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HOURS M-F 10-7 SAT 10-6
THE ORIGINAL
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737-4144
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Celebrates Its
48th Year of
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After the Party.
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JANUARY SPECIALS
• IN HOME CARPET CLEANING
We'll clean any 2 car-
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CARPET SALES AND CLEANING
• 14000 W. 8 Mile Rd. • 3 Rlks. W. of Coolidge • Oak Park •
399-2323
A menorah of glass by Leo Lionni: commemorating the miracle of
survival.
Willingness To Light
Lamp Was A Miracle
RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT
Special to Th.e Jewish News
he classic account of
Chanukah which
serves as the basis for
our current holiday is the tal-
mudic description of the mira-
cle of the cruse of oil as found in
the tractate Shabbat (21b-
23b).
The Talmud explains the
holiday of Chanukah as fol-
lows: "What is (the reason for)
Chanukah? For our rabbis
taught: On the 25th of Kislev
commence the days of
Chanukah, which are eight -
on which a lamentation for the
dead and fasting are forbidden.
For when the Greeks entered
the Temple, they defiled all the
oils therein, and when the
Hasmonean dynasty prevailed
against them and defeated
them, they searched and found
only one cruse of oil with the
seal of the High Priest, but
which contained sufficient oil
for one day's lighting only; yet
a miracle occurred and they lit
the lamp for eight days. The
following year these days were
appointed as a festival with the
recital of Hallel and thanksgiv-
ing."
When they considered this
miracle as described in the
Talmud, our sages asked why
Chanukah was celebrated for
eight days rather than seven.
For since there was sufficient
oil for one day, only seven of
Mat
14MNDs
. .
74
a it Af N&
Friday, January 2, 1987
•
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Morton F. Yolkut is rabbi at
Cong. B'nai David.
the eight days of burning could
be regarded as miraculous.
. Though many creative ex-
planations were given (only an
eighth of the quantity of oil
burned on the first day, for
example), I submit to you that
the miraculous feature of the
first day was the community's
Shabbat Miketz:
Genesis
41:1-44:17;
!Kings 7:40-50
willingness to light the lamp in
spite of the fact that its antici-
pated period of burning was in-
sufficient to complete the re-
dedication of the Temple.
Chanukah celebrates the
miracle expressed by those
who lit the lamp, and not only
the miracle of the lamp's con-
tinued burning for eight days.
The "miracle" of Jewish
spiritual survival may best be
ascribed to our people's ability
to live without guarantees of
success and to focus on how to
begin a process without know-
ing how it will end. Uncer-
tainty of success often
paralyzes one's initiative to act
or even to make the effort to
begin. The Chanukah lights
encourage us to trust human
beginnings and to direct our ef-
forts on whatever oppor-
tunities are available at the
present. The strength to con-
tinue and to persevere grows
by virtue of the courage to in-
itiate a process by lighting the
first flame. Only lamps that