Chanukah Lights ~ 1, 2, 3...

menorah inside the synagogue 

menorah `outside` the synagogue (in the window)

Our menorah at home

 

 

 📔 

 Chanukah Diary 

 

Al HaNisim

וְעַל הַנִסִּים, וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן,
וְעַל הַגְבוּרוֹת, וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת,
וְעַל הַנִפְלָאוֹת, שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ
בַּיָמִים הָהֵם בִּזְמַן הַזֶה.

And [we thank You] for the miracles, for the redemption, for the mighty deeds, for the saving acts, and for the wonders which You have wrought for our ancestors in those days, at this time—

Not only is it my first time coming `home for Chanukah` in all these years, but its also the first time I have gone to the synagogue for lighting the candles, as far as I can remember.  It is so wonderful to drive there at just before sundown, as the sun is going down.  There is a divine perfection in the timing. 

Just as the light in the sky goes down beyond the horizon, the lights of the menorah are `lifted` and lit up!

I am reminded that the menorah in the Tabernacle and the Holy Temple was to be lit continually and that is part of the Chanukah miracle, that the first thing to be done after the victory over the Greek and Syrians who desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, was to consecrate the oil so that the light could be lit with the pure oil until a new oil was made.  A vial of oil for one day extended to 8 so that the temple could be `re-dedicated` to the God of Israel.  Of course, it is not just the temple but it was the hearts of the small group of the Maccabees, a small number of untrained Jewish people who would rather fight for their God and the Torah than give in to the ways of the world and assimilate to the Greek.  It was their hearts and spirit that were burning with `zeal` for the LORD and not to allow the desecration of the holiness of a life lived for Him.

Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phinehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.

Then Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!"     1 Maccabees 2:26~27

I am also reminded that the word used in the Torah for lighting the menorah is `lifting up` the lamps. (where it says `erect` in English, or light up, in Hebrew the verb actually means to ascend, lift, go up)

Adonai spoke to Moses saying,

“Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you erect the lamps, the seven lamps are to illuminate the area in front of the menorah.”

Aaron did so. He erected the lamps facing forward so they illuminated the area in front of the menorah, just as Adonai had commanded Moses. 

Numbers 8: 1~3 TLV

This `ner tamid` , the eternal light, is expressed in the `lifting up` of the wicks to light the menorah by the High Priest.  What I was seeing in the sunset drive to the synagogue on the way to the candlelighting, was as God brings the sun to go down, we then are there with the wicks ready to `lift them up` and to be in a continuum with Him so that in that the light is always lit!

That is the miracle of Chanukah , the spirit that will never go out and that burns continually. The light of Torah and the light of Messiah. 

With You is the source of life, by Your light we shall see light. (Psalm 36:9)

Yeshua is the `shamash` the middle candle that lights all the others.  We are `lit` by His light!

Yeshua is the light of the world.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden!

I pray 

In these 8 days of Chanukah there is this extra time of light as we lift up the lights just after sunset, when ordinarily it would be darkness but we remember the miracle of light and are stirred up in our zeal for the LORD and in recalling the miracle we are `lifting up` that light.  It is a prophetic moment as we express our readiness for the Light of Messiah to arise and shine, and bring in the eternal light of Redemption.

Also I have this sense this year of the menorah and Chanukah from the `Temple` to the home.  It is in the temple where the 7 branched menorah was always to be lit by the High Priest, and yet the Chanukah menorah, called a Chanukiah, is an 8 branched menorah.  In every Jewish home, and now many non-Jewish homes too, a channukiah is lit.  It is a special commandment of bringing the light into our homes. So it is an 8 branched menorah, each one a little different and unique, all lit by One fire.  Put it in the window to shine our lights to the world.  

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Of course, there will be a time that we will not need either the sun or the moon because the Lamb himself will be the lamp!   So there is all this excitement and antipation as we light one more light each night.

One more testimony of arriving to the synagogue this trip!

When I got to the synagogue on the Shabbat evening before Chanukah, two different people said `You are just on time. ` And after the second, the person said ` Its about to begin`.   Just then the doors swung open and the evening service began.  As if on divine cue.  I am dramatizing it a little with the `swinging open of the doors` but the effect on my heart was like that.  There was a timing that was particularly highlighted after making the trip from Japan and getting here `just in time` for the Shabbat eve and for Chanukah!

As we light up each candle , in ever increasing light may we come closer to that joyous day of Messiah Himself returning and He Himself will be that Light, Emanuel , God with us.💛💛💛

Each night increasing light 
Chag Sameach!
💛🕎💛

 

On the Go! Pomegranates and a Chanukah Challah Story

 Always start a Chanukah Challah with pure olive oil!

Shaping a Star of David Challah (I struggled with the dough this time, but finally was victorious as you can see the shape came out well)

I just noticed, the pomegranate is like a star shape when open.  If you get one that still has the `crown` on top, you can see the top is actually a 6-pointed star,like the star of David. 

This basket of pomegranates caught my eye!  Seemingly just casually there but I knew the One who  intentionally put it there!

... oh how the pomegranate is a fruitful blessing for all who will enjoy it!

From one vial of olive oil, and look what happens next!

‘Josef’ and names of the 12 tribes embroidered in Hebrew on the challah cover 

A little bit is oil goes a long way in a Chanukah Challah

Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates with the choicest of fruits, with henna and nard,

Song of Songs 4:13

 
Around this time of the year just around Chanukah,
I start to see pomegranates showing up in the supermarket here in Japan.  Once I noticed that,  I became excited because pomegranates are one of the 7 species of the land of Israel.  I started to watch for them in a particular spot each year at this time, and I saw that God  was indeed sending me pomegranates for Chanukah!

So now here we are this year, a week before Chanukah! 

There it was, the pomegranate delivery ~ one little basket of them in the fruit section!
It was an intimate moment in this big supermarket.   I knew God put them there for me, in a basket that hardly anyone would notice but He knew I would.  And He said, Here, take one, take a couple.  It’s almost Chanukah! Yes, these pomegranates are for you! 

I decided I would make a Chanukah Challah to bring to my daughter in Tokyo on the way to the US, so we can have a time of celebration and make a blessing for Chanukah! That is the `on the go` part of the story! I will be going back to the US for Chanukah!

I wanted to make a Star of David Challah with pomegranate in it, but I had a bit of a struggle with the dough (it was in the parsha of Vayigash where Jacob struggles with the angel, somehow it made sense that I was struggling with this Dough!).  After all I was able to do one in the shape of a Star of David, and then separately made a small Pomegranate Challah.

As it was for Chanukah, I focused on the olive oil which in my recipe is the first ingredient to go in. As you know, at Chanukah we celebrate the miracle of the oil lasting 8 nights and the miracle of the victory of the small group of the Maccabees who stood up to the Greek and Syrian army of Antiochus who had taken over and desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.   At that time the Jewish people were being forced to assimilate and prohibited from observing the Torah.  Only a small group stood up and would not bow down to the ways of the Greek~~and God gave them the Victory!

A pomegranate can be seen as representing Torah as it contains 613 seeds said by the Jewish sages to represent the 613 commandments.  I also see connections with Joseph, as we always read the parashot about Joseph during Chanukah,  who was righteous and who was given the blessing of a fruitful son and who in many ways is a picture of Messiah Yeshua.

A fruitful son is Joseph,
    a fruitful son beside a spring—
    daughters walk along a wall.

Genesis 49:22

When I poured in the oil, I thought of that one flask of oil that remained, and the way it lasted long enough to make pure oil again to keep the light burning and re-dedicate the Temple. The very Temple where Yeshua stood in Solomon`s colonnade at Chanukah, Himself the Light of the World, and still yet to be fully revealed!   May it be this Chanukah!

Then came Hanukkah; it was winter in Jerusalem. Yeshua was walking in the Temple around Solomon’s Colonnade. Then the Judean leaders surrounded Him, saying, “How long will You hold us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us outright!”     John 10:22~25

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As I am writing this post I heard something from the Holy Spirit. He reminded me of that the very first time I found a pomegranate in Japan, even before I started the Pomegranate challah, and even before I associated it with Chanukah, and with Joseph.
It was on the Shabbat of the week of my birthday that I first found one!!

I am amazed at that full circle, as this trip will be for Chanukah, my Dad’s birthday, and my birthday!! And here just at the Shabbat before that, He placed that basket of pomegranates in the supermarket 

May it be a fruitful time and season for us all as we share our deep love for the beloved Yeshua and shine His light.  May we `re-dedicate` ourselves and our families to Him! Note: Chanukah means `Dedication`.

 Now, I need to go and prepare! Blessings and Shalom.  

Receive an overflowing of pure anointing oil from the Ruach HaChodesh and let your light shine!

Shabbat Shalom!  Chanukah Sameach!

Much Love,❤️

Shayndel

 A few PS Notes:

I have never been to America for Chanukah in all the 20 plus years since I lived in Japan. And now G-d is bringing me back to where these pomegranates in Japan came from!  (Did I mention, the pomegranates in the supermarket here in Japan are from America!)

You can find more posts of the pomegranate challah and even how it came about, the relation with Joseph, and more  HERE,  as I have been making a Pomegranate challah at Chanukah for several years now!  And Star of David Challah posts HERE and Uploads HERE and HERE。

 

Then they made bells of pure gold and put the bells between the pomegranates on the hem of the robe all around, between the pomegranates,  a bell and a pomegranate, then another bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe, to minister in, as Adonai commanded Moses. 

Exodus 39:25~27

(verse added to the post as per conversation in the comments! Bold and colors emphasized accordingly!)

 

Nes Gadol Haya Sham, A GREAT MIRACLE HAPPENED THERE!

For a Classic Jewish spin on Chanukah Music,  Enjoy a Chanukah Playlist of the Maccabeats songs, one for each night,  HERE 

Also you can find my AHAVA CHANUKAH Playlist of songs HERE.

 

Early Chanukah Miracles and Light

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With joy you shall draw water from the wells of salvation.  

Isaiah 12:3

Every year for several years I have been sharing about Israel and the Festival of Chanukah in a community arts festival here in Japan.  It takes place in an open square plaza in front of a department store that God has been redesigning for his glory over the years.  This year  a great miracle happened there!  A family from Israel ‘just happened to be passing by`.  They heard the Hebrew music of Mayim Mayim and saw us dancing, and turned to come into the space of the event.

It was wonderful and a miracle to welcome them, and to hear Hebrew being spoken in our small city and to know that `undoubtedly God is in this place and we didn’t know it`! *  This encounter surely came about from years of prayer to make known about Israel and the God of Israel in that place, as we joyfully draw water to dig up the wells of Salvation!

With joy you shall joyfully draw water from the wells of Salvation.   Isaiah 12:3 and verse that `Mayim Mayim`song and dance is from

They were  excited and surprised… and blessed! to see us celebrating Chanukah.   We were so blessed  and excited to welcome them, and have international exchange between our  local Japan community and our special guests from Israel.  Everyone received a dreidel as our hearts turned to God`s love and His presence in that place!

There were other miracles as well ~~ at least 8 miracles that I counted ~  which also included two healings and one salvation, and a perfect sunny and warm day when the weather forecasted rain.

With that we want to encourage you to come into this season of Chanukah (our event was a little early!)  with expectation and trust, trust, Trust in the God who is faithful, and to see the miracles that He is doing every place where we encounter Him!

*. Verse from that week’s parsha, when Jacob had the dream of the ladder and awoke from his sleep and said,

`Surely the LORD is present in this place, and I did not know it!`  Genesis 28:16

Chanukah Samech!  

Happy Chanukah!❤️ Love, 

Shayndel 

NES GADOL

HAYA SHAM 

A Great Miracle Happened There ! 

Simple Simcha Challah

Roll out 8 strands, separate into 5 and 3

For the 5 Strand Challah, Start with 3 on one side and 2 on the other

Always bring the outside strand over from the 3 to the the inside of the 2, then there is a new `3`

The 3-strand challah (top in picture) is a basic 3-strand simple braid

Flatten out the center of the `5 strand challah` and you will put the `3 strand` on top of it

Like this! Now you are ready to add `volume` by putting the `3` on top of the `5`

Voila! Simcha!

 Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 14:15

 

DId you know there is a challah called a Simcha Challah?

Simcha means Joy, in Hebrew. This challah is to mark joyous occasions such as a wedding or a special celebration.  Of course, you can make a Simcha Challah for Shabbat too, as Shabbat is a time of `oneg` or `delight`.   You often will see a Shabbat Challah is made with 3, 4, 5, or even 6 strands, and often made as 2 Challah loaves to remember the double portion that God provided in the wilderness and continues to provide on Shabbat as we trust in Him.  The Simcha Challah is  8 strands in one challah!

Traditionally because of the festive nature of the Simcha, you would often see that the Simcha Challah is large and voluminous! to be able to be served at a gala party!!  I had the idea on a recent Shabbat to make a smaller sized Simcha Challah. 

I call it a Simple Simcha Challah because it is a little `scaled down` from a regular Simcha Challah, so it becomes more simple.  To represent the joy and gladness and yet a family size that can be served modestly.  My idea for this was to make the strands smaller and thinner so it could be beautifully appropriate and a little more humble for your Shabbat table.

The parsha I made it for was the week of `Chayei Sarah` (note: On the posting of this post we are already moving along and are in Parsha Vayishlach, where the promised generations have come forth and now Jacob`s name is changed to Israel!) where Abraham sends his servant to find a bride for Isaac, so it had a wedding theme in the Torah portion and it seemed fitting to have a Simcha Shabbat!!  Shabbat is also a `preparation` for the wedding feast that we will have when Messiah Yeshua returns, so I like to think of Shabbat as a `practice` for that time when we will be feasting in the Kingdom of God and eating the bread and drinking the cup of wine with Yeshua Himself.

I am thinking back to our fore-mothers like Sarah whose challah was said to stay fresh all week and her home had a divine light and stayed lit through the week.  She is the matriarch of the family of God going all the way back in the generations.  When we make challah it is also a good time to pray and as you are kneading the dough you can give praise to the LORD and pray for your loved ones and for Israel.  We pray for God to choose a God-ly spouse for our children, and trust in Him for all things.  

 I am also thinking forward to the future banquet and that Shabbat of the Messianic Kingdom!!  

I always love both the scene where the servant of Abraham goes to find the bride, and Rebecca answers his prayer and draws water for both him and his camels!! This is a drawing that I probably post every year on this parsha.  And exemplifies the Bride of Messiah who has the quality of chesed, loving kindness, and pours out her love in abundance and heart of willingness to serve, as we see she gave the water to both the servant and all those camels!!!

So she said, “Drink, my lord,” and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ Now when she finished giving him a drink, she said, “I’ll also draw water for your camels until they’ve finished drinking.”   Genesis 24:18~19

Hallelu-Yah! 

Shavu`a Tov! Have a good week to all!

 Love,

 ❤️

Shayndel

Go out, daughters of Zion,
    and gaze upon King Solomon,
with a wreath his mother placed on him
    on the day of his marriage—
    on the day of his heart’s joy.

                         Song of Songs 3:11 💖 

 

PS This is an upload I did which has a little more about the Simcha Challah! It is from Parsha Yitro, which comes a little later in our reading, but it does contain a mini-tutorial (from about 4 minutes into the video), and the verse above from Song of Songs.   If you are moved to try making this challah or just to enjoy it as the message continues the theme of Simcha, may you you be filled with the joy of the anticipation of the wedding and `Gazing on the King`, our King and Messiah Yeshua!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTZKu_8qjDk&t=316s