Chanukah 5770/2009 - Jewish Infertility

impasse, even if there appears to be no escape or way out.
While our enemies try to drown us, we fight for our
survival in the turbulent waters. We refuse to surrender to
the waves that wash over us. We don't give up and against
all odds גיבורים ביד חלשים רבים ביד מעטים with our
‏.להודות ולהלל לשמך הגדול emuna intact we rise up
After the Greeks defiled the
heilige Bais Hamikdash and left it in
shambles with all its sanctity
profaned, the grief-stricken,
brokenhearted Yidden did not
despair. They didn't give up; they
knew that even from such
destruction there can-and must-be
hope. Despite the deep pain and
anguish they felt when they saw their
beloved Bais Hamikdash left in ruins
and defiled, they persevered and
looked for purity. Within the ruins
they found one flask of sealed, pure
oil, only enough for one day, but it
burnt for eight days. It provided enough light to brighten
even the bleakest of moments and blackest of nights.
Chanuka is in the middle of winter when the days
are coldest and the nights are longest. We all go through
periods of darkness and cold in our lives. The future is at
times frightening. We face adversity and uncertainty, and
the light at the end of the tunnel is not always visible.
Chanuka, however, teaches us that just as they had to
search to find that one flask of oil ההם ‏,בימים we can
also persevere, search, and find Hashem's sealed promise,
the light He provides בזמן הזה that will sustain us in our
We all go
through periods
of darkness and
cold in our lives.
The future is at
times frightening.
own dark times. No matter what life brings, Hashem
propels us to march on forward like brave soldiers, like
עמדת להם בעת צרתם,‏ then, the Chashmonaim, just as
so too now, whatever He thrust on our path, we walk
hand in hand and face it together.
•••
It is the first night of Chanuka.
Our menorah has just been lit. I
watch the one small flame. It appears
to be dancing as it flickers and sheds
light. Its bright glow warms our
hearts and dispels all darkness. As my
husband finishes singing all the
traditional Chanuka songs, before he
shares his Chanuka insights and
before I serve the Chanuka delicacies,
I ask him to sing just one more song
for this first night of Chanuka. His
powerful voice rises in song. He sings with feeling and
fervor. He sings a solo. No voice accompanies his with the
harmony, but his rich voice sings in complete harmony
with Hashem. Tonight with just one light on our one
menorah, we create our own unique family unity and
bond with our one father in Heaven. We celebrate the
miracles and victories of בימים ההם and we marvel at
the triumphs and victories הזה ‏.בזמן This extra song,
these words that he so fervently sings, is our song of
gratitude for the past, a prayer and supplication for the
. שהחינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה-‏future
SHAAREI TIKVAH/ CHANUKAH 2009
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