Chanukah commemorates several miracles. There’s the miracle of the under-manned and under-armed Maccabees defeating the powerful Greek military machine. There’s the miracle of the small cruse of pure oil fueling the Temple menorah for eight days.

Then there’s the less discussed miracle: the fact that the Maccabees embarked on a campaign to expel darkness, despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. Their faith in G-d was nothing short of miraculous.

And it was this man-made miracle that made the other two possible.

What a beautiful Chanukah thought: If I want G-d to perform great miracles, I should perform some miracles myself.

Source: Chabad.org Magazine

BUYcott Alert: Last Chance to Purchase
an MEC Membership!

Already a member? Give a Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Membership as a Chanukah or Christmas gift.

Let the MEC Board know that you support their ethical sourcing policy. Defeat efforts by anti-Israel groups to impose their views on the purchasing practices of MEC.

Background

Anti-Israel activists tabled a resolution this past April at the MEC AGM in Vancouver to boycott the Israeli goods MEC carries. Thankfully the resolution was soundly defeated. However, we want to be proactive in preventing these activists from continuing to impose their views on MEC by attempting to pass resolutions, or by electing their friends to the board in order to demonize Israel.

MEC has a very stringent ethical sourcing policy, which must followed by the Israeli companies with which it does business. Click here to view these ethical sourcing policies.

Call to Action

Become an MEC member at http://www.mec.ca or at an MEC store near you

In order to be eligible to vote for the board of directors and at the next MEC AGM, we strongly urge you to become an MEC member by the last day of Chanukah, December 18.

Vancouver Specific: If you are interested in attending the AGM in person at the end of April 2010 In Vancouver, please contact Daniel at danschloss@cicweb.ca

Only people who have membership at MEC by the end of 2009 will be eligible to vote for board members online, and to attend and vote at the AGM in late April, 2010.

Please circulate this email widely.

Here are a few amazing images to help us celebrate Chanukah! (Thanks to maya_lima on Flickr):

When the Greeks entered the Temple they contaminated all the oils that were in the Temple. One would expect them to plunder the Temple’s gold and silver, the precious stones, as is the custom of warriors — yet the Talmud makes no mention of this type of pillaging. What possessed them to single-mindedly go about desecrating the oil, and with such thoroughness that it was only through a miracle that one jug was left untouched?

Oil played an important role in the Temple. It was used in special offerings and to fuel the Menorah. High Priests and kings were anointed with it. What is special about oil?

The Kabbalists point to oil’s refusal to mix with other liquids. Oil always rises to the top. It is a liquid that embodies transcendence, holiness. In Kabbalistic terms, oil is the embodiment of that aspect of the soul that relates to G-d in a manner that transcends intellect. Oil is the intuitive love and commitment of the soul to G-d that is not bound by the strictures of rationality and reasoning.

It was the “oil” aspect of the Jew, his supra-rational commitment to G-d, that the Greek could not abide. By all means, learn Torah! Do a mitzvah! But do it as a rational human being, following a rational code of conduct. Why see it as a supra-rational deed, a G-dly deed, an act that is bigger than you?

And so they went after the oil. Every enemy goes after the life-source of their opponent — the wells, the food stocks. The Greeks went after the oil. For therein resides the secret of the Jew.

– Victory of Light, page 15-16