Our Voices: A Blog by Links, Callers and Volunteers

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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A Chanukah Miracle

By: Shera Dubitsky, MEd, MA, Sharsheret Clinical Supervisor

Chanukah celebrates the miraculous victory and survival of the Jewish people. In our history, we see that miracles often follow times of despair and hopelessness, testing our very core as individuals and as a community. In Hebrew, the word for test is nisayon. Within this word we find nes, miracle. This suggests to me that both of these phenomena have the potential to be experienced in tandem.

When a woman, her family, her community are touched by cancer, we desperately seek miracles. We hope and pray for these miracles to be as grand as the parting of the Red Sea. Do miracles of this grandeur still happen? Will the cure become an absolute outcome for all women diagnosed with cancer? The answer remains unknown today, but it may reveal itself tomorrow. This is the power of hope.

In the meantime, I revel in the small, beautiful wonders I have witnessed at Sharsheret. Sharsheret began as a conversation between two young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, that conversation includes thousands of Jewish women, families, and communities across the country. I have seen the power of emotional and spiritual healing through strength of character, generosity of spirit, kindness, and humor.

A diagnosis of cancer can begin in darkness. But I have seen the brilliance of light shine in the resiliency of the human spirit. As I light my candles this Chanukah, I will remember that although the holiday begins with the faint light of one candle, slowly, candle by candle, day by day, the illumination of light becomes powerful. In our history, the word cancer was taboo and whispered only in darkness. Sharsheret has shed light on this important issue and brought hope to the Jewish community. I believe that this is our victory, our miracle.

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful thoughts. Beautifully written.

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  2. I love the word-picture of the light growing brighter over time. Thank you.

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