---

Menorah	Comes from the Aramaic noor meaning "fire", and now means "candelabrum". It has become the symbol of the State of Israel
Hanukkah	Means "dedication", but also shares the same root in Hebrew as the word "educate".
Hasmoneans	Descendants from a family of priests from Modiinwho ruled the Hasmonean realm from 165 B.C. to 67 B.C.
Maccabees	The Hasmoneans are also called Maccabees. Their deeds are chronicled in the four Books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha.
Dreidel	A spinning top with four facets so that, when it falls, only one side is uppermost like a die. The root is the Middle German verb meaning "to spin".
Shamash.	From the Hebrew verb meaning "to use", the shamash is the "servant" light, and is used to light the other eight candles. It can be used for other purposes as well, unlike the other candles which are only to be seen and not used.
Eretz Israel	The Land of Israel.
Diaspora	The global community of Jews not living in Israel.
Talmud	The body of Jewish law consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara, also known as the Oral Law.