Channukka shabbes fourth night

We will be lighting the fourth candle tonight. It is is Shabbes Channukka and may the light of life, peace and holiness shine through the darkness for us all. We do not use candles but oil as the miracle happened because of oil. Here are some songs and chag smeach to everyone.



Blessings for those who do not know them for lighting the candles
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/797117/jewish/Blessings-for-Menorah.htm

And Maoz-Tzur

http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/104615/jewish/Maoz-Tzur.htm

and al Hanissim (Miracles)
http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/797126/jewish/Al-Hanissim.htm

Hebrew is a holy tongue and there is something very calming about it. I remember when I first learnt the letters from a dictionary I had in the Monash Co-Operative Bookshop. I felt this incredible sense of rightness and awareness that I was doing something very special. I knew it was the source of holiness and truth. Once you understand the purity of Judaism and Jewish thought and the connection to Hashem you are invincible in and of yourself. You are centred. When I deviated from the path of righteousness it was because I listened to too many other people. When you know that it is up to you to connect to Hashem and do the right thing and to be wary of others who are deviant or flirting with deviance, you are true to the holiness of G-D. We are made in the image of G-D and that we should not forget. It is very hard at times when we are surrounded by falseness and material temptations to be mistaken in our judgements and actions. But we can do tzuva and in Judaism tzuva is possible through a cleaving to the right way of speech, thought and action. In Islam the extremists stone you or cut your hand off or drown or cut the throats of innocent women, in Christianity they burned you at the stake or worst.
It is only in Judaism and through the practice of Judaism we learn to perfect and elevate ourselves.  We are about learning and and the refinement of that which may start out as unholy and we change it to achieve its potential greatness.


Love
Ilana and Nir