukkah (Hint: It’s not a Menorah)?

This was the hardest question! The 9 branch candle holder that we light on Hanukkah is called a Hanukkiah, (pronounced Ha-nu-kee-yah) not a Menorah.

In the Bible, God tells Moses to fashion a menorah, a 7 branched candle holder to be used in the holy Temple. The menorah had 1 candle in the middle and three on either side. It was lit as part of the Temple ritual.

When the Jews began to celebrate Hanukkah, they lit a Hanukkiah which has 9 candles, one in the middle and four on either side. The 8 candles represent the miracle of Hanukkah, that the small jar of oil lasted for 8 days. The 9th candle in middle, called the shames (helper), is used to light the others.



Left Picture: The coat of arms of the modern day state of Israel contains a menorah with 7 candles, surrounded by olive branches and the writing yisrael, Israel.

Right Picture: A Hanukkiah which holds 9 candles, 4 on either side and the shames in the middle.

My best wishes to everyone for a happy holiday season.

The Fly Fishing Rabbi,
Eric Eisenkramer