Hannukah Chanukah Hanukkah - endless possibilities

Throughout Jewish history, the Jewish holidays have been a cornerstone of observance for Jews everywhere. Jewish holidays don’t just commemorate things that happened in the past, those events are relived in the present similar to a birthday. It’s not just a celebration of when a person was brought into the world; it’s a renewal of life for that person each year.
With all the wonderful Jewish holidays in our calendar, the holiday of Hannukah is one of the most widely celebrated holidays. Hanukkah has yet another distinction, as it’s the only holiday that has left so many people in a spelling quandary.
It is understandable if some write the holiday with or without a “c” at the beginning- this is based on translations of Hebrew into modern day English where there is no “ch” sound as in “uuch” (not as in “chew”). The confusion lies in the “n”’s, “k”’s and final “h”. How many “n”’s, one or two? How about the “k”’s, again one or two? The final “h”, keep it or drop it? Search and you will find various articles with the many spellings. The spelling that leaves me bewildered is the double “k”. What’s the second “k” for- emphasis? Would the word sound different with one “k”? Is it to compensate for the missing “c” which doesn’t even have a “k” sound in this case? So many questions, so many nights, but will the answers suffice?
Luckily, when it comes to Chanukah, there is no dispute as to how many days are celebrated and how many candles are lit. And for those that celebrate the holiday, it is celebrated at the highest level of observance. As mentioned in a previous article, the commandment to light has three tiers. 1. One candle per night per household. 2. One candle per night per person, and 3. An additional candle each night - the way practiced by most people. Though there are many reasons why people fulfill this Rabbinic commandment to such a degree, I would like to suggest one idea.
The light of the candle, especially the light of the Menorah in the Temple represents an inner flame that exists and burns inside every Jew. No matter what level of experience or practice a Jew may be at, they are inborn with a holy flame that waits to be stoked. This is the flame of Torah that exists in every Jew, whether they have learned Torah or not.
On Chanukah, when we light our chanukiah (the eight branched candelabra), we are lighting a deeper flame. When we light it with the maximum requirements, we are talking to our inner soul, and our inner soul is talking to us. We want more of our fire to glow. We want a greater inner spiritual meaning. We want to shine forth.
No matter how you spell it, this Chanukah let your inner flame radiate to the outside world, and let it glow for more than eight days.

Last of the Mohicans

No, it can’t be. You must be kidding. Not him!

This past week, the world was yet again shocked by the disclosure of one of the most famed athletes in sports. The man who could do no wrong, with a bright smile that adorned his face, he was the crème de la crème of role models.

Another one bites the dust? Tiger Woods has shown that his personal life isn’t very personal. Its hard to call it personal when so many people are involved in your personal life.

I have no claims against Tiger, I’ve got claims against myself (and perhaps at all those who thought like me). Should we be surprised that a multi-million dollar golfer- the best in the world – has succumbed to infidelity and the desires of celebrity life? We shouldn’t be surprised…but we were. We thought he was the last pure sports hero. Someone who played the game and otherwise led his life in humility. Admit it, you thought it too.

Why do we fool ourselves into thinking that he should be pure. Perhaps its because we are excited at his accomplishments and want to live vicariously through him. I think its because we idolize him to some extent. Since he is an icon in many of our eyes, he needs to live up to our values and be at the top of the pedestal.

Once we realize that all he is is a great golfer and nothing more, our icon/idol begins to crumble. Why? Because we aren't that shallow to idolize something which has no moral or religious standards of living. This is precisely why we don't want to believe it, because we want him to be our icon.

It is amazing how this story unfolds one week before Chanukah (Hanukkah), where the Jews recognized the same thing. The human body can do wondrous things, but its the human spirit that is even more amazing. The Greeks focused on the celebration of the human body, the sport of life. Anytime the soul and one's spirituality are relegated to 2nd class status, its a sure recipe for failure. You will fall off the pedestal.

This struggle is also found in this week's Torah portion regarding Yaakov (Jacob) and Esav (Esau). This struggle that Yaakov went through, fighting the angel of Esav, is the same Tiger Wood's struggle. Not Tiger's struggle, OUR Tiger Wood's struggle. Fighting for purity when everything else seems so much more fun and exciting.

When will we learn to search for the real people to look up to. The people who are true through and through. The one's who look to elevate themselves in more than just the physical.

We must keep trying to find our inner core values and inner core self. Don't be fooled into 'new and improved' marketing tactics; search inward.

Keep searching, we are not out of the Woods yet!