Customs and Observances
Jewish Entrepreneurs Big In Online Gambling By Contributing Author While it is illegal for Israelis to engage in on line gambling, many gaming web sites are actually based in Israel. Unfortunately, gambling is a huge problem in the States and in other parts of the world. It is the source of many a case of financial ruin. After all, gambling can become an addiction. Bankruptcy is the eventual destination of around 20% of pathological gamblers. Therefore, it is the stance of Judaism that in this instance a person is deemed ill.
Hanukkah, a joyous celebration of family, freedom, and light, is a holiday primarily celebrated at home, beginning on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev (usually falling in December) and lasting for eight days. At what is the coldest, darkest time of the year for many people, we celebrate by bringing light and warmth into our homes, into our communities and into the world around us. In the TalmudTalmudתַּלְמוּדThe Jewish legal work that comprises the Mishnah and the Gemara. There are two works of Talmud: The Palestinian Talmud was compiled between 200-450 C.E. in the land of Israel and is also called the Jerusalem Talmud or Talmud Yerushalmi. The Babylonian Talmud or Talmud Bavli was compiled in Babylonia between 200-550 C.E. , the rabbis taught that the mitzvah mitzvahמִצְוָהLiterally, “commandment.' A sacred obligation. Jewish tradition says the Torah contains 613 mitzvot Mitzvot refer to both religious and ethical obligations.of Hanukkah, the commandment at the heart of the observance of the holiday, is a “candle for each man and his household” (the modern Reform understanding is that this text refers to everyone, not just men). So the actual mitzvah, or commandment, of Hanukkah is to kindle the Hanukkah lights at home, ideally with family and friends!
Blessings are recited when lighting the candles, which are held in a nine-branched menorahmenorahמְנוֹרָהSeven- or nine-branched candelabra; commonly refers to the nine-branched Hanukkah lamp; plural: menorot. (also called a hanukkiyahhanukkiyahחֲנֻכִּיָּהNine-branched candelabra used during Hanukkah – eight branches for each night of the holiday, plus another branch (often taller, central, or more prominently displayed) for the shamash (helper) candle, which is used to light the others.). In some families, members of the household, including the children, light their own Hanukkah menorah. Many families use the eight-day period of Hanukkah to spend time together each night.
Another mitzvah of Hanukkah is pirsum hanes, the public proclamation of the miraculous events that transpired in the days of the MaccabeesMaccabeesמַכַּבִּיםThe family of five sons who led the revolt against the Hellenization of Jerusalem and became the heroes of the Hanukkah story.. A number of Hanukkah observances are connected with this requirement. The Hanukkah lights are lit at sundown, the time when passers-by are most likely to see them. When possible, the menorah is placed in a window or elsewhere in the home so that it can be seen from the outside. This custom is especially prevalent in Israel, where cities and towns hold public menorah-lighting ceremonies and the entire country is full of candles, bright with the celebration of the Festival of Lights.
Ritual Objects
Ritual objects associated with Hanukkah include the menorah and the dreideldreidelסְבִיבוֹן'Spinning top' in Yiddish (derived from German); 'sevivon' in Hebrew; toy used in a children's Hanukkah game..
Menorah is a Hebrew word meaning “candelabrum” and sometimes refers to the nine-branched ceremonial lamp in which the Hanukkah candles are placed and blessed each night of the holiday. The nine branches include eight branches, one for each day of the holiday, and one branch for the shamashshamashשַׁמָּשׁHelper candle used to light the other candles in a menorah. candle that is used to light the other candles. In ancient times, oil was used in the menorah. Over time, candles were substituted for oil. The Hanukkah menorah can also be called a hanukkiyah.
The word dreidel derives from a German word meaning “spinning top,” and is the toy used in a Hanukkah game adapted from an old German gambling game. (Historically, Hanukkah was one of the few times of the year when rabbis permitted games of chance.) The four sides of the top bear four Hebrew letters: nun, gimel, hey, and shin. Players begin by putting into a central pot or “kitty” a certain number of coins, foil-wrapped chocolate disks known as geltgeltכֶּסֶף'Money' (Yiddish); often given as a Hanukkah gift; used for playing dreidel.,nuts, buttons or other small objects. Each player in turn spins the dreidel and proceeds as follows:
- נnun – take nothing
- גgimel – take everything
- הhei – take half
- ש shin – put one in
Over time, the letters on the dreidel were reinterpreted to stand for the first letter of each word in the Hebrew statement, “Neis gadol hayah sham,” which means “A great miracle happened there” and refers to the defeat of the Syrian army and the re-dedication of the Temple. In Israel, one letter on the dreidel differs from those used in the rest of the world. The shin has been replaced with a pey, transforming the Hebrew statement into “Neis gadol hayah po,” which means “A great miracle happened here.”
Music
For many families and communities, singing is a particularly joyous part of Hanukkah celebrations. There are many traditional and contemporary songs for the holiday, and videos and recordings are widely available online.
“Maoz Tzur” (“Rock of Ages”) is customarily sung after the lighting of the candles each night, and at other times throughout the holiday. It was composed in Europe in the 12th or 13th century.
“I Have a Little Dreidel” is a modern-day children’s song frequently sung during the Festival of Lights. Other holiday favorites include “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah;” “Sivivon, sov, sov, sov,” a Hebrew folksong; “Light One Candle,” written by Peter Yarrow; and “The Latke Song,” by Debbie Friedman, z'l, the renowned Jewish singer and songwriter.
Food
Latkeslatkeלְבִיבָה'Pancake' (Yiddish); fried potato pancake often eaten on Hanukkah; plural: latkes. and sufganiyotsufganiyotסֻפְגָּנִית'Jelly doughnuts;' traditionally eaten in Israel during Hanukkah; singular: sufganiyah.—foods cooked in oil—are customarily eaten during Hanukkah and serve as a symbol of the legend of the jar of oil that lasted for eight days. In Israel, pastry shops specialize in creating delicious and creative sufganiyot. Also popular are bimuelos (fried dough puffs), sfenj (North African yeast doughnuts), and keftes de prasas (fried leek patties).
Synagogue Rituals
Inclusions in our worship services held during Hanukkah are the additions of the Al HaNisim (“for the miracles”) passage in the AmidahAmidahעֲמִידָהLiterally, “standing.” A central prayer of the worship service, often recited privately. A chain of blessings in which the first three and final three are always the same, and the intermediate blessings change based on the day (i.e., Shabbat, weekday, holidays). Also called the Sh’moneh Esreih (literally, “eighteen”) and HaT’fila (literally, “the Prayer”). (the central prayer in worship, recited while standing) and in Birkat HaMazonBirkat HaMazonבִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוֹןBlessing after meals. A series of blessings recited after meals, including blessings that express gratitude for sustenance, the land, Jerusalem, and the positive relationship between God and the Jewish people. There are liturgical variations/additions to Birkat HaMazon for Shabbat, festivals, and weddings..
In some congregations, on the Shabbat during Hanukkah families are invited to bring their own hanukkiyot to Friday night services and everyone lights them together in community.
In addition, we read special Torah portions during the holiday. The Torah reading for each day of Hanukkah is taken from Numbers 6:22-8:4, which recounts the dedication of the Mishkan (temporary, moveable place of worship) by the Israelites in the desert. On Shabbat during Hanukkah, we read the regular weekly portion. During Hanukkah, the haftarah haftarahהַפְטָרָהSelection from the Prophets read or chanted after the weekly Torah portion; plural: haftarotreadings are Zechariah 4:1-7 and I Kings 7:40-50.
Preparing for the Holiday
To prepare to celebrate Hanukkah at home, you will need candles and a Hanukkah menorah with nine candle holders (also called a hanukkiyah), or, as is the custom in some families, one menorah for each member of the family. (For those living in places where open flames aren’t allowed or are unsafe, or those who are traveling, electric menorahs are widely available.) You also can decide together as a family how to celebrate each night of the holiday – whether with activities, cooking, or by bringing a social justice element to the holiday.
Many families like to exchange gifts during Hanukkah, and some families also use the opportunity to give charitable gifts. Designating the sixth evening as the Ner Shel Tzedakah (“Candle of Righteousness”) offers an opportunity to learn about poverty or other social justice issues and to make a donation or engage in other activities related to a cause that is important to you and/or your family. This social justice gift guide offers suggestions that emphasize tikkun olamtikkun olamתִּקּוּן עוֹלָם'Repair of the world;' Jewish concept that it is our responsibility to partner with God to improve the world. A mystical concept of restoration of God's holiest Name to itself and the repair of a shattered world. Often refers to social action and social justice..
Lighting the Hanukkah Candles
From one Hanukkah to the next, it can be a challenge to remember in which direction to add candles and in which direction to light them. Here’s what you need to know: When the menorah is facing you, the candle for the first night is placed in the right-most holder of the eight-branched menorah and the shamashshamashשַׁמָּשׁHelper candle used to light the other candles in a menorah.is placed in its holder, which is raised or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the candleholders.
Anyone may chant or recite the blessings by lighting and holding the shamash, reciting the blessings, and then using the shamash to light the candles (from left to right, so that the kindling begins with the newest light).
Two blessings are chanted or recited every night of Hanukkah. The first is a blessing over the candles themselves. The second blessing expresses thanks for the miracle of deliverance. A third blessing – the Shehecheyanu prayer, marking all joyous occasions in Jewish life – is chanted or recited only on the first night.
On each successive night, an additional candle is placed to the immediate left of the previous night’s candle, and the candles are lit from left to right, so the kindling begins with the newest light. Since these lights are holy, we aren’t supposed to make practical use of them (e.g., using them to see or read by, or lighting other candles with them); therefore, we use the shamash to light the ones that mark each night of the holiday.
Up until the 2000s, gambling used to be a more taboo subject. And many people kept their betting passions to themselves for fear of being looked down upon.
But attitudes toward gambling have lightened considerably. Two major reasons why include land-based casino saturation and the widespread availability of online gambling sites.
The activity has gradually become more accepted because more people are gambling than ever before.
Nevertheless, major religions still have strong viewpoints on the matter. And I’m going to cover what the five most popular religions think about gambling.
I’ll also come to a conclusion on whether or not you’re committing a sin by wagering.
Buddhism View on Gambling
General Buddhist Beliefs
Siddhartha Gautama (a.k.a. the Buddha) founded Buddhism in the 6th century BC. This religion has since grown to include over 520 million people, giving it the fourth-largest following in the world.
Buddhism is governed by four Noble Truths, including suffering, cause of suffering, cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path to cessation of suffering.
The Eightfold Noble Path includes the following points:
- Right view
- Right thinking
- Right speech
- Right conduct
- Right livelihood
- Right effort
- Right mindfulness
- Right concentration
All of this makes Buddhism seem like a stiff religion that’s entirely against gambling. But it’s actually one of the more flexible religions in the world, especially when it comes to wagering.
What Do Buddhists Think of Gambling?
Siddhartha Gautama founded Buddhism in Nepal at a time when gambling was socially accepted in his kingdom.
The Tripitaka contains a great deal on the topic of wagering and actually makes distinctions between what is and isn’t acceptable. This contrasts other major religions, which largely condemn the activity as a whole.
Buddhism puts gambling into the following three classes:
- 1. Recreational
- 2. Habitual
- 3. Addictive
Recreational gambling is perfectly fine under the Buddhist philosophy. This forward way of thinking comes from how things were back in Gautama’s day.
Even habitual gambling isn’t considered a sin, per se. But Buddhism does condemn addictive gambling, just like any other major religion.
“There are these six dangers of being addicted to gambling,”
said Gautama.
“In winning, one begets hatred; in losing, one mourns the loss of one’s wealth; one’s word is not accepted in court; one is avoided by both friends and officials; one is not sought after for marriage because people say a gambler cannot support a wife.”
Overall, though, Buddhism is the world’s most tolerant major religion toward gambling.
One break from these lax standards is that gambling shouldn’t be used to raise money for religious organizations. This contrasts Christianity and Judaism, which routinely used lighter forms of gambling (e.g., bingo, lottery) to raise money for churches and communities.
Christianity View on Gambling
General Christian Beliefs
With 2.2 billion followers worldwide, Christianity is the biggest religion on the planet. Christians follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus commonly preached against the evils of chasing money. According to Matthew 6:24 of the New Testament, he said that people can’t “serve two masters.”
This references how Christians should worship God above all else and put money at a distant second.
Jesus lived when Palestine was controlled by the Roman Empire. And he often attacked the Roman “moneychangers,” who exchanged foreign coins for temple coins.
Jesus frequently protested against these acts, in addition to the high taxes levied by the Romans. This, combined with his unorthodox religious beliefs (when compared to Romans), led to his death on the cross.
What Do Christians Think of Gambling?
Jewish Faith And Gambling Day
Unlike other religious founders, Jesus didn’t speak on gambling. But you can gain an understanding by looking at his views on money and the suffering of commoners at the time.
Jesus didn’t accumulate wealth to help his political or social position. Instead, he taught his followers that loving God and others was more important than chasing money.
This means that he likely wouldn’t have approved of gambling with the sole intent to win money.
The New Testament also fails to specifically address gambling. But it does contain an excerpt that admonishes greed and pursuing material wealth:
“No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. A greedy man brings trouble to his family. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
The United Methodist Church offers a notable opinion on gambling. They have their own interpretation of how the New Testament discusses the evils of money.
“Gambling, as a means of acquiring material gain by chance and at the neighbor’s expense, is a menace to personal character and social morality. Gambling fosters greed and stimulates the fatalistic faith in chance,”
states the United Methodist Church’s belief.
“Organized and commercial gambling is a threat to business, breeds crime and poverty, and is destructive to the interests of good government.”
Unlike Buddhism, ancient Christianity doesn’t offer an official statement on where gambling stands. Instead, you need to consider this religion’s take on pursuing riches.
Given that gambling usually involves trying to win money, I assume that Christianity is mildly against it.
Hinduism View on Gambling
General Hindu Beliefs
Hinduism contrasts most religions because the founder is unknown. But what we do know is that this religion started around 2000 B.C. in India.
Hinduism has grown to include 900 million followers, making it the third-largest religion in the world.
This is a flexible belief because there are no core principles that define Hinduism, such as the Ten Commandments. Instead, it’s open to interpretation and the teachings are different throughout the world.
But Hinduism does have the Mahabharata, an epic poem written around the 8th century B.C. that describes some of the religion’s practices.
What Do Hindus Think of Gambling?
The Mahabharata has an interesting passage that discusses King Yudhisthira playing dice. Yudhisthira was tricked into betting his kingdom on the dice game and lost.
His family was exiled from the country for twelve years. The story isn’t so much an attack on gambling, but rather a lesson about dealing with nefarious people.
The Manusmriti, an ancient manuscript that discusses Hinduism, lists gambling as the worse sin a person can commit.
“Drinking, gambling, women (not lawfully wedded wives), and hunting, in that order, he should know to be the very worst four in the group of (vices) born of desire.”
Overall, Hinduism ranks in the middle in terms of its tolerance toward gambling.
Islam View on Gambling
General Islamic Beliefs
Islam officially started in C.E. 610, when the Prophet Muhammad heard the revelations that would become the Holy Quran. This makes Islam the youngest of the five major religions.
Despite its relative youth, this religion has already attracted over 1.6 billion Muslims, making it the world’s second-largest, behind Christianity.
Islam features two types of deeds, including the haram (sinful) and halal (lawful). Gambling is seen as haram and requires severe punishment under Islamic law.
This is just one of the many activities that are viewed with a harsh eye in Islam. Other serious vices include not praying, not fasting during Ramadan, abandoning relatives, murder, homosexuality, adultery, and running from a battlefield.
What Do Islamists Think of Gambling?
The Prophet Muhammad and his followers opposed all forms of gambling. He also mentioned in the Sunan Abu Dawud that there are only two acceptable forms of gambling.
“Wagers are allowed only for racing camels or horses, or shooting arrows,” he said.
Muhammad wasn’t saying that he approved of betting on horses and archery. But these gambling activities were tolerated because they helped Muslims improve their battle skills.
The Quran also discusses gambling in Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:90-91.
“O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination, of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper.
Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?”
Islam looks down on gambling because it’s an easy way to take somebody else’s money. This is similar to Judaism, in that they also believe it’s dishonorable to win money through gambling.
Judaism View on Gambling
General Jewish Beliefs
Judaism started when God made a covenant with Abraham, who’s also a revered Islamic figure. This was the first monotheistic religion to focus on a single divine being, rather than a collection of gods.
Over fifteen million people practice Judaism, making it one of the more popular religions. But this is far less than the other four beliefs on this list possess.
The Jews believe that Moses brought the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments have since become one of the world’s most important code of ethics.
Rabbis are Jewish religious figures who preach these same morals. Ancient rabbis are also responsible for the Talmud, a collective discussion on moral and ethical issues.
What Do Jews Think of Gambling?
Judaism doesn’t offer a lot of thoughts on the morality of gambling. But the Talmud does feature rabbis discussing how they believe gambling is risky and can lead one to negate their responsibilities.
The Talmud also discusses how gambling is sinful and similar to stealing. The latter is due to the fact that the loser has reluctantly given away their money to the winner.
Older Jewish civilizations looked down on professional gamblers and didn’t consider them reliable court witnesses.
Judaism isn’t totally biased against gambling, though. Hanukah celebrations often feature a dreidel, a spinning top that’s accompanied by small-stakes gambling.
Jewish Faith And Gambling Act
Like Christians, Jews also raise money for synagogues with games of chance, including raffles.
Conclusion
Jewish Faith And Gambling Laws
None of the religions that we’ve covered embrace gambling with open arms. But some are definitely more tolerant than others.
Buddhism actually considers recreational gambling to be fine. They’re even willing to let habitual gamblers pass, as long as they don’t become addicted.
Jewish Faith Gambling
Christianity, Hinduism, and Judaism don’t spend much time discussing the ills of betting. Instead, it’s merely implied that all three religions frown upon the activity.
But then again, Christianity and Judaism use certain forms of gambling to raise money.
Jewish Faith And Gambling Law
Islam is no doubt the toughest against gambling because the Quran suggests that violators should be punished. Furthermore, Islamists view wagering as a shameless way to win money.
In summary, Islam is the only major religion that’s undeniably against gambling. The other religions I discussed at least tolerate the activity to some degree.
That said, you shouldn’t feel like you’re sinning too badly – if at all – by playing low-stakes casino games, poker, or sports betting.
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