Wishing a Gitten (Long) #Nittel to all observing today!
For context: those Hasidic communities who originate in areas where Orthodox Christianity was the majority (Romania, Ukraine, etc.) observe Nittel tonight, on #ChristmasEve of the old Kratzmach:
https://thesecondtransition.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-most-beautiful-night.html
Two common reasons given:
1. It was literally dangerous for Jews to be outside on #Christmas Eve - as drunk masses often got preached against Jews during mass. Most people at the time studied at synagogue, so #Nittel kept them home.
2. That given the marking of the birth of "אותו האיש" (lit: That Person, common nickname for Jesus), the impure/evil forces are strong this night, and they might "steal" anything sacred.
^ this was the most common reason I was given growing up.
3/4
Was just about to open #Sefaria to look up some Torah texts.
Then decided that #NittelNacht isn't one of the customs I need to rebel against 😉 Torah study will wait.
A Git Nittel you all!
#Nittel Nacht is a traditional custom of some communities (who lived in Christian majority countries for 1,000+ years) - not to learn any sacred text on the eve of December 24th (and/or January 6th for those who lived in Eastern Christian countries).
https://thesecondtransition.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-most-beautiful-night.html/
2/4
🎵🎶 We wish you a...
Happy #Chanukah Night 7, a merry #Kratzmach, and a Giten #Nittel 🕎🤶
Playing chess as the Hasidic custom is on Nittel, and of course following the "ancient" New York Jewish custom of Chinese food on Kratzmach - #ChristmasEve.
And watching The Godfather 🤔
More on Nittel/Kratzmach in the thread below (1/4)
It's the 7th night of #Chanukah!
Before tonight's activities of lighting candles, Chinese food for #Kratzmach, and marking #Nittel of course (the one "American holiday" my Hasidic family kinda marked, more soon) ---
Here is an amazing Nutella filled #sufganiya from #BreadsBakery!
On Christmas/Yom Christmas: see link
https://babka.social/@jewterpretor/109440721646058855
#Nittel /’nitl̩ (Yiddish), ‘nɪtl̩ (Jewish English)/ = Christmas, ultimately derived from Latin “natalis” (=birthday of Jesus). By the late 1600s, Jews traditionally avoided Torah study on Christmas Eve (=Nittel Nacht), and by the early 1700s it was common for Jews to stay up late playing games at home a) to avoid appearing to celebrate Christmas,
2/
Yom /jom (Hebrew), jam (Jewish English)/ = day Christ = “[the] anointed [one],” from Latin Christus, from Greek Khristos, which was a loan translation (=calque) from Hebrew mashiach. (English also has the word Messiah, also borrowed from Latin, from Greek, in a direct borrowing from Hebrew; so Christ and Messiah form a doublet in English, i.e. a pair of words that originated from the same ancestral source but entered the language through different paths. 25/
Ralf
Abby Stein
Jewterpretor
utzer [Friendica]