It was the coldest of nights, yet an enthusiastic group gathered at Temple Oheb Shalom for the second night of Chanukah to celebrate.
Even in the bitter night, little children sang Chanukah songs and elected officials spoke.
Morris and Ann Cohen, the two people largely responsible for hosting this event over the years outside of their home, better known as the “Chanukah House,” were deservedly spoken about by Mayor Sheila Dixon.
Inside the warm Oheb auditorium, it was nice to see Jewish, gentile, white and black neighbors getting together to watch an entertaining juggler, purchase holiday gifts from vendors and have a bite to eat.
But I also saw something there that still makes me wonder if we’re “getting” the spirit of Chanukah.
You remember how cold Monday night was. There was a man with a yarmulke on asking people for a ride from the event, which was located near Slade Avenue, to his apartment, near Clarks Lane and Park Heights.
He asked if anyone was heading in that direction?
He was told “no,” over and over again.
There was nothing at all threatening about this man, but there was no room in the cars he asked. Did I mention he was limping?
I was leaning against a wall watching this all turn out.
What happened to the flickering light against the darkness?
What happened to the spirit of Chanukah?
And it’s exactly what concerns me sometimes about our community. We can put on a great show, a great costume, look Jewish, observe the holidays to the max. But when it comes time to live the message of the holiday, we so many times drop the ball.
If we can’t give a ride home to a man in subfreezing temperatures, let’s just blow out the candles and stop being hypocrites about all of this.
Eventually he did get his ride home. That’s all that he wanted.
That was his Chanukah gift, a little warmth to make his life easier.
On Christmas Day, Thursday, many in our community will satisfy this feeling of help when they volunteer at the soup kitchen in the inner city. People with cameras will capture images of their friends and synagogue members serving turkey, gravy and stuffing to the poor.
We’ll pat each other on the back, and talk about Tikkun Olum.
Well, Tikkun Olum day doesn’t happen once a year.
It’s every day of the year.
And it doesn’t have to be dramatic.
A simple ride home to a fellow human being on a cold Chanukah night. It won’t be on any one’s digitial camera or shul newsletter.
You get the idea.
Let’s live Chanukah and its message, let’s not just celebrate it.

Why wasn’t the event at the Chanuka house this year?