In the Magnone household, when Hanukkah nears, it's time to go into the basement and bring up all of our decorations and materials. Elijah’s animal hanukkiah, a Mickey and Minnie Mouse Hanukkah tea towel, the latke plate, a bag of mixed leftover candles and, of course, the copies of Hanukkah blessings.
On one, including the 3 Hebrew blessings we recite throughout the holiday (I think I made it in the Fourth Grade), my name is written on the back in sloppy cursive, the illustrations were not my best, and the corners are folded and peeling. The other contains English readings cut out from my childhood Temple’s newsletter, “The Menorah” (like our “Shofar), on the back of which events like the “Lox Box” are advertised.
As children, and still now, as adults, we argue over who gets to read what parts. Everyone has their favorites, and it's constantly a battle to get to the paper first. I am so fortunate that much of my family has followed me to Rhode Island (my parents, as well as my sister and brother-in-law, all live in the same neighborhood as us), which allows for three generations of us gathering around the same small, poorly laminated piece of paper as we have done for decades.
Traditions are such a huge part of who we are and how we celebrate, and I encourage you to continue or create your own throughout the year (ask me about my "Hanukkah crown" photo above for another fun Hanukkah tradtion from my youth.)
As tonight is the sixth night of Hanukkah, I will share the daily reading with all of you. You’ll have to follow up with me to find out who gets to read it tonight - my bet is on Elijah, but my sister could be the underdog…
The sixth light is the light of the Jewish people, wherever they may be. We are tied to each other by strong bonds - of faith and history, of language and tradition, of ideals and hope. We are am echad, one people. Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish People lives!
