Photo Provided - The “Shalom” menorah shines brightly in the night at Temple Shalom in Wheeling.

As the holiday season approaches, I have many fond memories of Hanukkah celebrations from years gone by, and their impact still reverberates in our present observances. There is a suggestion in the Talmud, a fifth-century code of Jewish law, that the Maccabees’ triumph of freedom over oppression is so important that one should “publicize” the celebration.

My parents would always make our home look festive with blue and gold decorations, including, of course, the many pieces of “art” made by me, and my younger sister, over the years.

Anything beautiful that looked like it had been created by a professional artist was clearly made by my sister in her youth, and anything shoddy that looked like it had been made by an incompetent toddler was likely crafted by me at a far more advanced age; arts and crafts were never my strong suit, but my parents still displayed it all.

Each of us had our own menorah, and my mother would cover the dining room sideboard with aluminum foil to keep the melting wax from doing any damage. The shiny silver foil also seemed to make the glimmering lights glow even more brightly.

I fondly remember the year my father bought a fancy new menorah for himself, and I inherited his old one, which I still use to this day. It was a model of a Torah scroll Ark, decorated with door panels like the Ten Commandments, and inside was the perfect place for hiding the gold-foil-covered chocolate “gelt” candies. On more than one occasion, I guess that I “hid” them so well that either I forgot they were in there, or someone else had secretly eaten them.

Most fondly, I remember that, in 1986, the second year of Oglebay’s Festival of Lights, the wider Wheeling community was invited to join in by creating light displays at local businesses.

Temple Shalom, located prominently on Bethany Pike in Woodsdale, joined in immediately, commissioning the wonderful artist Ken Morgan to design the giant menorah that still adorns our lawn to the present day.

Having returned home to serve as the Rabbi here at Temple Shalom, I am proud that my wife loves to decorate our home for the holiday season, just as my parents did. We also cover our dining room sideboard with aluminum foil so that each family member can light their own menorot.

Most of all, I love seeing our giant “Shalom” menorah on the Temple lawn, glowing brightly against the night sky, bringing light and joy to all who pass by on winter nights. Regardless of our differing unique traditions, I hope and pray that it may it be a happy and healthy holiday season for us all.