Hanukah Song

It was a brutal time of occupation,

That Syrian tyrant, evil incarnate

Tortured Israel so brutally. Our cries

Reached the ear of the Most High

He sent a deliverer to sweep away

The foreign rubbish that had fouled

Our streets, our cities, our land.

At last the Temple, OUR Temple was free

The purification could begin.

All was done-light the lamp-

What? Enough oil for one day, no more?

So let the flame dance-it must dance

If it is to continue beyond its time

He who never forgets Israel will provide fuel.

One, two, three days…the fire still glows

Brightly. We marvel. How can it be so?

Four, five, six…we are amazed

And humbled. How could we doubt?

Seven, eight…eight days. The light still gleams

A witness to us and to the nations

That we serve One powerful beyond imagining.

Centuries later, wherever we find ourselves,

We remember, and rejoice: feasting and games

For eight days. The candles gleam, one,

And then another until all eight flicker

And rend the darkness, a reminder

Of that time long ago, that place, that lamp,

And of He who always keeps His promises.

12/10/09 Chip Bergeron