240 - Chanukah, 2001/5762

Chanukah, the Festival of Rededication, begins at sunset on Sunday night, December 9th. Images from Israel this week, from Jerusalem and Haifa, have left us gasping for air, despairing at the senseless loss of life, the cruelty of these acts of hatred. The Maccabees stood against such hatred in ancient days. We, too, must find ways to counter the hatred, to comfort these new mourners as we remember the terror acts of our recent past, to work for lasting peace.

Two Hundred Forty

Chanukah, ²⁰⁰¹⁄₅₇₆₂

If we listened only to news of horrors,
We would be captives to our fears,
Hidden away in the caves of our terror,
Unable to devise our survival.

Call us to defy the defilers of our tranquility,
Even as the Maccabees threw off the spoilers;
Let our spirits be cleansed by good acts,
Our hands working together as Your agent.

Lead us to the trail of rededication,
Pledging our selves anew to the walk of peace;
You, Holy One, worked wonders in ancient days:
Let our yearnings be the substance of new miracles.