The coldest morning of the year. On Wednesday, it was 28 degrees outside, and not much warmer inside. Our heating system decided that it was an opportune time to take a break.
So there I'm standing, bundled up in a sweater and a jacket (after spending time in Montreal and Ukraine, you'd think I'd be used to the cold), trying to analyze the furnace. It's a fascinating machine featuring flamethrower style elements that are set in motion by a series of triggers. Except that on this frigid morning, the metal remained cold, apathetic to our bone-chilling predicament.
After several YouTube videos and online do-it-yourself manuals failed to coax the heater into working mode, it was time to call in a pro. With such a drastic effect, I was sure that it would be a major component of the heater, like the ignitor, that would need to be replaced.
The verdict? The connection of a wire (yes, a simple wire!) had become eroded over the years. Simply applying pressure to the wire, reestablishing the connection, brought the entire complex system humming back to life.
Winter (as much as we have it here) reminds us to check our internal heating systems. If things get cold in our life, where you're just not feeling it, be it in a relationship or in continuing on our rich traditions, it's time to examine the connections. To make sure that the energy and passion are plugged in.
And the beautiful thing is the contrast. When the heat finally does come on, when you step into the ski lodge, when the electricity comes on after a blackout, that is when you come to appreciate the warmth and vitality that had always been there.
This is the message of Chanukah - the power of a flame kindled on the darkest winter nights.
Please join us this Chanukah season as we celebrate and appreciate connection and warmth. The connection to our heritage. The warmth of community. And the promise of the future.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Dovid Bush
ב"ה