A Response to the Chanukah Massacre at Bondi Beach: Miketz 5786 |
Terrorism is about more than injuring and killing people, it’s about creating a fear that forces people to alter their lives for the worse. Days after the October 7 attacks, Nassau County executive, Bruce Blakeman invited the county’s rabbis to meet with him to address the Jewish community’s security concerns. One of my colleagues asked Blakeman if he felt that we should hold services in our respective synagogues on the coming Shabbat. Though Blakeman did not give a yes or no answer, he did point out that while we should certainly take precautions, curtailing the way we live to the point which avoids joining together worship, is itself a victory for the terrorist.
Kindling the chanukiya symbolizes our refusal to allow hatemongers to dictate how we will live. The eight branched chanukiya is modeled upon the seven branched menorah that stood in the Tabernacle & Temple. It is widely believed that the menorah itself was based on the Genus Salvia plant (part of the sage family) which is native to the Middle East. The plant is small and upright with three branches on each side and one in the middle. Its whorls of bright flowers appear to be burning, mimicking the flames of a candelabra. The........