On miracles, Rembrandt's Star of the Kings, and a battered Menorah... For Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ Radio 1, listen to Hannukah, by Judith Mok above.
Last Thursday was the first day of Hannukah, and I lit a candle to memory.
The soft flicker of a single flame, the first of eight candles to be lit throughout the days of this holiday, lights up a faint nostalgia in me for the old copper menorah in my childhood, the traditional candelabra, standing guard in the darkened window.
It had been smuggled from hiding place to hiding place during WW2, getting battered and dented along the way. But there it was, years later, ready to shine on our childish faces. I linger in that nostalgia for the duration of the burning of this one candle.
The next two candles could hold a promise of presents for all, of songs to be sung, and that the flaming light might last. According to the story, the lights kept burning for eight days even though there was only enough oil for one.
Eight candles are lit in total to celebrate a miracle, and in memory of people being liberated from an oppressor, to live in freedom...
Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here.
