Hanukkah May Be Late This Year

Hanukkah is late this year –
or from another point of view
it is exactly on time.

Our allegiance to the Western calendar
makes us nervous when December
almost takes its last breath and

we haven’t lit a single candle.
I know when I fly home from Thanksgiving
I’m already making plans –

plans that involve oil and potatoes.
To be honest I once made latkes
in the middle of July because

the technology was available to me.
I felt good about my choice, but
in December, or rather Tevet

my choice becomes an obligation.
I need to remember this miracle
even though my cardiologist

wishes I wouldn’t. (Full disclosure
I don’t have a cardiologist, but
my wife wishes I did.)

Sometimes, Hanukkah comes early –
or from another point of view
it comes exactly on time.

Have you ever served latkes
with cranberry sauce? When the
Hebrew and Gregorian calendars

are having a disagreement,
it’s a real possibility. To play it safe
I’m frying potatoes every weekend

for the foreseeable future.
Stop by in April with sour cream
and I’ll hook you up.

We’re not going to miss this miracle.
This is what it takes to
be a good Jew.

Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net