Guest Rambler: Yitty Koval
An Uber Happy Chanukah
There’s nothing quite like an authentic Israeli taxi ride, complete with the driver on his phone, swerving throughout the city without a GPS, and getting annoyed at me for being a “rich American” who refuses to be ripped off. But, being back in America this year, I take an occasional Uber ride, which is vaguely reminiscent for me of Israeli taxis. I’ll sometimes schmooze with the driver and see what he or she has on his mind.
The other day, I found myself in the backseat of an Uber on the way to my internship at Cleveland State University. My driver was Rodney, a friendly, middle-aged man who told me that he drives for Uber on his down time, after finally earning his MBA after studying part-time for 6 years. He then asked me if I had started Christmas shopping yet, to which I replied that I don’t celebrate Christmas because I am Jewish. Rodney then asked me if I have a different celebration, so I said, “Yes, I celebrate Hanukkah.” He then said, and I quote verbatim, “Well, as long as you believe in some sort of spiritual power. If you don't answer to nothing, you stand for nothing.”
I was struck by the power of that one sentence from a stranger, as well as the perfect timing of the message. Chanukah is a time when we are reminded strongly of our Jewish identity. It is a holiday where, more so than perhaps any other holiday, we wear our Jewish affiliation on our sleeve and proclaim to the world, "I'm a proud Jew!" Or, to quote our Sunday School song, "I'm proud to be a Jew, my family is too, at JFX we know and shout it to the world!"
One of the things I cherished about my two years in Israel was the feeling that I was part of a larger-than-life Jewish family. Wherever I went, there were other Jews who appreciated me and understood me. This feeling was even stronger during the holiday of Chanukah. Walking through the streets of Jerusalem as they were aglow with the light of hundreds of little menorah flames was a surreal experience.
King Solomon, the wisest of all men, teaches us in Proverbs 20:27, "The candle of G-d is the soul of Man." The concept of fire has a deep, mystical meaning. Fire represents the Jewish soul on a metaphysical level. On Chanukah, when we surround ourselves with the flames of the menorah, we have the opportunity to get in touch with our Jewish flames - our souls. We can push ourselves in our Jewish growth just a bit more, and the results will be that much more rewarding.
Chanukah is the perfect time to work on keeping the flame of Jewish pride alive, and to keep feeding it so it grows continually stronger. I have Rodney to thank for that reminder.
Happy Chanukah to all and Shabbat Shalom,
Yitty Koval
