We all know the miracles of Chanukah; the military victory of the Maccabees and the miracle of the oil that should have lasted one day but stayed burning for eight. But there was another miracle not many people know or talk about that took place many years later.
After the destruction of the second Temple, many rabbis were convinced that Chanukah, as a holiday, should be abolished. They felt that it celebrated the re-dedication of the Temple that was now in ruins and would not be rebuilt for the foreseeable future.
The question they asked was: “Without a Temple, what was there left to celebrate?”
The answer, which prevailed, was HOPE.
We may have lost the building but we still had the story, the memory, and the light.
Over the past few weeks, our Montreal community has been filled with LIGHT and HOPE:
Our Fuel the Fire gala, chaired by Melissa Assaraf , Sarah Golbert and produced by Morty Silber of MAD Strategies, proved to be a truly inspirational evening for over 600 people in attendance.
- Two of our warriors returned home after spending four amazing days in Orlando on our Ohr Meir trip.
- We hosted over 30 girls in our centre for an amazing paint night program and gave out over 50 tickets to see the Montreal Canadiens play at the Bell Centre.
All this while providing critical services to over 80 Montreal families and collecting hundreds of toys from schools, synagogues and daycare’s across the community in support of our annual toy drive.
This holiday season, as you gather with your families to light the candles, please remember that thousands of candles can be lit from the flame of just one candle. We are always looking for people who can share their lights and give hope to our warriors.
Chag Sameach and Happy Chanukah
Stu Guttman, MAJPS, MBA
