What do YOU think? (Chanuka Xmas style)

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Chanukah

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Do you think it's great (Chanuka Xmas style)?

I love it!

[ 7 ]

Inappropriate

61%

[ 49 ]

Mixed Feelings

23%

[ 19 ]

No Comment

[ 5 ]

Total Votes : 80

brooklyn

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 12:19 am

I thought that persumei nisa was showing the miracle, that is why you light the menorah in the doorway or the window. These people are showing the world the miracle of Chanukkah in their own way. The lights are all blue and white not multi color. Jewish people frum and not frum stop to look. From what I hear (because I live in the area) everyone loves it. I do too. I don't see it as Jewish Chistmas I see it as Jews proud of their heritige. The people who live in the house are frum by the way. From what I hear the people made the menorah and dreidles themselves. I see nothing wrong with it. Why is it any worse than all the public menorahs that Lubavitch puts up? Seems like they are both doing the same thing, persumei nisa.

brooklyn

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 12:25 am

faigie wrote:

where is the house? id love to go look at it!

The one in Brooklyn is on Avenue T and East 63rd Street right off of mill Avenue. If you are a Crown Hights'er and go to Dagan Pizza then you prctically pass right by it. I passed by today and they are strting to get ready for this Chanukah.

brooklyn

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 12:33 am

roza wrote:

Quote:

Past nisht, a copy cat idea Rolling Eyes

Can't we come up w/h something more original and Jewish.

one of the shluchim here sell huge inflatable menorah

http://www.chabadcenter.com/te.....31835

I think it's better, then lights

By the reasoning of most of the people here, this shliach is also making Chanukah non jewish style. All of the inflatables I have seen have been for x-mas, Halloween, Easter of Thanksgiving. Seems that making a Jewish one is just being a copycat and therefore "Past nisht" as well. Yet I didn't see any negative comments about that shliach. Why, because he is a shliach, therefore it is ok. What if the house in the picture was a Chabad house, would that make it ok ? Just curious.

shalhevet

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 4:35 am

brooklyn wrote:

I thought that persumei nisa was showing the miracle, that is why you light the menorah in the doorway or the window.

Correct.

Quote:

These people are showing the world the miracle of Chanukkah in their own way.

We don't do things 'our own way'. We do pirsumei nisa as Chazal have taught us to.

Quote:

The lights are all blue and white not multi color. Jewish people frum and not frum stop to look. From what I hear (because I live in the area) everyone loves it. I do too.

Amd all this proves that ....?

Quote:

I don't see it as Jewish Chistmas I see it as Jews proud of their heritige.

Do they do similar things for Purim?

Quote:

The people who live in the house are frum by the way. From what I hear the people made the menorah and dreidles themselves. I see nothing wrong with it.

Why does being frum prove it is right? Did they consult with anyone ( a rav etc)

Quote:

Why is it any worse than all the public menorahs that Lubavitch puts up? Seems like they are both doing the same thing, persumei nisa.

The mitzva on Chanuka is to light candles/ oil lights for pirsumei nissa. Not what anyone just fancies. There is a mitzva in one's home and at public gatherings there is a minhag (or maybe even a halacha) to do so too. What has this to do with blue and white lights and balloons?

chocolate moose

Wed, Nov 22 2006, 10:28 am

And what about anti-semitism? Who says the house isn't setting themselves up for trouble?

Motek

Thu, Nov 23 2006, 1:13 pm

brooklyn wrote:

All of the inflatables I have seen have been for x-mas, Halloween, Easter of Thanksgiving. Seems that making a Jewish one is just being a copycat and therefore "Past nisht" as well. Yet I didn't see any negative comments about that shliach. Why, because he is a shliach, therefore it is ok. What if the house in the picture was a Chabad house, would that make it ok ? Just curious.

Why would you think that because he's a shliach, it's okay? Confused

Shluchim aren't infallible. That being said, I am familiar with houses being decorated with lights for X-mas and am not familiar with X-mas inflatables. So when I saw the inflatable menorah, I didn't think: "copycat" of a non jewish thing. When I saw the house with the Chanuka lights, I thought - hmmm, like X-mas lights.

brooklyn wrote:

I thought that persumei nisa was showing the miracle, that is why you light the menorah in the doorway or the window. These people are showing the world the miracle of Chanukkah in their own way.

Yup. I think it's fine.

Quote:

I don't see it as Jewish Chistmas I see it as Jews proud of their heritige.

I agree.

Quote:

Why is it any worse than all the public menorahs that Lubavitch puts up? Seems like they are both doing the same thing, persumei nisa.

It's not quite the same since their way of doing it uses the identical sort of lights that are used to decorate the house for X-mas. Public menorahs are not copying anything.

mummyof6 wrote:

Do they do similar things for Purim?

Interesting thought. Good idea though maybe it's not done because what could you put in lights? a megilla? that's not a well-known symbol as the menorah and dreidel are

lubcoralsprings

Sat, Nov 25 2006, 7:50 pm

LOL

brooklyn

Sun, Nov 26 2006, 7:41 am

I asked many people at shul this Shabbos what they thought of the house in question. Everyone said that they loved it. I asked them if they thought it was a Chanukah version of x-mas, and everyone said no. They all said that they didn't see the lights as x-mas lights, they just saw menorahs and dreidles that were lit up. I asked some Chasidish people what they thought and they also said that they thought it was beautiful and that they loved driving by and seeing it. When I asked them their opinion of the lights, they said what is wrong with them we use them in our succah.

I also recall when going with DH to Boropark to buy an Esrog that there were many of those lights on sale as succah decorations. I guess the lights are what you make of it, you can see them as a non jewish thing or not it depends if you have an open mind or if you look at the world with blinders on.

By the way the owners have put everything up for this year. They have added more things to the house. I believe that there are a local Talmud Torah will come to the house on Chanukah and put on a small performance telling about the miracle of Chanukah. Again I personally think that these people are "lighting" up the souls of the Jewish people in the neighborhood who need a little guiding light. If I recall the rebbe said that we should all be lamp lighters or something along those lines.

brooklyn

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 8:25 am

Just so you know, (if anyone cares, which I doubt based on many of the posts) the house is now fully done for this year. The site below appears to have been updated as well. Considering that most of the items are home made, I think it looks great. I still don't see it as a Jewish x-mas house. It looks just Jewish to me.
http://hanukkahhouse.photosite.com/Album1/

brooklyn

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 10:42 am

Any comments?

MommyLuv

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 11:14 am

I think it's awesome!

I'm all for it. It's a great portrayal of Jewish Pride, and the perfect way to fulfil Pirsumei Nisa to the max....

No different, to me, than the car Menorah parades and the public Menorah lightings that Chabad does all over the world!

Anyone Jewish who sees that- especially someone unaffiliated with real Yiddishkeit- would feel proud of their heritage and proud to have such a special holiday. It's the perfect antidote to all the glitter and lights of Xmas...

As for the question of putting up such a display Purim time, I was unaware that celebrating Purim required Pirsumei Nisa.... Wink

MommyLuv

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 11:16 am

chocolate moose wrote:

And what about anti-semitism? Who says the house isn't setting themselves up for trouble?

Being afraid to be publicly Jewish is so sad and ghetto-like.

chocolate moose

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 11:19 am

MommyLuv, it's a reality, though.

MommyLuv

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 11:26 am

Tough times require us to be tough Jews. Fear is not the answer.

brooklyn

Mon, Nov 27 2006, 11:38 am

Fear is definately not the answer. Thank G-d it happens to be a very good neighborhood. I have never yet had an problems with anti-semitism. I also think it is funny that a comment about fear should come from a Lubavitcher. I have never seen Lubavitch afraid to proudly display their Jewish identity, considering all the menorahs, flags etc.

brooklyn

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 10:51 am

For those Brooklyn mothers that have cablevision. News channel 12 did a feature on the house and owners. It is actually showing right now. The news repeats itself every hour. I saw it at about 10:40, so it should be on again about 11:40, 12:40 and so on. It was short but it showed the house. showed the owner who basicly said it is persumei nisa, and a passerby who said she loved it. It looks much betther than it di in the picture. If you can, watch it, I would like to hear what you think.

greenfire

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 1:14 pm

I think it's kool - they're obviously trying to have fun with chanuka and instead of just all the x-mas things everywhere are proud to show chanuka stuff

and by the way anyone who is afraid - with a menora in the window they know you're jewish too - boo!

amother

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 5:50 pm

I know that family, the wife is a crown heights girl who went to Bais Rivkah.

imala

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 8:25 pm

Personally, I think it's disgusting. The whole thing looks so non jewish, as if we have to compete. I know there's an inyan of pirsumei nisa, but our mitzva is to light a menorah, small lights, not some neon 42nd street.

Motek

Sun, Dec 03 2006, 9:48 pm

imala wrote:

our mitzva is to light a menorah, small lights, not some neon 42nd street.

what does size have to do with neon?

who says how big a menorah should be?

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