Hanukkah is my favorite holiday

When you’re a kid, it’s very easy to love Hanukkah and regard it as your favorite holiday.

Not only do you celebrate without having to spend a lot of time in shul, not only are there so many delicious things to eat but there are presents! Lots and lots of presents.

But as you get older and start a family of your own, you think of things from a different perspective. Another reason to have family and friends come together is so special. This is always the case, but especially in times like these.

Following on from October 7, it’s still very hard for many to have anything to celebrate about. How can they be happy when they look around and see family members not there celebrating with them? I can’t imagine what it’s like for them and I’m not going to judge them at all.

But collectively, we need to find things to be happy about even when we are still grieving.

Hanukkah is a very important holiday in terms of establishing Jewish pride and our identity. The Adam Sandler Hanukkah song may be viewed by some as silly but behind the jokes is a very important message.

This message is that not only is it wonderful to be Jewish but some amazing people are also Jewish. We are members of this incredible tribe and instead of being ashamed or embarrassed about it, it’s something we should all be extremely proud of.

Hanukkah is a holiday that teaches us not to lose faith or give up, no matter how hard things may get. This is more important than ever.

It’s our task to bring as much light into the world as we can and this is what Hanukkah reminds us of.

In the famous discussion, Beit Shammai suggested we start the first night by lighting 8 candles and make our way during the week down to one but Beit Hillel said the opposite. We follow Beit Hillel and it’s wonderful to see the amount of extra light generated as the week goes by. And while it’s sad when you get to the end of the holiday that it’s winding down, it goes out with a bang via a Hanukkiah that lights up the whole room.

Hanukkah comes around three months after Rosh Hashana but coincides with the end of the solar year. The holiday is also a great way to finish the year and energise one for the year ahead.

Happy Chanukah!