STILL ANOTHER HANUKKAH MESSAGE
Lights.
They provide us with so much.
Warmth. - We take for granted the comfort in our homes, our cars, our places of employment. Our fireplaces, wood burning stoves, central heat, gas or oil burners. - We have at least one set of clothes for each season and for the myriad types of occasions that we get invited to. - Summer barbecue pits and hawaiian style torches. - Yet, too many of our neighbors deal with the choice of paying to heat their apartment or home and paying for medicines or food. Too many, including children, shiver in their homes or on the streets, because they do not own a coat, or even a sweater. Broken windows, barely-working radiators, dangerous space heaters, and thin blankets provide some folks with a modicum of warmth.
Yes, lights can warm...
The ability to see our world. - Imagine those who were born blind, or who lost their sight due to war or an accident, or whose vision faded with their age. - We take for granted being able to read books, watch television, pick out furniture, and decide which make-up or hairstyle suits us best.
Yes, lights can allow us to see our world.
A means to use other 'devices'. - How else could we properly use elevators, drive our car, or read & write our emails? - Yet, how many cannot afford to run their lights after dark because of the electricity costs? Or... ?
Yes, lights can allow us to perform our daily routines.
This Hanukah, may the menorah's lights, light our ability to be empathetic and compassionate. So that we may give serious thought to how many of our neighbors' lives are 'fragile'. And, may we take serious action to help change their lives.
Amen
HANUKKAH MESSAGE
Hanukkah. The Festival of Lights. A time to remember the miracle which God performed. A time to remember the Maccabees' bravery. A time to celebrate freedom, And, also, a time to celebrate the miracle of life.
Many of us face daily trials and tribulations. For some, the burden is financial. For others, health, divorce, or the death of a loved one brings us great pain and sorrow. The list goes on.
Yet, in the midst of what might be for some the rubble
of their lives, there is that lamp. No, not one burning oil, as in
the telling of Hanukkah and the Temple, which was laid in ruins...
But, one which burns, nonetheless, in our heart. The fire that can
provide us with the impetus to strive for more... For better... A
fire which can warm our hearts and souls, when we dare to let love
in. A blaze that ignites us into action against injustices in our
community, locally, or at large. A fire which primes our bodily
organs, as the heart pumps blood through our veins. A desire to be
healthy. And, perhaps the impetus to do what we can towards achieving
that goal.
And, that inner lamp shines and connects us with the
Divine. Allowing us to be open to seeing all of God's wonders. To
hear, clearly, His commandments and teachings. To give thanks to God
for His blessings, through our daily prayers, be they spoken or
silent, our own, or those fashioned by our Jewish brethern. Each and
every frosty, winter breath, every opportunity to take a step, every
pain which we dreadfully experience is a miracle in itself. A
representation of a gift from God: the gift of life. - Our ancestors
certainly were saddened and upset by the state of the Temple, as they
sought to rebuild it. Yet, these brave folks also realized how
blessed that they were to have a temple to rebuild, to re-dedicate.
So, should we muster the spirit within us to maintain that inner
flame, with God's blessings and his guidance.
Look around you! Look past the shallow fronts which
many of us wear as if they were part of our skin, instead of our
clothing. Pay attention to the rush of cold upon your face, to the
sunlight slightly warming you, and to the ground upon which you
exist. - These are all miracles!
Within us, during this Festival of Lights, may we
marvel at and take comfort in God's blessings and the opportunities
to rebuild our bodies, minds, and spirits, while reaching out to
others. Then, might we truly understand the sense of awe felt by our
brethern, so many years ago.
Amen.
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