The light of Hanukkah this year is engulfed in a cloud of pain and sorrow. In her song “Kad Ha-kemaḥ” (The Pitcher of Flour”), Naomi Shemer portrays a fabulous scene in the story of Elijah the Prophet. The hungry, wandering prophet, wrapped in his sorrow, believes that the pitcher of flour will not be depleted and the flask of oil will not run short before rain falls upon the soil. His hope is encapsulated in the song’s refrain. That refrain is part of a verse in 1 Kings (17:14), “The jar of flour will not go empty nor will the cruse of oil be drained until the day the Lord sends rain over the land.” As was her practice, Shemer changed the wording of the verse, replacing the word for rain (geshem) with one for precipitation (matar). The original term, geshem, though, actually expresses that hope, since it shares a root with hagshamah, which means “fulfillment” or “actualization.” The falling rain enables the earth to fulfill its purpose, to bring about life, growth, and renewal. Let us all hope that rains of blessing come down on us and that we fulfill our own intended purposes on this earth, bringing home all the hostages quickly, as soon as possible.
