The Miracle of Two Candles in the Desert

For my Jewish friends I pray your first night of Hanukkah is filled with a light of hope and blessings. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam a-sher ki-de-sha-nu be-mitz-vo-tav ve-tzi-va-nu le-had-lik ner Cha-nu-kah which translated in English means "Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light."

And for my Christian friends and others who have no idea what this strange looking candelabra is all about here is a simplified explanation - The Hanukkah celebration revolves around the kindling of a nine-branched menorah, known in Hebrew as the hanukiah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown; the ninth candle, called the shamash (“helper”), is used to light the others. Jews typically recite blessings during this ritual and display the menorah prominently in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.

In another allusion to the Hanukkah miracle, traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Potato pancakes (known as latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are particularly popular in many Jewish households. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with four-sided spinning tops called dreidels and exchanging gifts. (see my post last year on the really cool dreidel toy which has a story to tell when played)

And for those who are still with me on this post, a special story. The year was 1990 and the place was somewhere deep in the Saudi Arabian desert just under the Southern Central Iraq border. My Army Chaplain Assistant and I loaded up a special group of soldiers into the back of a deuce and a half (big truck) for a secret mission. We were told it was to be super secret and for sure not let any press know where we were headed nor why.

We were supposed to arrive before sunset but navigation in the desert back then was much more challenging than it is today with the aid of a GPS. If you were off a few degrees for 30 miles then you were really off! Anyhow, we finally arrived under the cloak of darkness (if ya'll think we are driving with lights on, you really don't know how the Army operates as it was total darkness except for a little bit of starlight that evening).

We pull up with my Humvee and the 2 1/2 ton truck to a big tent which again was all dark outside and led our soldiers inside. Once inside, there was laughing and light and this huge spread of food on a table. There was some sort of oily fried potato patties (a rare treat in the desert) and donuts with jelly inside. There were special shaped butter cookies and really foul smelling cheeses. We were welcomed and ate and sang and danced as if there were no war going on. It was the first night of Hanukkah and in the center of it all was this beautiful menorah with two candles lit already.

We were at the Headquarters area of the mighty 24th Infantry Division and the big secret was we were celebrating Hanukkah with our Jewish brothers with a real US Army Chaplain Jewish Rabbi. Now to the uncultured and uneducated folks that may not seem like such a big deal but remember, this was not America, the land of religious freedom and free speech, this was the most holy of all the Islamic nations. They had agreed to tolerate us Christians since we were there to defend them from their Northern neighbors who were not acting neighborly. Yet to have Jewish soldiers and a Rabbi defending them? Oh my, not that would have caused some World headlines! That story the Stars & Stripes newspaper did on me baptizing Christian soldiers that got us in trouble? Ha, that my friends would have been nothing compared to this event taking place!

Yet there we were that night, singing and dancing, laughing and eating, telling stories and forgetting at least for the moment the darkness outside and the fear of war that loomed outside that warm tent. I am not Jewish, however it was a privilege that evening to witness the miracle of two candles that were lit with the glow of hope. It is my prayer that even in times when the World seems dark that hope reigns and illuminates what we all really want which is Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men. Happy Hanukkah!

Darrell Williams resides in the beautiful hills of East Tennessee in a community called Morristown. He is available for speaking at Churches, public events, storytelling venues, schools and more. For contact information please see LinkedIn profile.