Hanukkah is almost upon us. The house has been decorated by my grandies, and looks festive with its blue and white illuminations, with a touch of silver thrown in, here and there. Hanukkah books related to their age are spread on various tables for them to look through, read, and/or have us read to them.
Kindle the taper like the steadfast star
Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth,
And add each night a lustre till afar
An eightfold splendor shine above thy hearth.
~Emma Lazarus, “The Feast of Lights”
The miracle, of course, was not that the oil for the sacred light –
in a little cruse – lasted as long as they say;
but that the courage of the Maccabees lasted to this day:
let that nourish my flickering spirit.
~Charles Reznikoff, “Meditations on the Fall and Winter Holidays”
Books recently finished reading:
The Perfume Collector