Vocabulary:
Bar Mitzvah – (bar·mitz·vah) a special ceremony in the Jewish tradition when a boy turns 13 years old and is considered old enough to take on adult responsibilities in the community.
Hanukkiah – (hah·noo·kee·ah) a special candle holder used during Hanukkah, with eight branches to represent the days the menorah stayed lit miraculously and a ninth branch for the “shamash” (helper) candle used to light the others.
Nonno – (noh·noh) an Italian word for grandfather. It’s a special and affectionate way to address or refer to your grandpa in Italian and Italian Jewish families.
Saba – (sah·bah) a loving and affectionate way for kids to refer to their grandfathers in Hebrew-speaking families.
Shabbat Shalom – a greeting used in the Jewish tradition on the seventh day, meaning a wish for you to have a peaceful and happy Sabbath.
Stimming – is when someone, often kids with autism, does repetitive movements like flapping their hands or rocking back and forth. It helps them deal with emotions and stay focused. It’s a bit like when you doodle, hum, or shake your leg to feel better or concentrate.
Chapter 6 – The Tradition of Light
In the timeless classic movie, “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye (the main character and abba) imparts this wisdom, “Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as – as – as a fiddler – on the roof!”
Speaking of traditons, Levi’s ima, an artisan of Shabbat, bakes her bread with love for Hashem, family, and friends. Sometimes a sourdough boule, other times potato bread challah. She often bakes an extra loaf to bless a neighbor as she wishes them “Shabbat Shalom.” It’s her way of making an offering to Hashem by loving others in obedience to Him.
GingerSnaps, has now been released into her outdoor enclosure. She explored it again, before she retired to her brumation chamber to slow down her system for the winter. Before she went down, Levi promised her that every day that he’s home, he will come out at least twice a day to refill her water bowl with fresh water, and play a song for her on his ocarina, so she will know he’s checking on her.
The days passed, and GingerSnaps barely budged in her chamber below. About once a week, abba would dig up the dirt over her chamber and peek in to make sure she was doing okay. And she was doing what box turtles do on very cold days. Nothing, but she was indeed alive and healthy.
Levi at times would plead with his parents to bring her inside so she would be awake daily, as he deeply missed their daily talks. They refused, as they felt it was important to take the advice of the game warden and vet on this matter.
Levi, held to his word, and daily he played a soul-stirring song for GingerSnaps. It did not have words, but it was the most beautiful melody. She took comfort in knowing he came twice daily to play music for her. Often as slow as she felt, she would smile as he played her special song. She would mouth words, but nobody could hear them. Her heart would glow.
When you’re missing your best friend, the days go by so slowly. Fortunately, Hanukkah arrived and family visited. It filled some of the voids in Levi’s time. The first night of Hanukkah as the family prepared to light their Hanukkiah, Levi requested, “Wait! May we move the Hanukkiah to the window closest to GingerSnaps outdoor house? Then if she wakes up and comes out, she won’t miss Hanukkah!”
Everyone thought it was a beautiful gesture of love. And so, the family tradition changed a bit as they moved it to a different window. There was so much joy in the household. His Nonna and Nonno Cantarini and his Savta and Saba Kohen were visiting. They filled the Kohen home with so much warmth, good food, great stories, and fun.
The first night of Hanukkah, Levi’s smile radiated like the sun. He grabbed his gift from cousin, David, and asked if at long last, he could open it. When given permission he hugged it tightly one last time and then tore into it. Much to both his pleasure and frustration, there were 9 gifts. One for each day of Hanukkah and one for his bar mitzvah. His bar mitzvah was years away…oh, the agony of waiting.
David explained his intentions to marry and being a good husband is expensive, so he sent his gift while he’s still single. Levi and the entire family’s cheeks were streaming with tears, but they also smiled at the humor in David’s comment about the cost of being a husband. Little did David or Levi know when they saw each other during Sukkot, that they would not see each other again this side of Gan Eden (Garden of Eden).
Levi found gift #1 and opened it, but slower than he tore into the main box. Everything felt very surreal. It was a shirt with a hanukkiah on it and inscribed with, “Hanukkah Highlights: Latkes, Lights, and My Favorite Cousin David!” Attached was a photo of David wearing a larger version declaring Levi as his favorite cousin.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Levi stimmed, unleashing emotions he kept trying to confine. Levi had not stimmed in more than two years, but it was a technique he used when he was younger for self-soothing. Savta Kohen started sobbing (as she missed her grandson David, too and hurt deeply for her grandson Levi). She compassionately took Levi into her arms and asked if she might help him put on his new shirt, grasping he was incapable of doing it by himself in that moment.
It wasn’t that Levi didn’t like the gift; it was that he loved it so much that his grief started overflowing. After Levi slipped on the shirt, he surprisingly felt empowered. After all, David said Levi was his favorite cousin! David’s memory would indeed always be a blessing.
Over the next couple of days, Levi’s Saba and Nonno would help him build gifts for the other family members. How excited GingerSnaps would be to see all these amazing things, made with love. Levi even made her a mini-Sukkah humid hide to sleep in when the weather is warm enough.
Even the feline mastermind, Mr. Vader, and the canine chaos creator, Malcolm, decided to join the Happy Hanukkah celebration. They strutted over, proudly carrying their offerings, and delicately placed them at the gate of GingerSnaps’ enclosure. Mr. Vader, in a rare moment of generosity, presented her with one of his cherished Jingle Balls, the same ones he normally batted around with imperial flair. Meanwhile, Malcolm, after engaging in a dramatic showdown with a stuffed bunny (ensuring it posed no threat to GingerSnaps), generously gifted it to her—though he couldn’t resist returning for a few more epic Maccabee battles. It may have been drenched in dog drool, but Malcolm’s slobbery bunny was truly a heartfelt gift.
In the quiet moments of winter, as the Hanukkiah flickered with candlelight, Levi’s melodies continued to resonate in GingerSnaps’ chamber. Tradition, with its roots in love and shared moments, became a guiding light in the Kohen family’s winter journey. And somewhere in the depths of her brumation, GingerSnaps, in her TINY TURTLE MIND, felt the echoes of connection and care, wrapped in the embrace of the warm family traditions of Hanukkah!
LET’S TALK:
How does the LIGHT encourage traditions in your life on this sixth night of Hanukkah?
FUN BOX TURTLE FACTS:
Did you know box turtles don’t have any external ears, but they still have the internal part of the ear, so they are still able to hear to some extent?
Turtles are mostly able to hear loud or deep sounds that produce a lot of vibrations. In fact, their favorite music genre is classical.