I’m not Jewish, but I am a sucker for ancient traditions and a good matzoh recipe (thanks to some former Jewish coworkers). So I curiously downloaded the iMenorah app ($2.99) for this holiday season. After all, lighting a Menorah is a heck of a lot more ceremonious than plugging a string of lights into a wall socket.
In a sense, this app is idiot-proof. Once Hanukkah starts, the app will automatically start to light a candle per day during the eight nights of the holiday. Before that, you can practice the traditional left-to-right lighting of the Menorah candles by tapping the lighter candle with your finger to light and then sliding your finger across the screen to direct it, one by one, to light each of the eight candles. Once the eight candles are lit, the customary Hebrew blessing begins.
And, to add a little authenticity, the candles slowly melt over time, making this a perfect app for the Jew away from home for the holidays. Keep up your family traditions with this virtual Menorah. It might not make mom and dad totally happy, but hey, at least it’s a little tradition no matter where you go.
However, at $2.99, this app lacks any real glitzy functions to justify the price. There are a couple cheaper Menorah apps in the iTunes App Store that you can check out if you are celebrating the holidays on a budget, such as the free Menorah and the 99 cent Mobile Menorah.
