Chanukah Lights

Chanukah is by far my favorite holiday! As a child I loved this holiday. My mother would play chanukah music in the house, make latkes and shower us with gifts (all in one night).  But, even so, I loved all the nights. I never thought there was anything missing, anything else to be had. I pitied my non-Jewish friends, who in my opinion, were really missing out. I enjoyed seeing their trees and lights, but in no way did it compare in my mind to the joy of Chanukah. I loved the smells, the sounds, the taste and the sights of this miraculous holiday.

As an adult I have come to appreciate all of my childhood memories as well as the deeper significance of this holiday. The miracle of the oil, the hand of G-d in every aspect of the story, the significance of the oil, the 25th day of Kislev hidden in the word "chakuKAH", the macabees, the tiny army winning against the Greeks, etc are all just, well, MIRACULOUS. And miracles we know are just awesome acts of nature, that is awesome acts of nature that happen at EXACTLY the perfect moment...the hand of G-d.

As an orthodox  Jew, I have also come to appreciate this holiday, as it appeared to be a reprieve from the many rules that all the other holidays  have....So I thought. Yet, if there is a place to add a ritual, my husband will put one in. So, I'm sitting in a class this week (with my Israel sisters:), learning about Chanukah, when our class leader explains that after lighting the candles, you can go right into singing maoz tzur (rock of ages) . I say, "Well, not if you're in our home." The entire class looks at me. "You do more?", they ask.  "Oh yes," I explain that my husband adds in "stuff". At this point in my life, though, I will take whatever "stuff" he wants to add, as I won't turn away anything that might bring more G-dliness, sparks, blessings, etc. to our home. The leader then continues to explain that there was a time when you had to put your menorah out on a porch, but that no longer applies. I say, "not in our house." Once again the class looks my way. They say, "what is going on in your house?" I tell them, "you have no idea." They decide they are all going to drive by to see our gargantuan menorah out on our front porch. This will please my husband to no end.

So this year, we will proclaim the miracle of Chanukah with (G-d willing) our entire family around us. We will fill our home with the wonderful smell of potatoes, onions and oil (it really proclaims the miracle, as our neighbors can smell it up and down the street). We will shower our kids with gelt and gifts and then I will sit and watch our oil and candles burn (just a small commandment that I can live with). I will think about Yehudit, who knew when it was time to take things into her own hands, for at the heart of every great Jewish holiday is at least one great woman. May this holiday bring many blessings to all women, their husbands, their children and families and especially to my mother, who taught me to love Chanukah.