Spirituality
Come Light The
e IA 0 IL' a
The candles of Chanukah shine brighter in homes with many menorahs.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff Writer
B
y the eighth night of
Chanukah, the Rose family
of Southfield will have count-
ed out a total of 176 candles
to place in their four menorot.
Having each member of the family
make their own blessings and light their
own candles is based on the talmudic
description of Chanukah candle-light-
ing as a mitzvah that can be enhanced
to various levels.
In fact, the Talmud's injunction to
perform all mitzvot in the greatest and
most inclusive manner originated in ref-
erence to the Chanukah candles.
"From this, we learn to do a mitzvah
in a way that is the best of the best, in
the most beautiful of beautiful ways,"
says Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld, executive
director of Yeshiva Beth Yehudah in
Southfield, where the three Rose chil-
dren attend school.
In Jennifer and Moshe Rose's home,
Aviva, 8, Bentzion, 6, and Rochel, 4,
typically light menorot they create in
school.
"We've been lighting more than one
menorah since Aviva was 3 and made
her first menorah in preschool," Jennifer
Rose says. "Ever since then, when the
kids are old enough to make their own
menorahs, they light them, too."
Moshe Rose lights the candles on
behalf of himself and his wife.
The lighting of the menorah com-
memorates the miracle of Chanukah,
when a single day's oil lasted for eight
days in the Temple of the Maccabees.
"But the miracle here is more than
the miracle of the oil," says Rabbi
Mayerfeld.
"The menorah represents the larger
issues of persecution and assimilation.
The miracle of Chanukah was that the
Jews were able to win a war against the
great (Assyrian) army. The famous mira-
cle of the oil was just a way to prove
that God was behind the military victo-
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Bentzion, Rochel and Aviva Rose admire the lighted candles.
"Lighting Chanukah candles is a
rabbinic mitzvah based on the Torah
requirement that we commemorate a
miracle that occurs to us as a
nation," Rabbi Mayerfeld says.
Songs sung following the lighting
of the menorah include this message.
" Maoz Tzur ("Rock of Ages") is a
song of persecution and redemption
that still applies today," he says.
For the Rose family, "the preferred
way of lighting the menorah is for
everyone to light one," Jennifer Rose
says. "One of the most important
elements to Chanukah is publicizing
the menorah," which is why they
display theirs within view of a win-
dow. ❑
Rochel Rose behind the family menorot.