We all know the story of Hanukkah and the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight nights when there was only enough oil for one.
But do you know about the miracle of the fire that wouldn’t light and then burned for eight nights?
I’ll tell you the story…
It had rained for two days and two nights, and the ground was saturated with rain, the sticks moldy and crumbling. Despite the strong dry breeze, the fire wouldn’t light. It took three tries and some dry wood from inside to finally get a fire going.
On the first night, one education director stood over the fire alone, eating her lunch and warming her hands.
Then on night two, children arrived for Shorashim. “FIIIIIIRE!” they yelled, the flames shining in their eyes as they drew close. They circled around the firepit, eating chips, adding sticks, and watching the flames dance in the wind.
On night three, Sheva tended to the flames, ensuring there would be enough fuel to keep everyone warm through the week to come.
The fourth night came, and Kitah Gimel gathered around the fire to share highlights from their week. A few students shared their special talent for sneaking up on people, and one by one they slipped away from the fire and disappeared into the shadows…
On night five, the cold was starting to seep into everyone’s bones. Kitah Bet circled around the fire, warming their hands before heading down into the Ya’ar to discover the story of Hanukkah with their teacher.
Night six brought Kitah Hey running out of the woods where they had spent many nights collecting kindling for their own fire. Their frozen fingers needed to thaw, and the fire provided much-needed warmth and light. They struck a single match that they then passed around to each person before using it to light a second fire.
On night seven, Kitah Vav brought their canisters of wax to warm by the fire. Inside, the air had been too warm for their candles to set. Outside, the fire kept the wax warm enough to dip their Hanukkah candles, and the air kept the candles cold enough to solidify the wax on the wick.
On night eight, Kitah Aleph sat around the fire as their teacher read a story about Hanukkah, the light flickering across the images as she shone her flashlight on the words. Now that the miracle of the fire was complete, Kitah Aleph safely extinguished the flames before heading inside for tefilah, steam rising into the icy air.
So maybe it wasn’t eight days. Maybe it was only two hours. But all of these things happened right here around the fire at Shorashim, and that is a miracle.
What miracles did you see around you this year?
Happy Hanukkah!
