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
