A Chanukah Interview with Eli Bailit, Rashi Second Grader, Age 7 ¾
Mommy: You made a pretty cool Chanukiah a couple of years ago – what did you use for materials?
Eli: I made it with a board of wood as the base and nuts as the candleholders. We have to blow out the candles as they get close to the bottom so the wood doesn’t burn.
Mommy: For the past few years, we have had the tradition of giving gifts to children in need one night out of the eight nights of Chanukah. There is even an organization, started by Rashi parents and temple members, called “The Fifth Night” that asked for donations for Birthday Wishes this year. You learned something interesting about the fifth night of Chanukah. What was it?
Eli: I learned in The Jewish Book of Why that, a long time ago, parents gave gelt to their children ONLY on the fifth night.
Daddy: Can you spin a wooden or plastic dreidel longer?
Eli: Plastic.
Daddy: For how long?
Eli: Seventeen seconds.
Mommy: How many chanukiyot do we have in our house?
Eli: Eleven.
Daddy: Where did your oldest chanukiah come from?
Eli: My great-great-grandmother, Edith.
Daddy: If you light all of your chanukiyot on the eighth night, how many candles would that be?
Eli: Eighty-eight candles.
Mommy: Who is “Menorah Man”?
Eli: We have a battery-operated menorah that sings to the tune of Maoz Tzur. It has a face on it, so you call him “Menorah Man”!
Mommy: What was your favorite gift this year?
Eli: You and Daddy gave me the Patriots jersey, and I wore it to my first Patriots game ever on December 4. You said it was a Chanukah present, so you wrapped it up and gave it to me for Chanukah. The card said “Surprise!,” but it wasn’t.
Mommy: What feels better: giving a gift, or receiving a gift, and why?
Eli: Giving a gift, because it makes you feel good.
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