Dark days, as if the sky,
swollen with grey clouds
forgot how to smile
The earth, laden with our collective grief
somehow seems to keep turning
as daily we wait to see who is next
to fall ill, perhaps even to die
We try to make routines
knowing that none of this is normal
but finding a new rhythm
so that we may persevere
Even in the ghettos of Poland and Germany
our ancestors lit menorahs and put them in the windows for the lights of HanukkahThe holiday which celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem following its conquest by the Syrians in 165 BCE. The holiday is celebrated by lighting candles in a hanukiyah oon each of eight nights. Other customs include the eating of fried foods such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly donuts), playing dreidl (a gambling game with a spinning top), and, in present day America, gift giving.
to kindle memories of more joyous times
An act of defiance, of hope
We are told that our people must hold both celebration and grief simultaneously
What special skill does it require
to do so in days as dim as these?
How do we confront our own fears?
Who are we to tune out the suffering
of so many?
But the world goes round
babies are born every day
there are children to feed
and elders to care for
there are jobs to do and hands to hold
(if we are lucky)
there are dogs to walk and dinners to cook
planes continue to fly overhead
the sun rises and sets each day
even as they blend one into the next
And yes, there are stories
we continue to pass down
It doesn’t even matter if the miracles are true
What matters is what they stand for
and why we keep telling the same ones
each year
So tonight, my menorahThe seeven-branched menorah stood in the Temple, and many present-day synagogues feature the menorah. Titus' arch depicts the Romans' sacking of the Temple and theft of the menorah. A nine-branched menorah called a Hanukkiyah is lit on Hanukkah to symbolize the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. will go in the window
It will stand with lights twinkling
to remind me that we are still here
To remind the world that we are still here
That in spite of everything
We keep standing for something
