Rabbi’s Message – December 8, 2022
My children would like to remind you all that we are 10 sleeps away from the first night of Hanukkah. Although a relatively minor holiday on our Jewish calendar, the Festival of Lights certainly brings joy and warmth to December. Whether you light your menorahs, munch on latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts), spin a dreidel, and/or engage in other traditions, there are plenty of ways to commemorate the Hasmonean (Maccabean) revolt, the liberation of the Jews, the miracle of the oil, and of course, our freedom to worship today.
For those that want to kick the festivities off a little early, I invite you to join our religious school community for our Hanukkah Happening, complete with classroom presentations, yummy lunch and treats, the pedal-powered menorah and it’s younger sibling, the hand-crank LEGO menorah (for those who wish to keep their feet on the ground!) as well as other fun and games. Please RSVP to make sure we have enough latkes to go around! And don’t forget to pick up your Hanukkah needs: dreidels, gelt, candles, wrapping paper and more from our Hanukkah shop (all proceeds benefit the religious school).
There are plenty of Hanukkah events around town as well, so depending on your age, keep a lookout for youth- and community-wide events. You can stop by Temple’s library to find some good books about Hanukkah for your kids or yourself. May I also suggest some homemade sufganiyot? Spoiler, this 2-ingredient donut batter is easy and delicious to fry up as long as you have some oil on hand, and if you are feeling brave (and have a syringe of sorts) you can even try to squeeze in some jelly while they are hot (pro tip: DO NOT wait until they cool off too much). If you want to skip the frying step, just make some Jelly Donut Pancakes (pro tip: use jam or perseveres, not jelly). Both of these recipes are tried and true and have gotten the Sobo children’s seal of approval.