We are the people of light. We light the world with the essence of what our Torah teaches us. Social justice...if you harm another, you must compensate or make restitution. You must not steal that which belongs to another; you must honor your parents...the elderly. And so much more. All that and more is in the light you see here in this picture.
And below the light, is the oil. The oil is the essence God's miracles. He provides all that we need, in all times, in all places. That which He gives to us is good and filled with light. When we need, He provides. In this case, we needed oil to burn for eight days but only had enough for one day and so the candle of the single day lasted eight days. A miracle. A promise. Wherever you are, whatever you need, you are Mine...we are the people of Israel and we worship the God of Israel. Always. Eternally.
And below the oil, is the tree of life, the branched strength of a united people. The arms are intertwined to strengthen the whole, connected, as we are, along the full length of our nation and our people. Each supports the other and so when a Jew is murdered in Bondi, Australia, the nation of Israel mourns.
The box that surrounds our menorah has its own symbolism as well. It is made of glass to let the light through - transparent as our nation is. All the world sees what we do, who we are...and then many lie to try to make us not what we are, but rather what they need us to be. But all you have to do is look through the glass to see the beauty and the light of Israel. We are a nation that rushes to save our own...and others. We are a nation dedicated to saving lives, bringing innovation to nearly every industry. We are Israel.
The glass is shields our menorah, as Israel shields our people. Without Israel, our nation would be subject to the winds of cruelty and hate; inside the glass of our world, we protect our children and light reigns. And here, as we get older, our children protect us. It is painful for us to see, to know they have to. But in every generation, there arises an enemy who wants to harm us and so in every generation, our lions rise up to defend. It is our way, no matter how much we yearn for peace...it escapes us.
This year's Chanuka was one of the hardest we've ever had...Bondi, the horrific attack against Jews in Australia...Ran Gvili, our last hostage still in Gaza. Antisemitic attacks all over Europe and the US and Canada...
On a personal level, it's one of the best Chanukas we've ever had...we were able to get all the children and grandchildren over for a child's dream - homemade pizza, a birthday cake and sufganiyot - donuts.
It's the last day of Chanuka...and then as the light fades, the darkness threatens. For now, I hold the light, the memory of the candles burning and my living room filled with my sweet lights.
And below the light, is the oil. The oil is the essence God's miracles. He provides all that we need, in all times, in all places. That which He gives to us is good and filled with light. When we need, He provides. In this case, we needed oil to burn for eight days but only had enough for one day and so the candle of the single day lasted eight days. A miracle. A promise. Wherever you are, whatever you need, you are Mine...we are the people of Israel and we worship the God of Israel. Always. Eternally.
And below the oil, is the tree of life, the branched strength of a united people. The arms are intertwined to strengthen the whole, connected, as we are, along the full length of our nation and our people. Each supports the other and so when a Jew is murdered in Bondi, Australia, the nation of Israel mourns.
The box that surrounds our menorah has its own symbolism as well. It is made of glass to let the light through - transparent as our nation is. All the world sees what we do, who we are...and then many lie to try to make us not what we are, but rather what they need us to be. But all you have to do is look through the glass to see the beauty and the light of Israel. We are a nation that rushes to save our own...and others. We are a nation dedicated to saving lives, bringing innovation to nearly every industry. We are Israel.
The glass is shields our menorah, as Israel shields our people. Without Israel, our nation would be subject to the winds of cruelty and hate; inside the glass of our world, we protect our children and light reigns. And here, as we get older, our children protect us. It is painful for us to see, to know they have to. But in every generation, there arises an enemy who wants to harm us and so in every generation, our lions rise up to defend. It is our way, no matter how much we yearn for peace...it escapes us.
This year's Chanuka was one of the hardest we've ever had...Bondi, the horrific attack against Jews in Australia...Ran Gvili, our last hostage still in Gaza. Antisemitic attacks all over Europe and the US and Canada...
On a personal level, it's one of the best Chanukas we've ever had...we were able to get all the children and grandchildren over for a child's dream - homemade pizza, a birthday cake and sufganiyot - donuts.
It's the last day of Chanuka...and then as the light fades, the darkness threatens. For now, I hold the light, the memory of the candles burning and my living room filled with my sweet lights.
The last sunset of Chanuka...simply breathtaking.
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