Happy Hanukah! (This turned into a sad post)

[sonia]

May your resources stretch to cover your needs, and may you have light in dark times.

I'm wincing at the fact that Hanukah celebrates a military victory, and that Israel's military is committing horrifying harm to Gaza and Palestinians. I want to say unspeakable, but we need to speak of it. I wish we could do more.

I'm adding a candle each day to my menorah, but I'm not lighting them, because even plain beeswax candles give me a headache. Something in the wicks maybe? Mostly I just go along with the limitations of having chemical sensitivities and don't think about it too much, but this loss makes me sad. I like joining in the ritual of lighting candles across the world and across the years, even if I'm doing it alone at home.

Sending light out to those who are grieving. I'm thinking specifically of people who knew noahgibbs. I had connected with him here on dreamwidth recently, and had seen him around on ruby.social since he was part of the ruby community.

Let's all light candles in the darkness, however we can. Maybe I need to get some electric tea lights. Let's keep connecting and sharing our inner sparks and appreciating each other's company.

Comments

[sabotabby]

Well said.

[sonia]

<3

[silveradept]

Sharing light in the world would be wonderful. At some times, I feel like the "it is better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness" would be a more appropriate idea than merely a candle, but candles will do.

[sonia]

Gotta start somewhere! Flamethrowers aren't my style, but you're right that we'll need more than candles.

[batdina]

I have an LED lit menorah these days, for the exact reasons you described above. It's not the same, but it's something.

[sonia]

Sorry to hear you have the same limitation, but it's comforting to know I'm not the only one. Ooh, I had no idea LED menorahs were a thing! I'll have to look into that. Although I'd miss using the menorah I have.

[radiantfracture]

Beautiful, thank you.

There are some nice battery-operated candles out there.

[sonia]

<3 Whole categories of things I didn't know about. I wonder how long battery-operated candles have been a thing. I only encountered the battery-operated tea lights recently.

[adrian_turtle]

Well said.

There are a lot of things the Talmudic rabbis said that make me uncomfortable, but I love what they did with Chanukah. They didn't like the celebration of the military victory, so they started spreading the story of a miracle with an oil lamp to make the whole thing about G-d. And to make it about light in the darkness and unexpected abundance (or miraculous barely-enough.)

[sonia]

<3 Thanks for the additional background!