Video: Candlelight

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Published: December 2, 2010

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Visitor Comments: 61

(59) Anonymous, December 27, 2012 12:55 AM

I watched this video so many times and I'm still not board of it-its awsomeeee

(58) Anonymous, December 2, 2012 3:27 PM

We really enjoy your videos

My family is military and we move from place to place with very small Jewish communities. Watching your videos and the images of so many Jewish people celebrating together means so much to my 8 year old and 6 year old girls.. Thank you!

(57) Anonymous, November 13, 2012 1:50 AM

awesome

its awesome keep coming up with great ones!

(56) Anonymous, September 10, 2012 4:26 PM

im obsessed with this song :D

(55) esther, December 26, 2011 9:55 PM

Awesome!! What the name of the original song and the name of the singer?

Anonymous, December 29, 2011 12:55 AM

matisyahu

its by matisyahu and its called MIRACLE

(54) Tonna, December 21, 2011 3:11 PM

wow!

i really loved your previous one...but, this one is even better...you guys are very talented, keep up the good work! thank you! happy chanukah!

(53) Martha, December 16, 2011 8:48 PM

I Loved Thanks for good moments

(52) steven, December 1, 2011 8:51 PM

great and good

that song was great,thanks for sharing and working together

(51) Joan Friess, December 1, 2011 1:06 PM

This is great!!!!!!!

It's original and catchy. I love it.

(50) lederles, October 27, 2011 10:29 AM

This is so amazing wow!!!

This is the best ever u guys rock.....This is so amazing ....

(49) Anonymous, September 22, 2011 1:04 AM

Best Video Ever!!!!!!! You guys ROCK!!!!!!

(48) Anonymous, March 31, 2011 10:21 PM

way cool!!

adorable amazing super great the best awesome job!! keep singing on and on

(47) chumy schlussel, March 31, 2011 10:18 PM

this is totaly awsome u guys r the best do more i luv it !!!!:)

(46) ellie, January 29, 2011 4:47 PM

you guys are awsome! you come to vist israel somtime! youd be a hit

(45) Anonymous, January 17, 2011 9:04 PM

omg!!!!

omg u guys r amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzin! keep it up:)

(44) , December 22, 2010 1:49 AM

i love it this is my favrit song!!

(43) yitznewton, December 21, 2010 3:30 AM

To Killjoy

I daresay the difference was that the travesty of the misyavnim was pushing Greek content. Here, dance music is the form, but pirsumei nisa of Chanukah the content. Using an (arguably) powerful form to convey holy content. (That may be an overstatement, but you get the point.) I think they conveyed the core facts of Chanukah remarkably well and cleverly for those who were paying attention, viz. the Greek holding the philosophy book in the Jews' faces at the beginning.

(42) Anonymous, December 20, 2010 2:04 AM

yo this was awesome!! ya'll shud do t his 4 purim! e/1 luvs this n is talking abt it even thois its way past chanuka!!!

(41) Bella, December 15, 2010 4:27 AM

miracles come from G-d

I loved this! Amazing job! The creativity is unbelievable! I am still watching it even though Chanukah is over. One suggestion: if you do this for Purim. Perhaps, being as your stuff is watched by so many, it might be appropriate to mention G-d somewhere in the song from whom all miracles come including the hidden ones: i.e. the maccabees winning a war when the odds were against them.

(40) Name, December 13, 2010 10:23 PM

Eh Oh - You guys are Great-O

Do one for Purim.

Levine, November 17, 2011 6:50 AM

they do! check it out on you tube

(39) Anonymous, December 13, 2010 8:30 PM

bracha v hatzlacha

may Hashem bless you all.

(38) Debbie, December 13, 2010 4:41 AM

you guys are awesome!!

this is very, VERY well done! everybody's talking about this!!

(37) Anonymous, December 13, 2010 12:26 AM

Kill joy ?

Food for thought: In what way does being creative, fun and adorable as one copies the style and mannerisim of the modern "Greek" culture of our times, differ from the "creative" Jewish hellenists - the "Misyavnim" of yore ?

(36) Timothy, December 11, 2010 9:57 PM

Love it.

Awesome video, funny but also with a great message. Loved it so much i downloaded it for my iPod. :)

(35) miranda, December 11, 2010 9:22 PM

LOVE THIS!!

My kids and I are completely addicted to this song!! its brilliant

(34) Gila Perach Hirs, December 10, 2010 8:48 AM

Absolutely Fabulous

None.

(33) Beverly Dent, December 10, 2010 4:32 AM

Great!

Watched many times and sent to all my friends. Great Job! Hope that we hear more from them.

(32) Charlotte, December 9, 2010 6:47 PM

let's all share this video! it's fun

I liked it! So just spread it and make other people enjoy it!

(31) Michael, December 9, 2010 3:03 PM

Explanation from a Macccabeat

Thanks for all the positive feedback! Being told that the video has helped people to connect with Chanukah and Judaism has been by far the most exhilirating part of this video's success. But you deserve an explanation of the NASA suit : ) In our One Day video, released last year, Noey wore the suit as a joke, because he is from Houston, Texas. Wearing it in this video was just a fun way of referencing the last video. It has no Chanukah significance, but it my favorite part of the video - cracks me up every time. Take the light of Chanukah into the year and thank yo for your support! -Michael from the Maccabeats PS With regard to using the light of the candles - it's cool as long as you have a shamash.

(30) Anonymous, December 9, 2010 5:21 AM

use shamash light not "candlelight"

GREAT SONG! I watched it about 10 times! One comment...Since the candles we light are holy we specifically may not use their light for other purposes such as playing dreidel, reading etc. (As we say in Al HaNisim "These lights are holy...we have no permission to use them") One of the purposes of the shamash candle is to provide an extra candle that we are permitted to use ie to see by...to light the other candles by..etc. since it is not one of the required eight candles.

(29) Chana P, December 8, 2010 11:55 PM

Great Job!

The students at the school where I teach have been following the success of this video. They really feel proud about every accomplishment the group has made; asking if I've seen the latest interview, show, post, etc. You boys did a great job in raising Jewish pride and awareness--no matter what your intention when creating the video was. There's only one question none of us have been able to answer. Why does Noey Jacobson always wear an orange NASA suit in the Maccabeat videos?!

(28) Anonymous, December 8, 2010 11:50 PM

very professional video,great song, and more important SUCH A KIDDUSH HASHEM! Did you know this song got 2 million HITS??????The boys are properly dressed, behave wonderfully like Jewish boys should. KOL HAKAVOD!!!!!

(27) Terri, December 8, 2010 8:06 PM

What's up with the Astronaut?

I really enjoyed this. Thanks!! I found it while getting information to tell my kids about Hanukkah. We are Christian and celebrate Christmas, but I want them to connect with their roots in Judaism as well as connecting with our neighbors who celebrate Hanukkah. But I didn't understand the significance of the orange NASA jumpsuit and want to know more.

(26) Anonymous, December 8, 2010 3:23 PM

Great Talent!

Thank you for the song! We are really enjoying the talent here- both the singing and the videography! A freilichen Chanukah!

(25) JNC, December 8, 2010 6:27 AM

Adorable!

Adorable! Kol Hakavod Maccabeats! Just sing on & on & on......

(24) Keren, December 8, 2010 4:21 AM

Very entertaining!

Job well done. I loved your video. It really got me in the Chanuka spirit! Great voices!

(23) Anonymous, December 7, 2010 10:36 PM

wow!

this is funny cute and beaty at the same time! you can never tell that its akapella.

(22) Anonymous, December 7, 2010 6:45 PM

Nes gadol haya PO !! -See you soon in YERUSHALAYIM

Come home to ERETZ YISRAEL!!

(21) Anonymous, December 7, 2010 6:23 PM

love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(20) Byron Huffman, December 7, 2010 6:00 PM

That was great... The young men did an awesome job.

(19) Sandy, December 7, 2010 3:17 PM

Way cool!

Thanks for such a fun Hanukah song and super Light Energy!

(18) Evelyn Demanuele, December 7, 2010 9:16 AM

Lit the Chanukiah wrong!

You should have used the Shamash candle to light the Chanukiah!! However, I truly loved the song and video!

(17) Ann Cohen, December 6, 2010 11:40 PM

Lightin up mati it is a fun song!

(16) Anonymous, December 6, 2010 11:17 PM

wonderful

Very creative and fun. I really liked this a lot.

(15) Suzanne, December 6, 2010 7:12 PM

The Maccabeats

Adorable! Made my Chanukah!

(14) rochel, December 6, 2010 6:40 PM

also, everything in this world has the same measure of good and bad, and therefore can be used for either good or bad. so they took something that was used for bad and transformed it into something good. why is that a bad thing?? awesome job macabeats!

(13) rochel, December 6, 2010 6:36 PM

this song is rly good. i made a hachlata/kabala/goal to not listen to nonjewish on chanukah. this song is helping me achieve that goal. so thank u macabeats:) @ mati- would u rather ppl listen to the origonal song or to this one? i think Yehuda would be so proud if he knew that the macabeats sang this!

(12) Robert, December 6, 2010 6:27 PM

Brilliant!

Thanks ever so much for this fab and funny vid! It made me smile and cry at the very same time! Thanks for this kind of light in our dark times. ;-)

(11) sharona, December 6, 2010 8:03 AM

nice

great job, especially reaching out to those in public school who want something Jewish to help them apprieciate their heritage

(10) Anonymous, December 6, 2010 6:38 AM

There is a time and place for everything

Mati, if you are offended by this song, then don't listen to it. These young men have made a tremendos kiddush Hashem and have reached many distanced Jewish souls through their music. There are different ways to serve Hashem, and each of us needs to find our own way, that stems from our G-d given personality and talents. Although I have never listened to rap music, and would not approve of this song for my children (born and bred in an insular Jewish community), I thought it was tastefully done, and showcased a beautiful simchas hachaim and love for Yiddishkeit that is obviously contagious if you look at how many hits this video got. The impact that these frum Yeshiva guys have made is huge, and I doubt that Yehuda Maccabee is "rolling in his grave." He has a broader view than our narrow, earthly scope, and can truly appreciate what the Maccabeats have accomplished. This song may not be apropriate in the Beis Yaakovs and Batei Midrashim of the yeshivish and chassidish communities, but there is a whole spectrum of Jews in this world, and we all need to connect to Hashem and His Torah in a way that speaks to us where we are today. "Candlelight" does that for the vast majority.

(9) yitznewton, December 5, 2010 9:44 PM

I had a complex reaction to this. Mati, this isn't rap - learn before you criticize. Now. I grew up as a church organist, and the beauty and power of church music played a great role in my spiritual life. I personally don't think that this sort of dance music captures the relgious spirit - at all. But. As a young Orthodox male I have found ZERO worthwhile musical outlets that have anything to do with Judaism, or really any creative outlets at all. Baruch Hashem I've gotten involved with two participatory chaburos lately that have somewhat filled that role. I was most impressed with this video - I give it an A for creativity, cleverness, and execution. I think it's a great one-liner way to get across the essential message of Chanukah. You could argue that the medium betrays the message; I don't buy it, but I hear the point. The Orthodox world is (in my experience) too bland and unexpressive a place to criticize young people's efforts, such as this.

(8) Mati, December 5, 2010 5:20 PM

LIke the Maccabean Olypmpics

Yehudah Maccabee rolls in his grave over the name given to the Olympics....symbol of the Greeks....who fought against assimilation...so they name Olympics after the battle of Jews who wanted assimilation and Jews who did not. He rolls over in his grave over this song (though well intended) as the merging of the rap style (complete with gang hand signs) with Judaism. I will set this in my same storage box holding the Maccabean Olympics and the symbol of Israeli tourism...ie., the spies who reported falsely to discourage us away from entering the Land.

(7) Marsha, December 5, 2010 4:08 PM

Talk about Mazel!

The school I teach at locked in our Maccabeats concert before this hit the airwaves!!!! We are so excited!

(6) Anonymous, December 5, 2010 4:05 PM

I LOVED IT. Great job guys, We needed a up beat Chanukkak song this year

(5) Rosemary, December 5, 2010 12:52 PM

Love it!

Nice song!! Thank you!

(4) SarA, December 4, 2010 11:52 PM

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG

!!!!!!!

(3) Anonymous, December 4, 2010 3:34 AM

awesome

awesome

(2) Anonymous, December 3, 2010 10:25 PM

OBSESSED!!!

For Real-Real-----Real-Real...

(1) Nava, December 3, 2010 4:32 PM

Light the Way

The Maccabeats you are very upbeat. We are very thankful for the Jews that did and do teach others. It was from the heart of Love thy neighbor to show them the way from Zeus, Apollo and Olympus etc and closer to Our Creator. Jewish people continue to teach with words or by example and both. Mythology doesn't lead the way to Our Creator. We light the candles in memory of the past, also for now to keep our eyes upon Our Creator, and not get caught up in fiction tales that leads one away from the Most High. And most importantly we teach by example the best we can.

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