I know it is not the most important holiday on the Jewish calendar, but I profess to being a rabbi that loves to celebrate Hanukkah in a great big way. People collect all kinds of things, from works of art to pottery, to stamps and sports memorabilia. What I love to collect are items
related to Hanukkah. Susan and I have amassed a great big collection of menorahs and
dreidels, and decorations of all kinds. Over the past 20 years we have decorated our home in
Michigan with many of these items and invited friends over to see them and to share a night of the holiday with us. This year, while living in a modestly sized apartment, most of our collection is in storage, but that is not going to sour our observance of the holiday. We are looking forward to celebrating Hanukkah in the Panhandle. Just in case you have forgotten, the first night of Hanukkah falls on December 25.
With Hanukkah beginning on a national holiday, it is an opportune time for our congregation to get together and to have lots of fun. I hope many of our members will accept our invitation to join us at the Temple for an afternoon and of festivities. I am excited to be chairing the event and all I need are participants of all ages. Come for games and snacks. Bring a wrapped gift (per person) with a value of no more than $5 for a “Hanukkah Story Themed” gift exchange. Fry up 15 of your best latkes and enter our “Best at Temple Beth Shalom” contest. Enter our dreidel competition. Take home some prizes. Eat some more food. But whatever you do please make sure that you bring a menorah and 2 candles, as together we say the blessings and kindle the first lights of the holiday. RSVP: https://www.tbsfwb.com/event-details/hanukkah-game-day-at-temple-beth-shalom
Exactly two days later we will gather again, this time on the Friday night of the holiday, to
celebrate Shabbat and Hanukkah together. Our service will be filled with Hanukkah music, and it will begin earlier, at 6:00 PM. It will be followed by a dairy potluck dinner at 7:00 PM. We are seeking members who would be willing to make some latkes at home, and to bring them to share with everyone. Come wearing your favorite Hanukkah attire, socks or a sweater or jewelry or t-shirt. Let’s create some wonderful Hanukkah memories. And just like two days earlier, bring along your menorah to light, and on this night, 4 candles to light. There is such magic in seeing many menorahs lit at the same time and then flickering holiday glow during worship.
And we share a night of Hanukkah with our entire community on Saturday, December 28 at
5:30 PM at Fort Walton Beach Landing. I am excited to hear the music that will be performed
by Michael Walker and his talented troupe of musicians. I am delighted that this is a tradition
of our synagogue, to share some of the light of our holiday with friends and neighbors. I look
forward to sharing a few words about Hanukkah and to doing exactly what the rabbis of old
taught us, “to publicize the miracle”. This is why to this very day after we light our menorahs
we are supposed place them near a window, so that any passersby can come to appreciate
what the dreidel teaches, “nes gadol hayah sham,” a great miracle happened there. We remain as heirs to that miracle, with an abiding responsibility to live as proud Jews, for as long as we are blessed with life. Let us not shirk from that sacred task.
Susan joins me in wishing our extended community a Chag Hanukkah.
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