In a few moments my home will be filled with Grandchildren with busy, very busy hands as we get ready for the Congregational Dinner and making lots of Latkes.

This year the Children have chosen to do something "different" and sacrificial.  You see part of Chanukah has to do with Sacrifice and my favorite Chanukah Story is about Sacrifice as well. Chanukah is also about rising above Oppression and defeating your enemies. So this year, since in God's counting of the days begins in the evening, and since TOMORROW DEC 5th is Fast for DARFUR day; the children have decided on their own to Fast tonight's Chanukah present and donate the money those presents would have cost to protecting the Women and Children of Darfur. Even the five year old knows this is important.

So before I share about Chanukah lighting I would like to share my favorite story of Chanukah, a story about women and children Torture and Faith. Hannah (Chana in Hebrew) and her seven sons.

This first time I read this story to my children through tears I prayed Lord may I teach my children to have faith to die for you. Being saved in the late seventies and KNOWING Jesus was returning any day; I knew they had to be prepared. Very gently the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, not only do you have to teach them to die for me, you must teach them to live for me and to teach their children the same. At the time being a grandparent was no where in my realm of thinking, yet it changed my way of teaching my children from just learning to teaching them to being able to infuse their children with Truth as well.

Hannah is the mother of Seven Jewish sons during the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus is determined to destroy the Jews faith in God by issuing edict after edict, you can not observe the Sabbath, you cannot read Torah, You cannot circumcise your sons, You must eat unclean meats. Can you imagine what this was like? You can't go to church, You can't read your Bible, You cannot pray. You can't baptize new believers, you cannot tell anyone about Jesus? What would you do?

For Hannah The price was so dear. It began with her eldest son. He would not obey the King He would not abandon Torah and eat the unclean meat set before him. The King ordered his tongue cut out His hands and feet cut off and burned in the fire, as his mother and brothers watched. The King thought surely this will make them see I am serious and they will do as I command.

Each son was presented to the King and each deadly torture became worse than the next as Hannah watched each of Her sons shout their devotion to God and enter into His Presence. Finally her last and youngest son appear be for the Monster Antiochus. The Seven year old Showed the same courage and devotion as his other brothers had. The King Pleaded with Hannah, save this boy your last child, make him obey me! So Hannah asked to speak to her little boy and this is what she said...

"My son, I carried you in my body for nine months, I nursed you for two years and I have fed you until today. I have taught you to fear G-d and uphold His Torah. See the heaven and the earth, the sea and the land, fire, water, wind and every other creation. Know that they were all created by G-d's word. He created man to serve Him and He will reward man for his deeds. The king knows he is condemned before G-d. He thinks that if he convinces you, G-d will have mercy on him. G-d controls your life's breath and can take your soul whenever He desires. If only I could see the greatness of your glorious place where we would be illuminated with G-d's light and rejoice and exult together."

and lastly when you see Abraham tell him your mother says "'You bound only one son upon an altar, but I bound seven."

With That the King ordered the littlest son to be tortured worse than all his brothers before him. Hannah surrounded by the bodies of her beloved sons Exalted her God in Prayer.

Hannah stood by the heaped bodies of her sons. She prayed for three things:

1)      for the souls of her children

2)      for the strength of the Jewish people

3)      to be taken by God rather than be killed by the Greeks

As Hannah finished her prayer, she breathed her last breath and fell dead beside her children.

A Child's version of this Story can be found here and here

Now This story may seem so far from your imaginings that it is hard for you to Comprehend, yet the women and Children of Darfur are suffering the same evil today, some for their faith ,some for the pleasure of their tormentors.

Should you choose to Join us in the Darfur Fast the information is Here

 You can also read my post on Darfur and what you can do Here

And as you hold your children in your arms, pray for them and sing to them, remember you are called to train them to Live for Jesus and each celebration and tradition you instill in their hearts is doing more than you imagine.