I spent most of yesterday driving back to Hamilton from a family simcha in New York, a welcome respite from being glued to the news and to social media reports from Sydney of increasing fatalities in the aftermath of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Bondi Beach at a Hanukkah candlelighting event that has left 15 dead.
In an attempt to bring in some Hanukkah spirit, I turned on a Hanukkah playlist. The lyrics of “Light One Candle” left me bawling, which I wouldn’t recommend while driving through lake effect snow.
Light one candle for the pain they endured,
When their right to exist was denied…
What’s the commitment to those who have died,
When we cry out they’ve not died in vain?
But then the Hebrew song Mi Yemaleil came on.
Mi yemaleil gvurot Yisrael?
Otan mi yimneh?
Who can retell the heroes of Israel?
Who can count them?
The English version of the song we often sing changes the translation. We typically sing, “Who can retell the things that befell us, who can count them?” But the Hebrew song is not about a recounting of the too many painful moments in our history. Instead, it calls us to remember, recount, and tell the story of our heroes. Those who stood up to save lives, to shine lights in the darkness. Heroes both within our community and beyond it, heroes like Ahmed al Ahmed, a bystander who did not hesitate to tackle one of the gunmen, likely saving countless lives.
As we gather tonight for the 2nd night of Hanukkah, bringing more light into the world – may this be a holiday when we tell the stories of our heroes, not of our enemies. May the lights we kindle remind us that this is the legacy of our people, and the message of Hanukkah – our heroism, our bravery, our commitment to Jewish values and ideals will outlast all those who live lives filled with hate.
May we know better times,
Rabbi Miriam
