Tonite is the first night of Hannukah! and for the first time, I have a menorah to celebrate it with!
My friend Zell and I went to Adath Israel today to make the purchase. I’ve wanted a menorah for a long time – they are so beautiful, and I love to celebrate everything, especially this wonderful festival of light! A menorah has 8 candles, plus the seamus candle, which is used to light the others. (And Zell taught me exactly how to do the lighting!)
There were many beautiful menorahs at the gift shop, covering a wide range of prices. I saw some modestly priced simple menorahs in traditional designs – very beautiful. And a number of menorahs which were art pieces, also wonderful, but as expensive as art should be. And I saw the perfect simple glass menorah, handmade by the artist, with a scene of buildings in Israel, green grass and green trees, green clouds and green rain. That, of course, was it!
The price tag said $150, so I kept on looking. Zell had noticed my reaction, and turned the price tag over. It was marked way down! She shared in the cost, as she had intended to all along. And I found a dreidel made of green glass, and added several more traditional wooden dreidels to the pile.
We then went shopping for menorah candles – found them at Biggs, bought a few other holiday items and headed for home. And just a while ago, I had my first lighting of my first menorah. Totally beautiful. Aaaahhhhh!