Letters from Israel

A Hanukkah Moment 
How do you light the Hanukkah candles when you are on a plane to Israel? I had never thought about that. Then, I was invited to help make a minyan for Ma'ariv. It’s easy to know which way is east, when you are flying to Israel.

As we were finishing davening, someone said “time to light.” He set up some small battery- powered candles and we all recited the blessings.

The second blessing— “She-asa Nissim La-Avoteynu—Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days, at this time” resonated differently for me. There is a commentary that suggests reading it with the word “and”—“Who performed miracles in those days and in our time.” To be able to fly to Israel is a miracle that should never be taken for granted, especially these days. Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, once said “Miracles sometimes happen, but you have to work terribly hard for them.” The Maccabees fought for a Jewish state; the battle continues.
Traditionally, we only recite she-he-he-yanu on the first night of Hanukkah. But flying to Israel on the sixth night was a first-time experience for me, so I added that third brakhah: “who has kept us in life and sustained us and enabled us to reach this moment.”  

And now I know how you light Hanukkah candles on an El Al flight to Israel.    
Everyone said: “Amen

And then Eyden served Sufganiyot. 
I said “Amen” to that too!