GuesT C (plum

ChanuKa CommentaRy

My Dad

The True Miracle

opinion was all I needed to help
Jodi Roth
Special to AppleTree
me with a decision.
y father, Burton Roth, is
I love sharing our time. Hanging out
one of the most important
with him at home, or sitting at a cof-
people in my life
(also my mother). Besides
being my father, he is a
friend and one of the most
caring people I know.
He is someone who has
loved me my whole life
and would go the extra
mile for me. He is a person
who I enjoy being with
always, and I know I'm not
the only person who thinks
this about him. Many times
in my. life, I would rather
Jodi Roth with her father, Burton
spend a day with him and
nobody else. I have had
fee shop are things we enjoy doing
friends who would like to hang
together. I even had the chance to
out with my father more than they
spend time with him working at his
would with me.
office at one time. It never matters
My dad is a brilliant man and a
the situation, I enjoy his company.
great judge of character. There
-I wear a special ring that he
are many times when hearing his
used to wear every day, which he

vance and possession of a Bible.
veryone knows the story of
At that point, a small group of
the miracle of the cruse of
Jewish troops — the Maccabees
oil that the Maccabees
— rose up and even-
found in the Temple in
tually ousted those
Jerusalem. The Talmud
who
sought to put an
tells us that when
end to Judaism.
Judah Maccabee
That's the story of
gained control of the
Chanuka, and its in
Temple from the hands
those details, not the
of those who defiled
story of a cruse of oil,
it, he discovered a
that the greatest mira-
small cruse of oil that
cle took place. It's the
seemed insufficient to
miracle of a small
light the Temple lamps
group of individuals
and yet lasted for
that
found the strength
Rabbi Lee Buckman
eight days.
Spec ial to
to stand up for what
What's strange
Appl eTree
they believed despite
about this well-known
being outnumbered.
story is that it's not
It's
the
miracle
of a community
recorded in any of the historical
that mustered the courage to defy
sources that date to the time of
all the odds and fight for the right
the Maccabees. It's not men-
to be different and to have those
tioned by the first-century Jewish
differences accepted by the larg-
historian Josephus or in the Book
er majority.
of Maccabees. Even the prayer
That's the true miracle of Chanuka.
book in the special passage recit-
In Jewish tradition, there's a
ed on Chanuka does not make
special
blessing that deals with
any reference to the story of the
miracles. We recite it when we
oil.
light the Chanuka candles, and it
According to these sources,
praises God for the miracles that
Chanuka is about a military strug-
took
place throughout Jewish his-
gle with defeats and successes
tory. Surprisingly, that miracle
and reversals and battles won.
blessing isn't recited on Passover
The events of Chanuka date back
when God sent the Ten Plagues
to the second century BCE when
and split the Sea of Reeds. We
a small group of Jewish revolu-
don't say it on Shavuot when
tionaries waged a revolt against
God broke through the heavens
the Syrians who controlled
and gave the Israelites the Torah.
Jerusalem..
Nor do we say the miracle bless-
Under Syrian occupation, for-
ing on Sukkot when we recall the
eign practices infiltrated the Tem-
Divine cloud of protection that
ple.
hovered over the Israelites during
Antiochus, the emperor, had
their
40-year journey through the
arranged for swine to be sacri-
hot sands of the wilderness.
ficed in the Temple. He outlawe
Rather, we say that miracle
circumcision, Shabbat obser-
blessing on the two holidays
when Divine intervention seems
Rabbi Lee Buckman is head of
almost completely absent — on
school at the new Jewish Academy of
1 Chanuka and Purim. The Book o f
Metropolitan Detroit.

air

n a story, poem or
t for AppleTree? If
Material should be
;6%
no longer than 1-1/2
st focus on Jewish history,
missi
fe.
about family and
a relevant Jewish theme.
this person influence your
of was it like growing up
ecade; or what contributions
/1. make to the Jewish community?
essays simply telling how won-
rep, grandparent, child, etc.
.e author is appreciated, and
biography that includes the
nice, school and hobbies.
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en your submission

got for his bar mitz-
vah.
He's a dedicated
person to his family,
work and everything
that is important in
his life. I hope that
one day I can send
him on a trip so he
can relax and not
have to worry about
anything! My family
is important to me,
and having special
parents is something
I treasure.
It's important to let
people know how
much you appreci-
ate them. I am
proud to share my
feeling about my
father to everyone. I
love you, Dad. ❑

E

1999

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