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Chizuk<br />
Chanuka<br />
Reflections<br />
SHAAREI TIKVAH/ CHANUKAH <strong>2009</strong><br />
Tonight is the first of <strong>Chanukah</strong>. I hurry to make it<br />
home by Z'man Maariv so that my husband can<br />
.ליכטל בזמנו light the first<br />
My ride drops me off a few blocks from my house. As<br />
I begin to walk home, I find myself caught up in the Yom<br />
Tov spirit around me. The groceries and Seforim stores<br />
bulge with customers doing their last minute shopping.<br />
I spot an elderly woman schlepping a milk crate, her<br />
make-shift menorah stand. The children cheerfully tote<br />
bags filled with gifts for mommy, sweets for school<br />
parties, and of course olive oil and wicks.<br />
My husband arrives home earlier than usual, and the<br />
preparations begin! We remove the sterling silver tray<br />
and menorah from the showcase where it's been waiting<br />
patiently to be used once again.<br />
After the brachos are recited, I sit back and enjoy the<br />
serene <strong>Chanukah</strong> lights.<br />
Then it all comes back to me. I am jolted by the<br />
memory of last Chanuka.<br />
Flashback! A flood of memories overwhelms me as<br />
each thought scrambles for the front seat.<br />
Reluctantly, my mind's eye turns the clock back a year.<br />
I see myself sitting next to the menorah, watching its<br />
flickering lights and listening to my husband sing the<br />
אנא traditional <strong>Chanukah</strong> songs. He sang the words of<br />
softly, repeating each word. I heard a hint of בכח<br />
pleading in his voice.<br />
<strong>Chanukah</strong> has always been an introspective time. A<br />
time known בעטן פאר גוטע קינדער .צו A time for<br />
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