Who hasn’t found themselves in the situation of frantically seeking a charger or outlet as the “Battery Low” message appears or as the little green battery image turns red? In our family, it’s a competition: whoever has the least battery left gets the charger first. A small amount of oil lasting eight days? Sounds ancient. My phone going eight days on one charge? A miracle!
These days, with so many distractions, we are not present enough. We need to appreciate the gift of presence. The value of quiet, focused attention is built into the Chanukah lights.
Each night, after lighting the candles, we proclaim: "Ein lanu reshut l'hishtameish bahem ela lir'otam bilvad - we have no permission to use the candles for mundane purposes; their only purpose is to be watched.” How awesome would it be if the only thing we do after lighting the candles is to be fully focused on the lights and those around us?
A few years ago, I came across an initiative entitled “This Chanukah, Go Screen Free for 30”. The idea is to put away the phones and avoid screens for the first 30 minutes after kindling the Chanukah lights. While we may enjoy scrolling while watching the Chanukah lights, the project reminds us that our presence might be the best present we can give.
There is a power to our presence. Physical or not.
When Yosef went looking for his brothers in Dotan, a “man” asks him what he seeks. Yosef responds “et achai anochi mevakeish – I seek my brothers” (Bereishit 37:16). I have always found these words very powerful. On a simple level, it is impressive that Yosef went on this mission in the first place. His brothers hated him. When Yaakov asks that he check on them, I understand that Yosef had to listen to his father and seek them out. But when he couldn’t find them, he could have turned back with a good excuse. So, Yosef’s perseverance deserves mention. On a deeper level, these words resonate beyond a momentary mission. They reverberate until this very day as a command to us: Seek out your brothers! Can’t find them? Look harder.
Rabbi David Leifer of Nadvorna explains Yosef’s reply not as “I am looking for my brothers,” but rather “I am looking for brotherhood.” Even though it is dangerous here, I am willing to take that risk to make peace and create unity. One of the speakers at the dedication of Yeshivat Chachmei Lublin expressed the goal of the new institution by interpreting “et achai anochi mevakeish” to mean “With my brothers I seek God.” Our eternal mission is to seek out our brothers and sisters so we can seek out God together. We should make our presence felt by others so we can all experience the Divine presence together.
I find the power of presence especially powerful as we connect with Israel today. There is such a power of presence – ours and theirs – which resonates.
This war can feel so personal and intimate for us in the diaspora. I felt this powerfully in former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s son, Gal Meir, falling in battle, one of 93 soldiers killed in the ground operation in Gaza. In our community, two soldiers in one extended family have been killed in action. This is personal to many with whom we are connected. Yet, something about a former IDF head and cabinet minister losing his son on the battlefield makes this seem intimate. Everyone in Israel is in this together, and I feel that extending to me even in the diaspora.
Our presence can also be a powerful gift for those in Israel.
The JCAB Israel Emergency Fund contributed to projects to enhance the Chanukah joy and spirit for those affected by the war. One of those projects provided thousands of sufganiyot (donuts) to schoolchildren in Kiryat Gat. Another initiative was to enable a large Chanukah lighting in Ofakim and to distribute candles to citizens in Ofakim and IDF soldiers stationed on the Gaza border and inside the strip. A third project was to provide gifts for families in Mitzpe Yericho whose fathers are serving in the IDF Reserves and gift cards for the wives and mothers. (You can see some pictures and messages HERE.) We’re making our presence felt in Israel this Chanukah!
Here is a note from one of the recipients:
“To the incredible people who were part of this amazing project, thank you so much for the gifts! The kids were over the moon excited. They kept asking who the gifts were from and I told them that people from America who don’t even know us donated money to get these gifts for them because their Abba is in the army. They couldn’t believe that people would do such an incredible chesed without even knowing us. I can’t even explain how touched I was when I found out that a bag full of gifts was waiting for us. This week leading up to Chanukah has been filled with so much anxiety about if and when my husband would be able to come home for candle lighting and how I would manage to make Chanukah special for the kids all on my own. But when I saw the message about these presents, I started to cry as I realized even if my husband isn’t home, I’m not alone this Chanukah. There are Jews from all over who are with us and supporting us through this challenging time. With every present we opened we felt the love and support and it gave us so much strength go into this Chanukah with filled with joy despite the challenges. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Growing up, every NCSY event I attended included a quote from a Rabbi in Maryland: “Never underestimate the power of your presence” We have that power. Let’s keep giving – and receiving – the gift of presence.
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