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
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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
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