Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2014 | Page 5

FROM THE TEAM FROM THE EDITOR WWW.JEWISHLIFE.CO.ZA ED’S PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER; PHOTOGRAPH: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM C hanukah is finally here, which means the year is winding down, and the beach, or countryside, or even the garden hammock, is calling. We are on the home stretch, with the shopping malls aglow with twinkly fairy lights, which always fills my son Leor with excitement, as he knows his birthday (25 December) is approaching! Chanukah is the antidote to end-of-year burnout, as we light up our chanukiahs and inject another burst of energy into Jewish living. Here’s why. One of the most classical questions asked about the festival of Chanukah is why we celebrate eight nights? The jar with the seal of the High Priest that was discovered intact in the otherwise ransacked and defiled Temple contained enough precious olive oil to burn for one night, yet burned for an additional seven… so why include the first day as part of the miracle? The answer given is that natural phenomena, like the ability of oil to burn, are no less miraculous than the ones that seem to defy the laws of nature, like a small band of Maccabees defeating a much larger military force of Syrian Greeks. The fact that the sun rises each dawn and powers every living thing, and then sets, unveiling an inky, star-studded sky each evening, is miraculous in the very fact of its existence; it’s just that its frequency blinds us to its miraculous perfection. We can all be a bit ho hum about the ‘daily miracles’. In the end, we lose, because G-d has provided a smorgasbord of enjoyment for us every moment of every day, if we could only get past taking it all for granted. The very natural act of standing up, and taking a few steps forward, are so commonplace, how could they be miraculous? I can tell you they are, as just this week my baby girl took her first few wobbly steps, with the exhilarated look on her face matched only by my amazement and pure joy. The powerful lesson of Chanukah is to keep on celebrating that first day, ordinary as it may seem. Don’t allow yourself to become tired, jaded and cynical. Wishing you a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday. Just don’t forget to pack your sunscreen – and your Jewish Life! WELCOME CREDITS PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Martyn Samuels [email protected] EDITOR Paula Levin [email protected] OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Linda Superfain [email protected] ART DIRECTOR Rizelle Hartmeier [email protected] FEATURES WRITER Chandrea Serebro COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER Heidi Hurwitz PHOTOGRAPHER Ilan Ossendryver [email protected] DIGITAL MANAGER David Blumenau [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Leonard Carr, Rachel Falkson, Bev Goldman, Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Tzivia Grauman, Rabbi Craig Kacev, Wendy Kahn, Riva Lange, Ilan Preskovsky, Hugh Raichlin, Liz Samuels, Moira Schneider, Rabbi Ari Shishler, Dani Silbermann, Michelle Vinokur Printers Paarlmedia kzn Distribution Neil Jacobson Mel Levitt JEWISH LIFE is published by Total Publishing (Pty) Ltd ©2008. THE YEAR IS WINDING DOWN, AND THE BEACH, OR COUNTRYSIDE, OR EVEN THE GARDEN HAMMOCK, IS CALLING. ON THE COVER: COVER CONCEPT – BY ILAN OSSENDRYVER. ARTWORK – RIZELLE HARTMEIER AND JANINE WAIT (BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM) CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER: Congratulations to Don Krausz who wins a copy of Blood Money by Suzanne Belling. If you live within the boundaries of the eruv, feel free to take this publication home with you. THIS PUBLICATION CONTAINS WORDS OF TORAH. PLEASE TREAT IT WITH THE RESPECT IT DESERVES. ISSN 1994-8670 Total Publishing (Pty) Ltd PO Box 52339, Saxonwold 2132 The views expressed in this issue of Jewish Life are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Editor. ABC 100% AUDITED CIRCULATION Certified for the period July – September 2014: 13 347 JEWISH LIFE ISSUE 79 1