Q: is there a better occasion to launch a Jewish blog with Iranian flavor than during Chanukah?

A: perhaps during Purim, thanks to Akhashverosh. But Purim is about our physical survivor, and Chanukah is about our spiritual survivor as thriving and proud Jews.

Chanukah is all about renewal and re-dedication. What do you do when you buy a new house in NY, LA, Jerusalem, or anywhere? You throw a party, which in Hebrew is called Chanukat Ha Bayt; “inauguration of your house”, your very own personal temple, to raise a beautiful Jewish family, full of joy, fun, love and laughter, and above all meaning.

“Chinuch” - education, is from the same root as “Chanukah”, re-dedication. We learn from here that in order to learn a subject well, you have to re-start it every time with a fresh and exhilarating approach. Today’s subject is not the same as yesterday’s, but a fresh one and tomorrow’s too will be a new one. We apply this principle not only to academic subjects, but to our relationships, our careers and all aspects of our lives. Today, you are not the same husband who is returning home tired and fatigued like yesterday. Today, you are arriving home like a new person, with the realization of all your blessings and your good fortune, as well as your own custom-made challenges and tribulations. And today you are not the same wife, mother, father, sister, student, merchant, doctor, lawyer, worker, etc., as the one you were yesterday. Today, you are a new start, a new and re-dedicated you, and above all a new Jew, with a revived and re-dedicated relationship with your Maker. This is only one of the beautiful messages of Chanukah.

You can learn more about Chanukah from the following sites:

Chabad
Torah.org
Aish HaTorah
Ohr Sameyach

so, there we go, Mazol Tov, Happy Chanukah, and Le’Chim to our new Jewish + Iranian blog.... and have a safe arrival home (:-)