It’s Chanukah — come celebrate on the Plaza

Ihad just turned 11 years old, and I saved up enough money to purchase my very own new menorah for Chanukah. It was a brushed-nickel, flat menorah with no branches. It cost all of $7. But it was a new phase in my life, for this menorah used olive oil, not candles. I was graduating to the big leagues.

But unlike putting those colorful paraffin candles into the cups and lighting them, an oil menorah takes some effort. First you have to make the wick. Roll some cotton into a ball and make a tip for the wick. Then you have to pour the oil and make sure it doesn’t spill all over. Eventually you light the wick to test it, but because you covered the cup holding the oil, the wick is not getting enough oxygen and the fire goes out.

Or, you try to pry the wick with a safety pin to raise the wick and give the flame more cotton to burn. Finally, you have the menorah shining brightly, and you sit and listen to the stories the flames are telling. If you did it right, your flames should last for four hours, a lot longer than the required minimum of 30 minutes. I have kept that menorah for many years. I wonder if my mother still has it up on the top shelf in the closet where all our memories are stored.

On Sunday evening, we kindle the first light of Chanukah, as we celebrate the holiday for the 2,156th time.

Although we celebrate the miracle of the victory of a handful of Jews over the mighty Syrian-Greek army, we highlight the second miracle, that of the oil that lasted for eight days.

Why do we celebrate with light? Because the miracle of the oil was symbolic of the whole purpose of the revolt, to save the light of their religious freedom. The war was a spiritual war. The Jews didn’t mind being ruled by a foreign power, we only revolted when the Greeks oppressed our religion and denied us the freedom to practice our faith. The miracle of the oil showed the Jews that their struggles were not in vain and that G-d was helping them.

Today when I watch my children set up their own oil menorahs, going through some challenges in getting their wicks to light, I think back to my young self struggling to keep the flame alive and I know that the effort was not in vain.

I thank G-d that I have successfully passed the tradition to the next generation. And they are passing it on to the next. After all, Chanukah means education. And nothing beats live, hands-on education, getting those little fingers full of oil even if some falls on the floor.

We hope you join us for a communitywide Chanukah celebration at 3 p.m. Sunday (Dec. 2) with a concert by the Santa Fe Klezmorados, an acrobat show with Aerial Aura, Mayor Alan Webber and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján. We will have latkes, doughnuts, hot cider and gelt.

Most importantly, we will be kindling the giant Santa Fe Plaza Peace Menorah, standing so proudly in the center of our beautiful City of Holy Faith. For more information about more Chanukah events visit santafejcc.com/chanukah2018

May G-d bless us all with a joyous and meaningful Chanukah!