It was hard for me to leave Israel and miss Chanukah there. You can’t imagine how special it is, the whole country is glowing with the Chanukah lights. You can be in a neighborhood makolet (like a mini 7-11 kiosk) and it’s time to light– the store owner will stop everything, say the blessings, and every customer watches and answers with a resounding “Amen!”
In Israel, you are the “home team”, no tinsel, carols, or trees competing with the holiness of the Chanukah lights.
But duty calls. So I left just hours before the first lighting to fly to America to help raise the funds that make Momentum happen. I am speaking, meeting, and giving it my all. But each night of Chanukah I miss being by my husband’s side in Israel.
And then I realized– I am not missing the light, I am trying to be the light.
So as I stand in the homes of my many host families and join in their lighting, I ask Hashem to bless me with success in my efforts to light up His world.
Let’s light up the world together.