Chanukah, which means rededication, is known as the Festival of Lights and is truly a story of miracles.
A little history lesson.
In 168 B.C.E., the Syrian king sent his army to Jerusalem to destroy the Temple, the holiest place for Jewish people at the time. Ultimately, the Jews had two choices: convert or die.
Unbeknownst to the King, an underground Jewish army led by Judah Macabee formed, and although they were grossly outnumbered, they miraculously defeated the Syrians and took back the Temple.
Once the Jewish people regained possession of the Temple, the cleaning and rededication rituals began. After removing the idolic statues, they lit the eternal light, the ner tamid. To date, an eternal light shines in every synagogue throughout the world and represents the omnipresence of G-d.
The problem was, there was only enough oil for one night, however, it lasted eight days – the exact time it took a messenger to secure oil and bring it back to the Temple. Another miracle.
Sidenote: Have you ever noticed the symbols on a dreidel, the spinning tops? Each symbol is a letter, the first letter of a Hebrew word. Israeli dreidels are different than dreidels in the rest of the world. Israeli dreidels say, “Nes gadol haya poe, a great miracle happened here.” Whereas, in every other country in the world, “here (poe)” is replaced with “there (sham)”.
So, how can you apply the lessons learned from the story of Hanukkah to your modern-day life?
As stated earlier, the word Chanukah means rededication. What area in your life would benefit from a (re)dedication of your time and energy?
Perhaps it’s your GRATITUDE Practice.
Let’s face it, the past few years have presented us with a slew of challenges. However, they have also bestowed upon us many GRATITUDE W.I.N.S.
Which are you counting? Are you looking for miracles or are looking at the things that went wrong? Truth is, it takes more energy to be grateful than it does to bitch and complain. However, the benefits of a simple, consistent, GRATITUDE practice are well worth the energy expended.
For the next eight days, focus on the miracles you receive or cause for yourself and others. Look for your GRATITUDE W.I.N.S. by asking yourself these questions throughout the day.
W- Who or what made a difference for me?
I – What did I do to make the world a better place?
N – How did I nourish my mind, body, or spirit?
S – What made me smile or laugh until my sides hurt?
Write down the answers in your GRATITUDE journal!
What if you are an avid GRATITUDE practitioner? Look for another area that needs your attention and (re)dedication: exercise, nutrition, or finance.
As you rededicate your focus to an area of your life, remember, that you are like the Macabees, a force to be reckoned with.
