Tonight,
these lights of Chanukah,
provide heat for the heart,
sustenance for the soul,
and strength for the will.
Throughout our history,
they have girded us against
being Hellenized and Romanized,
and Russified and Anglified,
and they remind us,
we have dedicated and rededicated our Temple,
claimed and reclaimed our services and celebrations,
asserted and reasserted our culture,
invented and reinvented our language,
educated and reeducated generations about our laws and values,
and affirmed and reaffirmed,
we are the people of the land.
They also remind us,
we stand in solidarity
with the ‘others’ of the world,
because,
we once lived in poverty and persecution,
were slaves and strangers in other lands,
and suffered exile and extermination.
These few,
flickering flames of light,
shine well beyond their numbers,
to illuminate the night
and bring hope
into the darkest corners of the earth.
And they remind us,
we are God’s partners
in creating a society on earth,
where peace, justice, and compassion,
find a home.
Please follow and like us:
Flickering candles as a symbol of hope is a wonderful way to promote peace, justice and compassion.
Thank you for sharing this tradition with us in this poem. It’s a beautiful tradition as are these candle lights.