Type: Poem

“We are looking for you. / We will not let you go.”

“I’m drilling / into darkness / to where the rabbis’ promise / flickers still.”

This new poem honors the complex feeling of Hanukkah this year, 2023/5784.

“How do we choose who will live or who will die, what measure do we use / to free them and ourselves from this nightmare…”

“How can a body survive so much spilled blood?”

“even the faintest spark of light / can reach / and illuminate us.”

“As Eccesiastics cracked open / the chests of us all / as we watched Sukkot burn…”

“Blessed are You, Creator of the Universe, who frees the bound.”

“With each prayer, with each Shabbat, with each of the eight nights– / we’ll light our candles on our tables, windowsills, and hearts.”

“The hills of Judea howl with anger. My heart burns like the end of a match…”