Jewish Education/Chanukah Play

Two children meet and introduce themselves to each other.

Elazar: Hi, I am Elazar.

Yosephus: Hi, I am Yosephus.

Elazar: Do you want to play hide and seek?

Yosephus: Sure!

They play hide and seek for a while, with Elazar picking up his kippah every time it falls down.

Elazar: I gotta go home now, it’s almost Shabbat. Are you going to be here tomorrow too?

Yosephus: I think so. Do you want to play tomorrow too?

Elazar: Yes!

Yosephus: So I’ll see you then. It was nice meeting you. Bye.

Elazar: It was nice meeting you too. Bye.

They both go home.

Elazar comes home to a set Shabbat table. His parents and 4 brothers are sitting at the table.

Father (Matityahu): Where have you been Elazar?

Elazar: I was playing at the park.

Mother: Who were you playing with? It’s almost Shabbat!

Elazar: I met this nice kid, Yosephus, and played hide and seek with him.

Matityahu: What did you say his name was?

Elazar: Yosephus. Why?

Mother: It doesn’t sound like a Jewish name to me!

Elazar: He is Jewish!

Father: I think he’s from the Mityavnim.

Elazar: What’s that?

Father: I’ll explain it to you when you grow up.

Elazar: Can’t you explain it a little bit now?

Father: Ok, The Mityavnim are Jews who decided to try and become like the Yevanim.

Elazar: Really? But why?

Mother: Elazar, we don’t always understand why people do what they do. They say that that’s the modern thing to do. They think that Judaism is old, and won’t last for a long time.

Shimon: I have a boy like that in my class.

Yochanan: And his sister is in my class! She dresses so differently.

Yonatan: But why would people do something so much against the Torah?

Yehudah: It’s such nonsense!

Mother: Calm down everybody! You know we’re very sad that they are not connected to their past and don’t know the beauty of Shabbat and the Mitzvot.

[The family sings a Shabbat song, “Od meat yered eleinu yom Shabbat hatov”]

[Enter nursery/kindergaten]

[Elazar and Yosephus meet again]

Elazar: Do you want to learn this song I just heard?

Yosephus: Sure! What is it about?

Elazar: It’s about Shabbat.

Yosephus: Cool!

[Elazar teaches Yosephus the song]

[Yosephus goes home]

At Yosephus’s house: [Yosephus enters his home singing the song]

Father: Where have you been Yosephus? You’ll be late for your body building class! Your brother is coming too! [Brother shows muscle “I’m gonna be stronger than you!”] And what’s this song you’re singing?

Yosephus: I was playing hide and seek with Elazar. He taught me this nice song.

Mother: Elazar? Who is this Elazar?

Yosephus: A boy I met in the playground.

Father (To mother): I think it’s one of those….

Mother: I think so too.

Yosephus: Who are “those”? What are you talking about??

Father: You know Yosephus, there are some people that still live in the past.

Yosephus: What does that mean?

Father: I’ll explain it to you when you grow up.

Yosephus: Can’t you explain it a little bit now?

Father: Well, It means that they still keep the Torah and the Mitzvot, even though they were given so many years ago.

Yosephus: I see.

Mother: Why don’t you go to body building now? It is much more important than all of these Mitzvot.

Brother: Yeah, that’s what’s important! To be strong! [Shows muscle]

[Elazar and Yosephus meet again in the playground]

Yosephus: wanna play?

Elazar: Of course!

Yosephus: Let’s play tag!

[They play “tag” for a while]

Elazar: I’ve had enough “tag”.

Yosephus: You know, my father says that your family lives in the past.

Elazar: And my father says your family wants to be just like the Yevanim!

Yosephus: Yeah, I know.

Elazar: But we’re both Jewish, aren’t we?

Yosephus: I guess so.

Yosephus: You wanna see what I’ve got?

Elazar: Sure. What is it?

Yosephus: These are Yugioh cards!

Elazar: Yogurt cards?

Yosephus: No. Yu - gi - oh. Elazar: Cool!

[Yosephus explains to Elazar how to play and they play for a while]

Elazar: This is really cool. I gotta go now. We should play this again another time!

Yosephus: That’s a great idea. How about tomorrow at the same time?

Elazar: Sure! See you then! [The next day, At Yosephus’s house]

Mother: Yosephus where are you going?

Yosephus: I’m going to play with Elazar.

Mother: Why with him? Don’t you have any friends?

Yosephus: HE IS my friend!

Father: Can’t you find some normal friends?

Yosephus: Why? What’s wrong with him? He taught me such a nice song the other day!

Father: What song is that?

Yosephus: [Sings the song]

Father: What? He taught you this song? I am not letting you meet this boy again!!

Yosephus: But why?

Father: Because the only way to succeed in this world is to be like the Greeks! I don’t want you to be like these Jews! I want you to be important!

Brother: Yeah, go Greece!

Yosephus: But aren’t we Jewish too?

Father: [pauses for a moment] Yes, but that is just the way it is. What’s important is to join the Greeks and be like them.

Brother: Greeks are best!

Yosephus: But we’re Jewish!

Father: Stop it right now! Forget that you are Jewish!

Mother: Listen to your father! He knows what he’s talking about!

[Father goes out and comes back in]

Father: And if I catch you meeting with that boy again, I’m going to take all of your Yugioh cards and throw them in the garbage!!

Brother: Greek Greek Greek!

[Father storms out and goes to meet with his Greek friends]

Father: We have to find a way to get more Jewish people to be like the Greek!

Greek1: What do you suggest?

Father: Maybe a decree against keeping the Mitzvot.

Greek2: You think it will work?

Father: Why not give it a try?

Greek4: Yeah, let’s give it a try. I’ll speak with His Majesty the King, Antiyochus Epiphanes the fourth tomorrow.

Father: Good.

[Elazar’s house]

[Yehuda comes in running]

Yehuda: Did you hear what happened?

Yochanan: No, what happened?

Yehuda: There is a decree from the king!

Yonatan: Antiyochus?

Shimon: Epimanes!

[Everybody giggles]

Yehuda: It’s not funny! Listen to this! We are not allowed to keep Shabbat!

Everyone: What??

Mother: That's terrible!

Yochanan: Mother, what are we going to do without the holy Shabbat?

Yehuda: It’s not just that! We are not allowed to do a Brit Milah!

Everyone: What??

Shimon: But that's our sign with Hashem that we are Jewish!

Yehuda: And we’re even not allowed to learn Torah!

Everyone: Oy Vey!!

Yonatan: But how can the Jewish people live without learning the holy Torah?

Yochanan: So what are we gonna do?

Elazar: I have an idea! Maybe we’ll all go and learn Torah in the forest!

Matityahu: But what are we going to say if the Greek soldiers come?

Noam: We’ll say that we came to play!

Yonatan: But what are we going to play?

Elazar: Maybe Yugio cards?

Shimon: Nah, maybe dreidels

Yonatan: That's a good idea!

Everyone: Yeah!

Elazar: Hey look! I have a little dreydel!

Mother: And the nursery’s got one too!

[Enter nursery, who sing “I have a little Dreydel”/ Sevivon sov sov sov]

[Elazar is waiting for Yosephus at the playground, spinning his dreydel and singing to himself]

{Yosephus comes late, nervously glancing behind his shoulder]

Elazar: Here you are!! It’s so good to see you! Where have you been? Why are you so late?

Yosephus: Listen, we can’t meet anymore.

Elazar: But why not??

Yosephus: My father won’t let me meet you anymore. He says that if he catches me he’ll take away all of my yugioh cards!

Elazar: But why?????

Yosephus: He says it’s because you are too religious.

Elazar: What’s wrong with that?

Yosephus: I don’t know! But I have to go now

Elazar: [Crying] No!

Yosephus: [Crying too]: I have to go!

Elazar: I’ll always remember you!

Yosephus: And I’ll always remember you too! Bye!

Narrator: Many years have passed. The boys have grown, and now they are men. The decrees by king antiyochus have become more and more serious. The king has now sent a messenger to force all of the Jews to sacrifice a pig to the Greek idols. He has arrived in the village of Modiin.

[In Modiin]

Messneger 1: All of the people of Modiin come here!!

Messenger 2: Who wants to be the first to sacrifice a pig to the Pesel?

[Silence]

Messenger 2: I asked who wants to be the first to sacrifice a pig to the Pesel??

Miyaven: I’ll do it.

[Mityaven takes the pig….]

[Matityahu pushes the Mityaven and says in slow motion]: NO!

Greek Soldier: Hey you! What are you doing? Messenger 1: Catch him!

[Matityahu’s children come and help him]

Matityahu: Mi LaHashem Elai! Whoever is with Hashem come with me!

[All of Matityahu’s sons and a few more people run off the stage with Matityahu]

[Kindergarten song about the Maccabeem]

Narrator: After Matityahu died, the leadership was transferred to his son Yehudah. The Maccabeem didn’t give up and fought the Greek, winning battle after battle. Even though they were outnumbered, Hashem helped them to win these battles. Now they have just won the battle of Bet Tzur, and….]

Elazar: The way to Yerushalayim is open!

Maccabee soldier: But the Mityavnim are still there!

Elazar: So we will fight them and we will win!

Yochanan: Yeah, it's time we go into Bet HaMikdash already! We must clean it up from all their idols and pigs.

Yonatan: Yes! Enough is enough! Let's get rid of them!

Shimon: Well, at least let's get them out of our Bet HaMikdash. We will put holiness back into Hashem's home.

Yehudah: It's about time!

Everyone together: Maccabi!

[In Bet HaMikdash, the Greeks are moving the statues around and talking]

Greek1: Yosephus, move that a little bit more to the left..... ok... hold it right there!

Yosephus: You like it there?

Greek1: Yes, perfect.

Greek2: You know, that we got the idols right into Bet HaMikdash, we should make sure that all of the Jews worship them.

Yosephus: How would you do that?

Greek2: Very simple. We tell them that every time they don't listen to us, we will add another Pesel to Bet HaMikdash.

Greek3: That's a good idea!

Greek1: What's that noise outside?

Greek2: I don't know. Yosephus, why don't you go outside and check?

[Yosephus goes outside and checks. He comes back inside frightened]

Yosephus: It's the Maccabeem! They're coming!

Greek3: Oh, no! What are we going to do?

Greek4: We have to get out of here!

Greek1: Yosephus! Go outside and see what we can do.

[Yosephus goes out]

Greek2: Now let's get out of here!

Greek4: We don’t need him! He’s not Greek!

[We see the Maccabeem coming. Yosephus tries to run away]

Yehuda: Stop!

[Yosephus continues to walk]

Elazar: Stop!

[Yosephus stops]

Yosephus: I recognize that voice from somewhere.

Elazar: Yosephus?

Yosephus: Elazar?

Elazar: Come here quickly! Put this on!

[Gives him a Maccabee soldier outfit]

Yosephus: Thanks! You saved my life!

Elazar: I'm always happy to save a fellow Jew.

[They walk towards Bet HaMikdash and see the Kohen re-lighting the Menorah]

Elazar: I hope that it will burn long enough, until more oil will be made.

Yoseph: Yes, so the light will never go out again.

[Curtain]

[Banu Hoshech Legaresh]

Written by Amihai and Tamara Bannett (atbannett@yahoo.com)

Thank you to Ruthie Benamou and the rest of Ohr HaTorah staff for their contributions to this play.