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· Hanerot Halahlu Kosdesh Hem  
· Ma'oz Tzur

Ha-Ne-Roat Halah-lu Ko-desh Hem
These Candles Are Holy
Some tie strings around their fingers to remember important items on the to-do list. At chanukiyah lightings, Jews sing to remember a what not to do.

HaNay-roat Ha-lah-lu, These Candles, recalls the reason the candles are lit and the reason why the light is not used for any household purpose.


 

Ha-ne-roat Ha-lah-lu	These candles
Ah-nu mad-lee-keen	That we light
Al Ha-nissim	Are for the miracles
V'al ha-nif-lah-ot	The wonders
V'al ha-te'shu-ot	The salvation
V'al ha-mill-khah-mot	The battles
Sheh-ah-see-tah	That you fought (lit.did)
La'ah-vote-ay-nu	For our ancestors
Bah-yah-meem	In those days
Bah-zman hah-zeh	At this time (of year)
Al yeh-day co-ha-ne-kha hak-doe-shim	Through your holy kohen-priests (the Maccabees)
Veh-coal sh'mon-at yeh-may	Chanukah And all eight days of Chanukah
Ha-nay-rot ha-lah-loo ko-desh hem	These candles are holy
V'ain lah-noo reh-shoot	And we do not have permission
leh-heesh-tah-mesh ba-hem	To use them
El-ah leer-ot-am bil-vad	But just to behold them
Ke-day l'hoe-dote	In order to give thanks
Oo-l'hall-el	And to praise
Et shim-kha hah-ga-dole	To Your great name
Al nee-seh-kha	About Your great miracles
V'al nif-loa-te-kha	And Your wonders
V'al yeshu-ah-te-kha	And Your salvations

Ma'oz Tzur - Rock of Ages 
Rock of Ages suffers from generations of hummage. The first line is memorable and so is the moving melody, but what is the song about anyway.

The first five (yes five) were written around the 13th century apparently by a man named Mordechai, who thoughtfully left his initials into the first letter of each stanza, a then-common literary flourish. The song praises God for stepping in and saving the Jewish people at critical moments in history. It highlights key historic triumphs in the Jewish saga beginning with the redemption from Egypt, the return from the Babylonian exile, Purim's last-minute save from annihilation, the triumph for religious freedom on Chanukah. The song ends with a prayer for the end of the current exile. Some versions of this stanza's stirring words call for God's vengeance over the Jewish blood that other nations had spilt. Scholars believe stanza six was composed around 1500 C.E.
 

Ma'oz tzur yeh-shoe-ah-ti	O mighty stronghold of my salvation
L'kha nah-eh l'sha-bay-akh	to praise you is a pleasure
Ti-kon bait te-feel-ah-ti	fix my house of prayer
V'sham toe-dah nez-ah-bay-akh	and there we will offer a gift of thanks
L'eight ta-khin mat-bay-akh	when the time comes that you will have
Me-tzar ha-meh-na-bay-akh	prepared the slaughter for the blaspheming foe
Az egg-more b'shir meez-more	then I will complete with song and praise
Chanu-kat ha-meez-bay-akh	to the dedication of the altar

Click the following for more interesting information about the Menorah and its traditions: 

• Why Light a Menorah?
• Menorah Styles
• The Shamash: The Service Candle
• Oil, Candles, or Electricity?
• The Menorah Placement
• Lighting & Blessing Guide
• Lighting Times
• Who Lights the Menorah?
• Chanuka Lighting Songs
• Build A Menorah
• Menorah Disposal

Mazor Guide for Chanukah brings you much more about the holiday, its meaning and its traditions... See the links below.

• The Story of Chanukah
• The Menorah: Bearer of the Light
• All About the Dreidel
• Chanukah's Caloric Treasures
• Gelt and Gifts: A Tradition of Giving
• Eight Nights of Chanukah: A spiritual Perspective
• Commemorative Stamps