Spreading The Light: A Chanukah Bonus

A message -- and a song -- of hope and faith.

Keep a light in the window …. with hopes for a brighter tomorrow.

Dear Reader,

Chanukah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, always arrives in the darkest days of winter. This year the darkness is not  limited to the winter solstice of the calendar; it includes the sadness and worry in our hearts as the Israel-Hamas war grinds on and anti-Semitism here and around the world spins out of control. 

But our tradition is based on hope for and faith in a brighter future. The Torah commands “choose life,” and a tenet of our belief is that history will lead to the coming of the Messiah, “and though he may tarry,” wrote Maimonides in the 12th century, “still I await him every day.”

Lighting the menorah each night this year, we pray for the brave young soldiers of the IDF; the remaining hostages, whose fate is still unknown; the remarkably resilient citizens of the State of Israel; the people of Israel here and around the world; the innocent victims of war, wherever they may be; and all those who yearn for peace.

For Chanukah, here’s an upbeat song, “Keep A Light,” written in 2010 by my son, Dov, and his bandmate at the time, Talia Osteen. I hope you’ll enjoy its timely message of keeping “a light in the window for all who are lost … for all we dream of … and all that we love.”

Happy Chanukah, Am Yisrael Chai,

Gary

P.S. For those of you in the New York area who may be interested in a live performance by Dov and his current band, Distant Cousins, here’s a link to information on their show Wednesday evening, Dec. 13, at City Winery (25 11th Avenue at 15th Street) at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket info:

7th Night Of Chanukah W Distant Cousins Be9s3k - New York City