This is my article from the Rockland Jewish Federation Reporter December Issue. Thought it would make a good blog posting as well. Enjoy.
I’m “rededicating” myself to Hanukkah.
Get it?
As far as Jewish holidays go, Hanukkah is aminor one. It pales in comparison toRosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. But still, it’s here in December when thedays are short and cold. It celebratesmiracles and light. There are gifts andgelt. And latkes. Not a bad list for a minor holiday!
The days of being volunteered by my kids tobe the class “latke mom” are behind me. I am no longer in a position to buy 300 bags of nut-free gelt to feed anentire Hebrew school. By the time theholiday arrives, chances are I won’t have told the story or recited theblessings over a dozen times.
Hanukkah, which means “dedication”remembers the rededication of the Holy Temple by the Maccabees . So, I am rededicating myself to Hanukkah thisyear. I am looking for ways to find newmeaning in the holiday, while not losing the aspects I love about it. By a small coincidence, I’ve come up witheight.
1. Fair Trade Gelt: The truth is, I don’t even likechocolate. But my family does. So this year, I am getting guilt-freegelt. After just a little bit ofresearch, I found two great options, and there are probably more. Equal Exchange (www.equalexchange.coop) sells what they call “non traditionalHanukkah pieces.” A bag of little darkchocolate pieces, saving the hassle of the gold foil wrappers from getting allover the place. And they donate $.15from each sale to the American Jewish World Service (www.AJWS.com). If you feel like you are not ready togive up the good old gelt shape just yet, there’s Divine Chocolate (www.divinechocolateusa.com). They have a bag of gold coins that you can feel good about giving. Both products have Kosher certifications.
2. Home-made candles: I can’t remember thelast time I took the time to make beeswax candles with my kids. This is a fun and easy project that makes thefestival of lights more meaningful. Buying the beeswax and rolling your own candles is a nice way to connectto the holiday, and even little hands can do it. Homemade candles also make a nice gift if youare invited to share a night of Hanukkah with friends or family. You can buy a kit that will make enoughcandles to last all eight nights from Kosher Krafts (1-800-9KRAFTS or www.kosherkrafts.com) or other craft supply stores.
3. Use less wrapping paper: I won’t pretend that I don’t appreciate anicely wrapped gift, but let’s face it… gift wrap is a waste of paper. If you are not ready to eschew the use ofgift wrap altogether, why not pick one night where you don’t wrap thegifts? Or use the Sunday comics to wrapyour gifts? At the very least, recyclegift wrap and reuse! Your family won’tmind. This year I am going to trywrapping gifts in scraps of cloth and use ribbons to close them. I’ll let you know how that goes.
4. Donate a gift: Pick one night and have that be a night thatyour family shops to donate a gift to a toy drive. Teach your children valuable lessons aboutG’milut Hasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness) by doing them!
5. Teach: I mentioned earlier that this year, I may not have taught the story ofHanukkah dozens of times by the time the holiday arrives. But that doesn’t mean I should not teach itat all. As a parent, don’t leave all theJewish education up to the synagogue! Teach your children and learn with them. Tell them about the Maccabees, read a good book to them or tell how youcelebrated when you were their age. Orfind a new way to explore the holiday!
6. Tzedakah night: On one of the nights of Hanukkah, when youare lucky enough to have your whole family together, I might suggest Friday, have an agenda. Set a tzedakah box in the middle of the table. and introduce a family tzedakah project forthe year. Take suggestions. What is meaningful to all of you? Did you know that Heifer International(www.heifer.org) works to end hunger and poverty on family at a time? Or that the Jewish National Fund (www.JNF.org) not only plants trees in Israel, butprovides clean drinking water for Israelis, not to mention the safe playgroundin S’derot. And, I can’t help butmention our own Federation right here in Rockland County (www.jewishrockland.org) where your dollars go to educational, social,and supportive programs here and in Israel. Once your family decides on a cause, every Friday each person can put adonation into the tzedakah box before Shabbat. See how much you can accumulatebefore next Hannukah and make a nice donation from your family at that time.
7. Share: I think about sharing Hanukkah in two distinct ways. Share the holiday with friends, both Jewishand non-Jewish. Try someone else’s latkes,even though you know yours are better. Invitea family with young children if your own are long grown and moved out… or adopta grandparent if you are missing yours. Most synagogues are great resources for helping make theseconnections.
8. And Share again: The other way to sharethis holiday is to share what you have with others in a more anonymousway. Donate your coats and warm clothingto those who need them. Tell yourchildren to find 5 books or toys to bring to the shelter. Help the food pantries keep their shelvesstocked. Other faiths are celebrating aholiday that is, in fact, a very big deal, and people of all faiths are stillfeeling the burden brought on by our recent financial recession. If you are in a position to help others,there are countless ways to do so.
So, there you have it, my eight ways torededicate for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah this year. No matter what you celebrate, it's time to thing about celebrating more consciously and with a conscience. If you have any more ideas, I’d love to hear from you.
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